Join Early Years – the organisation for young children as Head of Direct Services

Location: Negotiable, with hybrid working available

Hours: 37 hours

Tenure: Permanent

Salary: NJC Scale Point 40-47, (£48,474-£55,788) per annum pro rata

Do you have a passion for making a meaningful impact in early childhood education? Do you believe in the power of play to unlock potential? Be part of our team and help shape the futures of children by fostering growth and learning through purposeful opportunities.

At Early Years, we are committed to fostering growth for both the children and our staff. Joining means an opportunity to enhance your skills, make a meaningful difference, and collaborate with a team that upholds dedication, compassion, and excellence in early years care and education.

In return, Early Years provides a comprehensive rewards package, including a competitive salary, 36 days of annual leave (pro-rata), inclusive of statutory/public holidays, a contributory pension scheme, options to purchase additional leave, and access to healthcare schemes.

The role

The Head of Direct Services will manage the services we offer directly to children and families. The post holder will join an organisation which is committed to improving long term outcomes for children, families and communities.

We're looking for people who:

At the closing date have:

Essential Criteria

At the closing date applicants must have:

• A postgraduate level qualification in the field of Education or Business Management or Social Work or Social Science or Community Development or equivalent.
• A minimum of three years demonstrable management experience working in a large, complex service orientated organisation in the private, voluntary, community or public sector.
• Three years experience within the last 5 years managing staff performance to achieve high standards of service delivery.
• Demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the public policy environment.
• A full current driving license enabling the holder to drive in Northern Ireland and have the use of a vehicle for official purposes.

An information pack containing the job description and personnel specification is available by clicking here.

As part of the application process, you will need to demonstrate how you meet the criteria as outlined above and, on the personnel specification, and provide a copy of your CV. Shortlisting will be completed based on the information contained with the application form, therefore it is important to clearly outline how you meet the criteria. Please note that your CV will only be used to support your application in assessing employment history.

Once you begin the application, it must be completed in one session, as there is no option to save and return to it later.

Please note, the information pack will not be available after the job posting closes therefore you may want to download it.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Sunday 2 February 2025.

For shortlisted applicants it is anticipated that assessments will take place on Friday 7 February 2025 and interviews will take place on Tuesday 11 or Friday 14 February 2025.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to six months for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via email.

Should you need to contact us, please use the following methods:

Email: monitoringofficer@early-years.org

Phone: 028 9038 7905

Early Years is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing flexible friendly working conditions. As Protestants and males are currently known to be under-represented in the Organisation, we would particularly welcome applications from these groups.