Senior Childcare Improvement & Sufficiency Lead

This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UKs leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board. Job Description Organisation: Leicestershire County Council Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, LE3 8RA Salary: £43,860 - £47,829 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) (Pay Award Pending) Working Hours: 37 Hours per week Contract Type: Fixed term for 12 months, Secondment for 12 months Closing Date: 31st May 2026 Interview Date(s): 4th June 2026 We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to join our Early Years, Inclusion and Childcare Service as a Senior Childcare Improvement & Sufficiency Officer on a one-year fixed-term basis (or secondment opportunity). About the Role This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a highly skilled and enthusiastic team. You will play a key role in supporting new childcare providers through the Ofsted registration process, as well as working with existing school-age childcare settings to ensure the delivery of high-quality provision. You will work closely with Early Years settings and schools to deliver the school-age childcare programme. This includes supporting the national rollout of free breakfast clubs and strengthening links between holiday childcare provision and the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme. Your work will help maximise opportunities and contribute to the development of a sustainable school-age childcare market. A key aspect of the role will involve gathering and analysing data and evidence to support submissions to the Department for Education (DfE). You will also need to be willing to travel to appointments and a range of venues as required. Key Responsibilities * Provide line management and coordination for the Childcare Improvement Sufficiency Officers, ensuring effective delivery of the service. * Lead on securing sufficient childcare places to meet parental demand, including provision for children with additional needs across out-of-school and wraparound settings. * Monitor, support, and challenge out-of-school childcare providers to ensure high-quality provision for children aged 4-14 * Ensure providers delivering the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme offer high-quality services and, where required, comply with Ofsted welfare standards. * Work collaboratively with a range of internal local authority teams and external partners to support service priorities. * Coordinate and oversee support for providers seeking Ofsted registration, ensuring new childcare settings are fully prepared for their first inspection. 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: * A relevant Level 6 qualification (e.g. Qualified Teacher Status, Early Years Professional) or equivalent demonstrable experience. * Proven track record of outstanding childcare practice, with experience in observing, evaluating quality of learning, and providing constructive feedback to drive continuous improvement. * Excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), including statutory welfare requirements, alongside a sound understanding of play work principles and their application to childcare practice. * Strong understanding of safeguarding requirements for children and young people. * Ability to interpret and use data effectively to inform decision-making and service improvement. * Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to inspire, influence and build effective partnerships with a range of stakeholders. 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: Jo fisher - Childcare Sufficiency and Organisational Development Team Manager Email: jo.fisher@leics.gov.uk How to Apply At Leicestershire County Council were looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever youre from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just whats on your CV. Thats why weve designed a recruitment process thats 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, wed 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 wont 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. About Us About Leicestershire County Council At Leicestershire County Council, were committed to making a real difference in peoples lives. Our aim is to work with communities and partners to deliver public services that make Leicestershire the best possible place to live and work for everyone. Our employees play a key role in supporting this goal and helping us deliver the vital services we provide to the people of Leicestershire. Whether youre starting your career or looking for your next challenge, youll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose. For further information on what its like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following: Our Recruitment Process Our Organisational Values Our Employee Benefits Working for Us J-18808-Ljbffr