ESPO
Early Years Improvement Advisor
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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: Permanent
Closing Date: 19th July 2026
Interview Date(s): 4th August 2026
About the Role
- Develop and support high quality early years provision across the childcare sector
- Provide advice, guidance and training as set out in the local authority’s statutory duty to ensure high quality provision for pre-schools, day nurseries and childminders who are judged less than good by Ofsted
- Champion the needs of children, particularly the most disadvantaged, ensuring that all children and their families are able to access high quality early education and childcare
- Offer advice and guidance regarding children with SEND. Supporting providers to use the graduated approach to assess, plan, do review. Signposting to relevant agencies for further support
- Implement new and existing initiatives and projects as directed
- Work closely with other internal local authority services and external partners
- Disseminate key safeguarding messages and policies with regard to expectations and local procedures and share information with providers and other stakeholders, to ensure key safeguarding competencies are embedded in practice.
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 [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/recruitment-of-ex-offenders-policy-statement.pdf].
About You
To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:
- Hold a relevant level 6 qualification with outstanding early years practice in the early years sector or a school
- Have an excellent understanding of statutory duties and learning relating to the EYFS phase and Early Years SEND code of practice
- Have experience of observing and evaluating quality learning and providing feedback as part of the early year’s improvement processes
- Have effective presentation skills which include good communication skills, both written and oral. To be assertive, confident and sensitive to the needs of others and be able to cope with pressure
- Have the ability to develop and maintain good working relationships and professional partnerships with people from all backgrounds with the ability to enthuse and motivate others where lived experiences of diverse backgrounds can be shared and celebrated
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Our Aim
Our main aim is to improve outcomes for children of Leicestershire. If you are successful, you will be supported by the Extended Leadership team to be creative and solution focused as well as having access to a variety of professional development opportunities. People who work in our service say that we are a caring, approachable, friendly service who work well together and with other professionals. Staff are made to feel valued and that they are making a difference.
As a Children and Family department we are committed to our vision of becoming a trauma informed responsive department. We will strive to create a safe, compassionate environment demonstrated through relationships based on trust, respect, hope and empathy. We will achieve this through a spirit of curiosity, by nurturing connections through relationships, making a deliberate effort to know and understand people.
In addition, we also expect you to share our commitment to our values [https://eism.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/lcc/pages/1004] 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 [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign].
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:
- Jane McNee – Senior Early Years Improvement Advisor
- Email: Jane.McNee@leics.gov.uk [Jane.McNee@leics.gov.uk]
- Telephone: 0116 3057521
- Isabel Bentley, Senior Early Years Improvement Advisor
- Email: Isabel.Bentley@leics.gov.uk [Isabel.Bentley@leics.gov.uk]
- Telephone: 0116 3050628
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.
Get help with your application
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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 [https://eism.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/lcc/pages/1001] 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 [https://eism.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/lcc/pages/1006].
About Leicestershire County Council
At Leicestershire County Council, we're committed to making a real difference in people's 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 you're starting your career or looking for your next challenge, you'll find a place with us where your ideas are valued, and your work has purpose.
For further information on what it’s like to work for us and the benefits we offer, please refer to the following:
- Our Recruitment Process [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/jobs-and-volunteering/working-for-the-council/the-application-process]
- Our Organisational Values [https://eism.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX/pages/1004]
- Our Employee Benefits [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/jobs-and-volunteering/working-for-the-council/employee-benefits]
- Working for Us [https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/jobs-and-volunteering/working-for-the-council/an-inclusive-workplace]
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