Early Years Team Leader

6c Wildflower Way, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT12 6TA
United Kingdom

Join Early Years – the organisation for young children as Early Years Team Leader

Hours:37 hours per week

Do you have a passion for making a meaningful impact in early childhood education?

Do you believe in the power of play to unlock potential?

Be part of our team and help shape the futures of children by fostering growth and learning through purposeful opportunities.

At Early Years, we are committed to fostering growth for both the children and our staff. Joining means an opportunity to enhance your skills, make a meaningful difference, and collaborate with a team that upholds dedication, compassion, and excellence in early years care and education.

In return, Early Years provides a comprehensive rewards package, including a competitive salary, 36 days of annual leave (pro-rata), inclusive of statutory/public holidays, a contributory pension scheme, options to purchase additional leave, and access to healthcare schemes.

As Early Years Team Leader you will lead, support and develop high-quality community-based Early Years services for children aged 0–4 years and their families, in line with Sure Start targets and Early Years – the Organisation for Young Children’s standards.

The post holder will have direct responsibility for the leadership, coordination, supervision and professional development of staff within both the Developmental Programme and Play Development teams. Working collaboratively with the Project Manager and wider multidisciplinary partners, the post holder will ensure that services are inclusive, child-centred, safe and aligned to the ethos and objectives of Sure Start.

We're looking for people who:

At the closing date have:

At the closing date applicants, must have:

• QCF level 5 in Childcare or equivalent.
• Two Years experience of supporting staff in an Early Years setting.
• Two Years experience in developing and delivering Early Years Programmes and parenting services in an Early Years environment.
• Knowledge of child development including age appropriate areas of learning.
• A full current driving licence enabling the holder to drive in NI and have the use of a vehicle for official purposes or have access to a form of transport that will enable the candidate to meet the requirements of the post in full.
• Degree in Early Years Studies or equivalent.

An information pack containing the job description and personnel specification is available by clicking here
.

Please note, the information pack will not be available after the job posting closes therefore you may want to download it.

As part of the application process, you will need to demonstrate how you meet the criteria as outlined above and, on the personnel specification, and provide a copy of your CV.

Shortlisting will be completed based on the information contained with the application form, therefore it is important to clearly outline how you meet the criteria.

Where there are a large number of applications received, candidates may also be shortlisted using the desirable criteria.

Please note that your CV will only be used to support your application in assessing employment history.

Once you begin the application, it must be completed in one session, as there is no option to save and return to it later.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Monday 9 February 2026
.

For shortlisted applicants it is anticipated that interviews will take place Friday 27 February 2026
.

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to six months for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via email.

Should you need to contact us, please use the following methods:

Email: (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).

Phone:  Option 5

Early Years is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing flexible friendly working conditions. As Protestants and males are currently known to be under-represented in the Organisation, we would particularly welcome applications from these groups.

Salary NJC Scale 6, Point 18-22 (£30,559-£32,654) per annum pro rata

Contact email  Contact phone  Option 5