Development Manager

About the role

This is an excellent opportunity to become part of the Early Years Service within Children's Services, where you will play a vital role in ensuring there is sufficient, sustainable, and high-quality childcare provision throughout Hertfordshire. The service collaborates closely with schools, early years providers, partners, and colleagues across the council to support the effective delivery of early education and childcare entitlements for Hertfordshire's residents. In this full-time role, you will provide strategic leadership for childcare sufficiency, shaping how high-quality early education and childcare provision meets the needs of children and families across the local area. Using data, insight and partnership working, you will influence the long-term development and sustainability of the childcare market, ensuring equitable access to entitlements and support for vulnerable families. Childcare sufficiency is a central component of the Best Start in Life programme, and this role plays a critical part in creating the conditions for children to thrive in their earliest years. By supporting access to high-quality provision, you will contribute directly to improving school readiness, narrowing inequalities and raising attainment by the end of the reception year. Working collaboratively across the local authority and with external partners, you will help shape a coherent and resilient early years system, aligning childcare sufficiency with wider strategic priorities for children, families and communities. You will act as a senior professional voice for early education and childcare, providing leadership on current and emerging issues and supporting a confident, skilled and sustainable sector. Through effective leadership and team development, you will build capacity and capability to respond to future demand and system change. About you Essential: Recent/relevant experience of working with the early years sector and/or within a local authority early years team. Experience of working with and influencing a wide range of stakeholders, including schools, early years providers and partner organisations. Knowledge of the early years and childcare sector and the factors that influence quality, sustainability, recruitment and retention. Knowledge and experience of safeguarding policies and procedures. Stronginterpersonaland communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly in writing and verbally to different audiences. Ability to analyse data (quantitative and qualitative), identify gaps in provision, and make sound, timely decisions to deliver change. Experience of developing and delivering briefings (in person and virtual), reports and documents tosupportdecision-making and stakeholder engagement. Experience of managing staff and undertaking performance reviews. Full driving licence and ability to travel across the county, working flexibly to meet service and stakeholder needs. Desirable Understanding of local authority regulations, including political processes. We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role. This job role is Level 13. Please locate the job profile here: To hear more about this opportunity please contact Jamie Leavy () Interview Date: 19th June 2026, in person interview How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities.You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Additional information Disability Confident We are proud to be a and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. Driving required You'll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required).