Early Years Improvement Advisor

Contract: Permanent Term Time Only 
Hours: 35
Salary: Soulbury Pay Scale 10-12 ( £52,805-£55,484 pro rata)

The Role

The Early Years Improvement Advisory team have a new and exciting opportunity. We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced early years expert to join our team. You must have QTS and leadership experience to apply for the post. The role is to support our inspiring and high quality early years providers including childminders, nurseries and reception class. You should want the very best for all children within Herefordshire and be able to demonstrate how you have been able to have impact on raising standards of care and education for early years children. We are interested in those with Ofsted inspector experience and expect you to be able to write and deliver high quality training and offer accurate advice and support.

What will you be doing?

You will be helping support the team to ensure that all children have the best start in life. Key features:

Apply Expertise in Early Childhood Development

• You will use your deep understanding of child development to support high-quality early education.
• You will identify developmental needs and promote play-based, inclusive learning approaches.

Support and Guide Early Years Practitioners

• You will mentor and coach nursery staff, childminders, and educators to enhance their practice.
• You will deliver training sessions and facilitate professional development opportunities

Drive Quality Assurance and Improvement

• You will observe practice, assess provision, and support settings to meet and exceed standards.
• You will help create and implement action plans for continuous improvement.

Implement Policy and Curriculum

• You will advise on the effective delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and other relevant frameworks.
• You will ensure that policies on safeguarding, inclusion, and learning are embedded in practice.

Engage Families and Communities

• You will promote strong partnerships with parents and carers to support children’s learning at home.
• You will collaborate with local services and community partners to enhance outcomes for children.

Monitor, Evaluate, and Report

• You will collect and analyse data to monitor progress and inform strategic decisions.
• You will prepare reports and contribute to local authority planning and evaluation.

We encourage all qualified and interested individuals to submit an application for this important role. If you are passionate about supporting children, families, and educators in creating positive, inclusive learning experiences, we would love to hear from you.

We Offer

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
• Basic Salary of
• Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
• Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees
• Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.

Why Choose Us?

We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.

At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.

Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county on the Welsh border, one of England’s most rural and unspoilt areas, with vibrant market towns and a strong sense of community.

Our priority is clear: to keep children safe and give them the best start in life. We do this through passionate, dedicated professionals who build strong relationships with children, families, and partners to make a lasting difference.

It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re investing in our people and our relational practice approach, working alongside our improvement partner, Leeds City Council. You’ll be supported by experienced managers, continuous professional development, and a genuine team ethos that values collaboration and care.

If you’re committed to helping children and young people thrive, come and join the journey in Herefordshire - where your work truly matters.

Herefordshire Council Plan

The Council plan sets out how we will make our contribution to achieving a better and more successful Herefordshire, please see the link below to find out more:

Herefordshire Council Plan 2024-2028

Reasonable Adjustments

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected].

If you’re shortlisted for interview and require any reasonable adjustments, our Children & Young People Recruitment Team will be happy to support you.

Creating an inclusive workplace

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.

Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.

How to apply

To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.

Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, the C&YP Recruitment Team will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too.

Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!

Please note: the council is currently unable to offer overseas visa sponsorship for Social Worker roles in Children & Young People. Overseas prospective candidates that require sponsorship to work in the UK should not apply for these roles. We appreciate your interest in Herefordshire Council and would encourage you to consider other opportunities with us that may be open to sponsorship. A full list of current vacancies can be found here: https://spiritofherefordshire.com/children-young-people/jobs/