Education Enrichment and Childcare Lead in Walthamstow

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO4 £49,056 - £52,194

Contract Type: Full-time/Permanent

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 17th September 2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): W/C 28th September 2026

Reference: 2287

About Us: Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work. We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role: We are seeking an experienced and motivated Education Operations Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high-quality education, early years, childcare and enrichment services across Waltham Forest. Reporting to the Education Operations Manager, you will lead on a diverse portfolio of operational, performance and commissioning responsibilities that support the Council's statutory duties relating to childcare sufficiency, free early education entitlement, and enrichment opportunities for children and young people. You will work collaboratively with schools, childcare providers, internal services and external partners to ensure high-quality provision, strong business performance and positive outcomes for families.

The role involves overseeing grant-funded programmes, monitoring provider compliance, developing business processes, analysing performance data, and driving service improvement. You will also provide expert advice and support to providers, helping to ensure they remain sustainable, compliant and responsive to the needs of local communities. This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic and operational leader who enjoys working across partnerships, using data to inform decision-making, managing complex projects and translating policy into effective service delivery. You will play a key role in ensuring children and families have access to high-quality childcare, early education and enrichment opportunities that support learning, development and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery and operational management of education business operations, performance and support services across the Education Service.
• Support the Council's statutory duties for childcare sufficiency, free early education entitlement and childcare provision.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with schools, early years providers, childcare providers and key partners.
• Commission, monitor and quality assure childcare, early years and enrichment providers to ensure compliance with statutory and contractual requirements.
• Lead the delivery of grant-funded programmes relating to early education, childcare and enrichment activities for children and young people.
• Analyse performance, financial and service data to inform strategic planning, service improvement and statutory reporting.
• Provide expert advice, guidance and training to providers and schools to support sustainability, compliance and quality improvement.
• Develop and implement policies, procedures and business processes that improve service effectiveness and value for money.
• Lead projects, change initiatives and digital service improvements to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience.
• Monitor risks, ensure effective governance arrangements and maintain compliance with relevant legislation, funding requirements and data protection regulations.
• Prepare reports, briefings and recommendations for senior leaders, stakeholders and partners.
• Support and deputise for the Education Operations Manager when required.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Experience of operationally managing a service/team which contributed to delivering a Council’s statutory requirements relating to securing free early education and childcare places to children under 5 who are eligible for a place, as well as childcare for children aged 0 to 14 or up to 18 for disabled children.
• Experience of successfully operationally managing a service/team delivering grant funded programmes related to early education and childcare and out of school/enrichment activities for school age children.
• Expert knowledge and understanding of Ofsted/DfE requirements, systems, policy, practices, procedures, and legislation regarding early years and childcare.
• Excellent customer service skills, with experience of resolving customer queries.
• Significant experience of working with and forming positive, trusting relationships with commissioned providers (especially Ofsted registered childcare providers and schools).
• Experience of providing a range of information advice and training to Early Years, Childcare providers and Schools regarding running sustainable businesses which comply with statutory requirements.
• Experience of developing and implementing financial and business strategies/plans that are based on thorough analysis of needs and risks.
• Experience of developing team members by effectively delegating tasks and projects.
• Experience of translating strategic vision into practical achievable plans.
• Experience of defining service delivery expectations and setting clear expectations for the team.
• Experience of harnessing the strengths of the team to positive advantage.
• Experience of effectively managing projects/programmes of work including change projects and grant funded initiatives.
• Experience of using data and information to benchmark good/best performance and practice to assess performance of team/service.
• Experience of producing a range of advice, information, data and statistical analysis, reports and presentations to internal and external Heads of Service and Senior Managers.
• IT skills, including Microsoft Office suite.
• Experience use of large complex management and client information systems and finance systems (particularly Oracle).

Terms and conditions: The below terms and conditions apply to this role: Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks; Satisfactory declaration of interest; This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/or vulnerable adults; Satisfactory DBS check; Continued professional body registration; As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English.

How to Apply: Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives:

• Promoting equality of opportunity
• Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage
• Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels.
• Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all.

Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.