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🌟 Join Our Team at Strabane Sure Start! 🌟

🧒 About Strabane Sure Start

Strabane Sure Start is a vibrant, multidisciplinary service that supports children aged 0–4 and their families across a wide geographical area. With a dedicated team of around 41 staff, we deliver a range of early intervention programmes designed to improve outcomes for young children and their families.

🎯 Role Overview

As Early Years Co-Ordinator, you will play a key role in supporting and supervising crèche and Developmental Programme staff for 2–3-year-olds within the Strabane Sure Start organisation. You will:

Support the Children's Services Manager in overall service management
Coordinate the delivery of high-quality early learning provision.
Lead, support, and develop staff to maintain high standards of practice.Oversee planning, assessment, and monitoring of children's learning and development.
Work collaboratively with families and partner agencies to promote positive outcomes for children.
Support inclusive practice and early intervention.
Contribute to service improvement and the development of a safe, nurturing, and stimulating learning environment.
Facilitate team meetings and provide regular supervision.

✅ Essential Criteria

To be considered for an interview, you must demonstrate that you meet the following:

NVQ Level 5 in Childcare Learning and Development or Advanced Practice in Working with Children and Families (equivalent or above)
Experience working in a similar role, with responsibility for overseeing early years provision, supporting staff development, coordinating activities and interventions, monitoring progress, and ensuring compliance with statutory requirements.
Extensive experience in applying safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, with the ability to identify, respond to, and appropriately escalate concerns.
Experience working directly with children aged 0–4 and their families
Experience of working collaboratively with parents, carers, and partner agencies to promote positive outcomes for children and support their learning and development.
Hold a full UK driving licence, business insurance and access to a car for work purposes (this criteria will be waived for candidates with a disability who can demonstrate alternative means of meeting the mobility requirements of the post).

✅ Desirable Criteria

Demonstrate strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills, with the ability to motivate and supervise staff, build positive relationships, and manage competing priorities effectively.
Experience of collecting, monitoring and presenting data to evaluate the effectiveness of early years services, evidence impact, meet reporting requirements and inform strategic and operational decision-making.

🔒 Pre-Employment Requirements

Enhanced Access NI with Child Barred List Check
‘Fit person' interview with Social Services

⏰ Additional Information

Flexibility is essential. Applicants must be willing to work hours that meet the needs of the service.

This contract is a fixed term post due to expire on 31 January 2027.

If this role is of interest to you, then please apply and we look forward to hearing from you.

Please read the Job Description and Additional Information Page for the in-depth responsibilities of this role, and when completing your application link please refer to you Skills, Knowledge and Experience in these areas and with a understanding of the context of this role.

Applicants must demonstrate how they meet the Essential criteria when completing the application form to secure an interview.

Contact: Recruitment.support@barnardos.org.uk

Ready to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families?
Apply now and become part of a passionate team committed to early years development

A waiting list will be held in the event that similar vacancies arise for a period of up to 12 months

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

Pay & Reward Framework

We appreciate our colleagues' dedication and their commitment to delivering excellence in the vital work we do, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people.

We are committed to a rounded colleague experience with an approach to both pay and rewards that are fair, attractive, and progressive. This is in support of our strategic ambition to ensure Barnardo's is a place everyone can belong, grow and thrive.

The salary range advertised is in line with our pay principles, for consistency and fairness while recognising the skills and experience applicants bring to the role. Appointing salaries can be discussed further at appointment stage; we do seek to appoint within this range always exercising responsible stewardship.

Benefits

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

Barnardo's require colleagues to be UK residents, based in the UK and to complete their roles from within the UK (with the exception of colleagues providing Barnardo's services in Jersey and colleagues who live in the Republic of Ireland providing services in Northern Ireland)

Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
Service related sick pay from day 1
Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
Cycle2work scheme
Interest free season ticket loans
Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
20% discount at Barnardo's stores
Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

About Barnardo's

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Our basis and values