Job Description
Early Years Education Lead
We have an exciting opportunity for someone experienced in working with local early years and school settings to ensure that the potential for children to reach a good level of development is maximised to join our team in this newly created role.
Location - This role is community-based in the Central and Newport wards of Middlesbrough, with some ability to work from home as agreed with your manager. There may also be occasional travel to other programme sites (currently Stoke-on-Trent and Scotland) or travel to our London office.
Salary - Circa £50,000
Employment Type - Permanent, 35 hours per week
Team - Redcar & Middlesbrough Programme team
About you
We are looking for someone who is able to demonstrate the following:
- A teaching qualification preferably in Early Years.
- Experience working with or managing reception year and nursery aged children.
- Ability to work confidently in schools and early years settings and build effective relationships with stakeholders within early years settings in our target wards.
- Sound knowledge of early years development and the frameworks that support it.
- High levels of empathy, passion and care for those in the community.
About the role
This role is designed to bring capacity, expertise and additional resources to co-design with stakeholders in the education system interventions and support that help children to reach a good level of development. This role will do this by:
- Working in partnership with key stakeholders within early years settings to codesign sustainable workstreams which support better outcomes for children.
- Work in collaboration with key stakeholders to support high quality implementation and evaluation of workstreams.
- Work with key external stakeholders to create understanding of Thrive at Five's vision, model and workstreams.
- Work in collaboration with the Director of Programmes, Redcar & Middlesbrough and our Central team to ensure strategy, implementation and evaluation plans are developed for all workstreams.
About us
Thrive at Five is at an exciting stage, coming up to their 5 th birthday. We have grown rapidly over that time and are now expanding into our third and fourth regions, with a growing team of nearly 40 across the country.
Our mission is to help children develop strong foundations for life and learning, in and alongside communities where families face the most challenges.
We do this in two key ways: we empower parents and carers as primary influencers of child development, equipping them with the tools and support they need to be the best they can be for their children. We also foster collaboration across public, private and voluntary sectors to create a more joined-up, effective early years system. Everything we do is in partnership with the whole community, including senior decision makers, local professionals working with families, parents and carers.
About our benefits:
- Pension contributions - We will contribute 3% and you can contribute 5% towards your pension through NEST.
- 25 annual leave days per year plus bank holidays.
- In addition to your laptop and phone provided by us, you can also receive a £100 contribution towards your home-working set up.
- £100 contribution towards your professional body membership.
- Enhanced sick leave and maternity pay (following qualifying period)
Please note that as this role works with children and families this role is subject to a successful Enhanced Level Disclosure check with barred list check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). If you have any spent or unspent convictions, warnings or cautions and bind-overs but wish to apply for this role, please advise us in your application. The successful candidate will also need to provide satisfactory references and current right to work in the UK.
To apply for this role, please submit your cover letter and CV by following the Apply Now button. Closing date for applications is midnight on Thursday 22 nd January 2026.
If you have any questions about this role, please contact .
