Quality Development Advisor

This role has a starting salary of £40,296 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. The position is offered as a permanent full time opportunity.

We are excited to be hiring a new Quality Development Advisor to join our fantastic Early Years Educational Effectiveness Team. The role involves hybrid working, supporting early years providers across the county, working remotely (sometimes from home) and combining this with working from any of the Council's offices.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

The Early Years Educational Effectiveness Team sits within our Children, Families and Lifelong Learning Directorate.

The Early Years Education Effectiveness Team provide support and challenge to a range of early years providers including full daycare, pre-schools, maintained nurseries, childminders and out of school provision to promote quality improvements and maintain high quality provision. The team will provide advice and guidance on quality of provision and the implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage as well as supporting settings to meet the requirements set out by Ofsted and other relevant legislation.

About the Role

We are looking for a dynamic, resilient and innovative individual to join our highly motivated and effective team, who travel around the county to provide support and challenge to a range of early years providers including full daycare, pre-schools, nursery classes, maintained nursery schools, and childminders to promote quality improvements and maintain high quality provision.

You will work alongside our other Quality Development Advisors, Senior Early Years Advisors and Early Years Advisors to ensure that there is a consistent approach to supporting early years settings within Surrey.

You will be instrumental in the design and delivery of the support that providers are offered to develop new and existing provision and will work closely with a range of professionals across the early years services in Surrey. While you will not hold any line management responsibility at present, you will need to be able to evidence experience of leading others.

You will lead on quality improvement activity and will be key to the design and implementation of the new Quality Improvement Award and hold responsibility for ensuring that there is a consistent approach to Quality Improvement Programmes across the county. You will be required to write and deliver specific training programmes in support of improvement activity.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Degree qualified or significant vocational experience demonstrating development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding relevant work/roles.
• Working knowledge and understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Ofsted inspection framework.
• Knowledge of quality improvement systems, guidance and legislative knowledge pertinent to area of specialism.
• Significant experience of working in the early years sector.
• Proven ability to analyse and evaluate data.
• Thorough understanding of the Surrey Best Start Strategy and the Quality Improvement Principles.
• Experience of writing, facilitating and delivering training.
• Experience of developing others.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 30/05/25 with interviews planned for 9/6/25 and 13/6/25.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and you will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK, access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.