Childcare Development Outreach Officer

The role of the Early Years’ Business and Sufficiency Team is to:

• Lead and facilitate strategic development in relation to early years business, sufficiency and funding across the city, working with a range of partners
• Provide market management to secure sufficient registered childcare and education places
• Secure and fund early years provision which is free of charge to parents
• Provide advice and guidance to extended childcare provision for children beyond the age of 5 years.
• To provide childcare related advice to parents and carers.

Early years officers liaise with PVI providers, schools, parents/carers and other external agencies to achieve the best outcomes for young children.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We are seeking to appoint a motivated and passionate early years practitioner to join our successful team within the Early Years’ Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team.

The purpose of this role is:

• To provide comprehensive information and advice about childcare and related matters to parents, carers, students, employers, childcare providers and professionals.
• To support the management of the childcare market in Coventry in accordance with the childcare sufficiency duties, through a variety of activities with a community family facing focus.
• Provide an outreach function in support of recruitment and retention of the workforce within the childcare sector attending events such as Job Fairs, Career events etc
• To work in collaboration with key stakeholders to support take up of early years entitlements, access to paid for childcare and to support recruitment and retention across the sector.
• Support the Workforce Development Manager to implement systems to ensure the early years workforce in Coventry has access to relevant training

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

The successful candidate will be open-minded, flexible and excited about the development of new ideas and initiatives. They will have excellent communication skills and the ability to present challenge in a way that facilitates change, whilst sustaining positive relationships and engagement. For key educational requirements refer to the job description.

The post would suit an appropriately qualified or experienced early year’s / childcare practitioner.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills and experiences related to the job description and person specification.

We can offer:

• Friendly, supportive and highly motivated staff
• A strong commitment to raising standards
• Excellent opportunities to build experience working across the remit of early years and childcare.

Please note: The successful candidate will be required to work 37 hours per week Monday to Friday.

This advert may close early if we have a significant number of applicants.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date: 18th November 2025

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies