Early Years and Childcare Workforce Officer

Overview

Are you looking for a role which is varied and diverse? Do you have excellent communication skills and are passionate about supporting families and providers in the Early Years sector? If you answered yes, then this could be the role for you!

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of the Early Years Workforce Development Team within the Early Years’ Service.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

As an Early Years Workforce Officer you will be responsible for coordinating training and Early Years and Childcare professional development courses available for the Early Years and Childcare Workforce.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Working with systems to allow delegates to book courses or access online training as well as booking a range of networking opportunities facilitated by other staff within the Service.
• Provide support to colleagues and trainers in all aspects of the delivery of a comprehensive training programme.
• Booking and liaison with appropriate venues for delivery of face to face courses
• Collating data, including evaluation feedback, to assess the effectiveness of the training delivered.
• Identify opportunities to increase the scope of training offered, and increase take up of existing programme.
• Provide regular reports to support the Workforce Lead in developing the strategic vision for the team.
• Communicate with members of the early years and childcare workforce wishing to attend training and provide support to access the on-line booking system.
• Give advice regarding qualifications and career pathways to staff within the sector.

You will use a range of skills to achieve this such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Publisher, and PowerPoint plus be trained to use specialist software programmes.

You will have excellent communication skills with proven experience of providing high quality customer services with the ability to be able to deal calmly and politely with situations involving members of the public and staff.

Please see attached job description for further information.

About you

The successful candidate will have experience and knowledge of the early years sector and in particular the early years workforce sector with a record of supporting qualification training, and workforce development programmes. You must have excellent communication & IT skills including a good working knowledge of Excel and be able to organise your work, keeping key information up to date and accurate.  

Clear and concise communications skills, both orally and in writing are essential.

The ability to accurately record and analyse data and use it to show the impact of training provided to the sector.

Please see job description for full person specification.

Other information

If you would like to find out more, please contact Sue Bayliss at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Tuesday 19^th August

Interview date: week commencing 25th August

The Service works together in the Walton Street Office on Monday’s and Tuesdays each week. The core hours for this role are between 9:00am and 5:30pm as the role holder must be available to speak to staff from the sector and on occasion attend the training to support quality assurance of the CPD offer. A car is essential for this role.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/