Early Years & Childcare Business Officer

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.
 

• Job Title:                           Early Years & Childcare Business Officer
• Job Location:                     Shire Hall, Block 3, 3rd Floor 
• Salary:                              £41,771 - £47,181 per annum 
• Hours per Week:                37.00 
• Contract Type:                   Fixed Term 
• Duration:                          One Year 
• Closing Date:                    10/08/2026 
• Job Requisition Number:    14519 
• This post is not open to job share

Are you passionate about supporting childcare providers to thrive and helping ensure children and families can access high-quality childcare?

Gloucestershire County Council is looking for an experienced and motivated Early Years & Childcare Business Officer to join our Early Years and Childcare Team.

About the Role & Team

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to children, families and childcare providers across Gloucestershire. Working as part of a supportive and forward-thinking team, you will help shape a sufficient, sustainable and high-quality childcare market that meets local needs.

You will work directly with childcare providers across the maintained, private, independent and voluntary sectors, offering business support, advice and challenge to help them develop, grow and respond to changing national and local priorities. This includes supporting delivery of the Government's childcare expansion and wraparound childcare programmes.  Using market intelligence and strong partnership working skills, you will contribute to Gloucestershire's Childcare Sufficiency and Commissioning Strategies, helping ensure families can access the childcare they need while supporting providers to build resilient and sustainable businesses.

About You

We are looking for someone with a strong understanding of the early years and childcare sector and experience of supporting or managing childcare provision.

You will bring experience of business planning, partnership working and analysing information to identify opportunities for improvement and growth. You will be confident in building positive relationships, influencing others and providing practical support that makes a difference.

Most importantly, you will share our commitment to improving outcomes for children and families and promoting inclusive provision for all children, including those with SEND.

About Us

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• An option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• Family friendly employer offering benefits to help support you and your family
• Career development and qualification opportunities Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• An in-house Occupational Health service
• Employee discount scheme Cycle to Work scheme
• Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&Cs apply)
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network

How to Apply

If you have the skills, experience and enthusiasm to help shape the future of childcare in Gloucestershire, we would love to hear from you.

This role requires travel across Gloucestershire. A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use are essential.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Anita McKelvey via email at anita.mckelvey@gloucestershire.gov.uk.

Closing Date: 10 August 2026

Short-listed candidates will be contacted by email and invited to interview on 20th August 2026.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

Early Years & Childcare Business Officer - Job Profile

The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer. 

Applications from any Gloucestershire County Council's employees who are currently on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at shortlisting stage. 

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities.  Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.