Creative Development Worker Early Years – the organisation for young children in Dungannon

Join Early Years – the organisation for young children as Creative Development Worker.

Location: Dungannon and Coalisland SureStart

Hours: 25 hours per week

Do you have a passion for making a meaningful impact in early childhood education? Do you believe in the power of play to unlock potential? Be part of our team and help shape the futures of children by fostering growth and learning through purposeful opportunities. At Early Years, we are committed to fostering growth for both the children and our staff. Joining means an opportunity to enhance your skills, make a meaningful difference, and collaborate with a team that upholds dedication, compassion, and excellence in early years care and education.

In return, Early Years provides a comprehensive rewards package, including:

• a competitive salary
• 36 days of annual leave (pro-rata), inclusive of statutory/public holidays
• a contributory pension scheme
• options to purchase additional leave
• access to healthcare schemes

The role:

The Creative Development Worker will work closely with the Play Development Team Leader, our Artist-in-Residence and the wider SureStart team to ensure all programmes maximise opportunities for children to enhance their creative and imaginative play.

We’re looking for people who:

• An NVQ Level III in a Creative Arts related discipline or in Early Care and Education.
• Two years’ experience working with young children gained in a group based early years setting.
• Excellent knowledge of child development in particular the benefits of creative play.
• A pass level degree in a Creative arts discipline or Early Childhood Care and Education.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Wednesday 7 January 2026. For shortlisted applicants it is anticipated that interviews will take place on Thursday 29 January 2026. To find out more about the role and to apply, visit our website.

Early Years is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing flexible friendly working conditions. As Protestants and males are currently known to be under-represented in the Organisation, we would particularly welcome applications from these groups.

About the Organisation:

Early Years was established in 1965 as the Northern Ireland Pre-school Playgroups Association (NIPPA) and changed its name to Early Years in 2007. Our activities include the delivery of government funding programmes, the development of best practice in early learning and childcare, advocacy on behalf of the sector and governance support for early years and childcare settings. We administer the Department of Education’s Pathway Fund which allocates funding to early years settings and childcare providers across NI. Early Years also delivers a range of activity and funding programmes including Toybox, to support early education and childcare for children facing disadvantage. We are the lead body for six of the projects which deliver the Department of Education’s Sure Start programme. In 2024 Early Years developed and launched the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education. The organisation is also responsible for the pre-school element of the ASPIRE Project, a cross border SEUPB initiative to foster shared education. Early Years has also played an active role on a number of international networks including the International Networking Group on Peacebuilding with Young Children, the Early Childhood Peace Consortium and the Partnership for Reconciliation through Early Childhood Education and Development Europe, to share expertise and evidence and assist other countries to adapt best practice for their own use.