EYCC Business Management Consultant

EYCC Business Management Consultant

Fixed Term / Secondment (12 months), Full Time

£44,258 to £52,068 per annum

Location: Harlow*

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 30th April 2026

*This is a hybrid-working role contractually based in Harlow. You will work from our Harlow office at least 1 day per week and across our operational area on other days, depending on business need. This could be discussed further at interview.

Please note that this role will be offered as either a secondment or fixed-term contract for a duration of 12 months.

This role will work as part of the Early Years and Childcare (EYCC) Sufficiency and Sustainability team, contributing to the Strategy, Planning and Performance change management programme, ensuring the EYCC service deliver and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

The focus is to provide a business consultancy service to support small businesses and childcare providers within the voluntary and private sectors to improve the sustainability and continuity of the EYCC sector. This will enable access to affordable early education and childcare places, contributing to the Council’s statutory sufficiency objectives. It centres on providing advice and guidance to ensure providers have the requisite management and financial business skills to enable them to function as viable businesses and achieve long term sustainability.

As an experienced manager you will utilise business acumen to challenge both the thinking and approach to delivering improvements, able to operate in a matrix environment.

Accountabilities

• Provide business management advice, support and guidance to the EYCC sector ensuring able to increase the number of childcare providers underpinned by the ability to deliver robust and informed business plans.
• Contribute to a greater awareness amongst potential childcare providers of available revenue and capital funding to ensure they maintain sufficient, high quality affordable childcare across the county that meets parental demand.
• Lead the development of a sustainable and universal offer to the EYCC sector, by developing a range of relevant and accessible information to ensure both the sector and individuals benefit from training, development and knowledge to improve their understanding of how funding operates.
• Contribute to the development of the childcare place growth strategy to grow the number of childcare places available in Essex through advice, guidance and support to the sector to ensure a robust understanding and knowledge for setting up a new childcare business and accessing funding
• Develop and implement plans as defined within the SPP strategy to ensure able to deliver a rapid respond within an agreed timescale to support EYCC with business sustainability issues as part of a wider childcare sufficiency plan.
• Support EYCC in developing business cases to support changes to the Free Early Education Entitlement funding, such as the Extended Entitlement and in particular, ensure adequate support for providers that have received an Ofsted decision to improve.
• Conduct regular analysis of term time data to ensure sufficient quality of childcare and proposing solutions and recommendations for continuous improvement, and implementing agreed plans within agreed timeframes.
• Identify a programme of business support training to ensure it delivers to a high quality and best value as part of EYCC’s income generation plan.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• RQF Level 6 (Degree) in a relevant business or finance related subject or equivalent by experience in a childcare or similar small business sector.
• Knowledge and experience of using MS tools ie Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proficient experience and a sound overview of business management skills with hands-on experience of business planning, basic financial management/cash flow forecasting and basic marketing planning.
• Proficient knowledge and understanding of the issues facing the small-business owner/manager. Practical experience of business issues is more important than formal academic attainment.
• Proficient experience of Partnership working with diverse organisations.
• Proficient experience and understanding of both the EYCC and the voluntary sector and particularly an understanding of the difficulties experienced by some organisations in adopting ‘business’ practices.
• Proficient experience of umbrella funding mechanisms and those applicable for individual organisations and groups of Partnerships.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

To read more about us please visit: Education - Working for Essex

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service.  The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.  This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.  For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email  resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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