Planning & Strategy Officer

We are looking for an organised, confident and experienced professional to join our Early Years service as a Planning & Strategy Officer. This is an important role supporting the effective delivery, governance and continuous improvement of funded early learning across Sheffield.

About the role

You will take a lead role in reviewing and maintaining Sheffield's Funded Early Learning Code of Practice, ensuring that it remains accurate, accessible and aligned with current legislation, statutory guidance, local policy and operational practice. You will work with colleagues and early years providers to communicate changes clearly and support consistent implementation across the city.

You will also coordinate and service Notice of Concern meetings, ensuring that cases are well prepared, records and actions are clear, and agreed follow-up activity is progressed. Alongside this, you will help oversee Early Years enquiries, supporting timely, accurate and consistent responses and identifying themes that can inform service improvement.

What you will do

• Lead the review, development and ongoing maintenance of the Funded Early Learning Code of Practice.
• Monitor national policy, legislation and statutory guidance, translating changes into clear local policy and practice.
• Coordinate and service Notice of Concern meetings, including preparing information, recording decisions and tracking actions.
• Support the effective management of Early Years enquiries, ensuring responses are accurate, timely and customer focused.
• Analyse enquiries, concerns and performance information to identify trends, risks and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide clear policy advice, briefings, reports and guidance for managers, colleagues, providers and other stakeholders.
• Build effective relationships across the Council and with early years providers and partner organisations.
• Contribute to wider Early Years planning, quality assurance and service improvement activity.

About you

You will have experience of policy, strategy, service planning or quality assurance in a complex organisation. You will be able to interpret legislation and guidance, turn complex information into practical advice, and produce clear, high-quality written work. Knowledge of early years services, funded early learning or local authority responsibilities would be a strong advantage.

You will be highly organised, able to manage competing priorities and confident in coordinating formal meetings and following through agreed actions. You will bring strong analytical, communication and relationship-building skills, with a commitment to improving outcomes for children and families and delivering a responsive service to early years providers.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to make a practical difference to the way funded early learning is delivered across Sheffield. You will join a committed service working closely with providers and partners to support high-quality, inclusive early education for children and families.

Interviews: Thursday 20th November

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we'll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Read about the new job evaluation process to be introduced at Sheffield City Council.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.