PLEASE NOTE THIS POST IS ONLY OPEN TO INTERNAL APPLICANTS
Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: County Hall Glenfield Leicester LE3 8RA
Salary: £39,939 - £42,699 per annum (pro rata for part-time) (pay award pending)
Working Hours: 37 per week
Contract Type: Fixed term for 8 Months
Closing Date: 24th June 2026
Interview Date(s): Week beginning 29th June
We have an exciting opportunity for you to join our Early Years, Inclusion and Childcare service as a Free Early Education Entitlement and Sufficiency Manager for a fixed term of eight months.
About the Role
We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join a highly skilled and enthusiastic team, with scope to take on increased responsibility and make a meaningful impact.
As part of the ongoing school-aged childcare programme, this role will play a key part in supporting the Sufficiency and Organisation Manager by taking ownership of key areas of work. You will lead on ensuring families are supported to access their funded childcare entitlements, and that there are sufficient high-quality childcare places available across the county.
Working collaboratively with a wide range of professionals and Early Years providers, you will:
- Support families to understand and take up their funded childcare entitlements
- Work closely with providers to ensure sufficient childcare places are available to meet local demand
- Promote clarity and consistency around funding entitlements for both families and the childcare sector
- Contribute to the ongoing development and delivery of the childcare sufficiency strategy
This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is committed to improving outcomes for children and families, and who thrives in a collaborative, partnership-focused environment.
You must be willing and able to travel to venues across the county
An enhanced with barred list DBS check is required for this post.
For information on our approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders, please see our policy statement.
About You
To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:
- A Level 6 qualification (or equivalent level of experience), alongside GCSEs at Grade C/4 or above (or equivalent) in both Mathematics and English.
- Proven experience of supervising staff, including conducting performance reviews and supporting team development.
- Strong project management and administrative experience, with the ability to analyse and interpret data to inform service planning and delivery.
- Experience of translating statutory guidance into clear operational processes, particularly in relation to Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE), with excellent written and verbal communication skills to engage a range of stakeholders.
- Experience of managing complaints in a professional and solution-focused manner, with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills to achieve positive outcomes and build effective working relationships.
- A sound working knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), alongside a good understanding of the early learning and childcare sector and its key partners.
- A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, with a clear understanding of how these principles support positive outcomes for children and families across Leicestershire.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values and to delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer.
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Sue Wilson, Service Manager
Email suzanne.wilson@leics.gov.uk
Tel 0116 305 8337
How to Apply
At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.
If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Apply section on our career site.
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.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.
By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
Contact Details:
Nottingham City Council, Leicestershire County Council, East Midlands Group Recruitment Team
