Early Years Lead; Apprenticeships & Workbased Learning

Overview

Early Years Sector Lead (Apprenticeships & Workbased Learning)

Permanent, Full Time

£42,177 to £49,620 per annum

Location:

Essex

Working Style:
Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: 15th June 2026

Please note this is a fixed-base role. Whilst you will be contractually based in your preferred ACL office (listed here), the role allows for some home-working and a requirement to attend ACL sites 2-3 days per week, in line with business need.

Adult Community Learning (ACL) Essex is Essex County Council’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. ACL Essex offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL Essex learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion and engagement.

The Sector Lead provides strategic and operational leadership for vocational and professional learning within one or more curriculum sectors. The role ensures that programmes are of high quality, inclusive and responsive to learner, employer and local labour market needs, aligning provision to the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and council priorities. The postholder leads curriculum planning, quality assurance and workforce development for their sector, strengthens employer partnerships and digital delivery, and uses data insight to drive continuous improvement, excellent outcomes and a consistently positive learner and employer experience.

The post holder will need to demonstrate operational agility, combining leadership with a deep understanding of curriculum design, quality assurance, and workforce development. They should be skilled in analysing complex data to inform decisions, influencing stakeholders, and building strong partnerships with employers and internal teams. Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, alongside the ability to embed digital innovation and respond to changing learner and labour market needs.

Resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to safeguarding, inclusion, and continuous professional development.

Role responsibilities

• Lead curriculum planning and delivery within assigned sectors so that programmes align to labour market intelligence (LMI), qualification and awarding body requirements, with clear progression pathways from outreach first steps learning into further learning and employment.
• Collaborate with quality leads to ensure teaching, learning and assessment meet the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) and service standards; oversee observation, feedback and course review cycles for the sector.
• Use key performance indicators (KPIs), management information systems (MIS) and learner voice to monitor applications, attendance, progress and achievement, acting on insight to improve retention, success and destinations.
• Ensure timely enrolment, induction and achievement for learners, including compliance with awarding organisation requirements and accurate recording on systems.
• Provide people leadership for Trainers and/or Coaches and Assessors, setting clear objectives, coaching performance and building capability in digital delivery and e-portfolio use.
• Strengthen community engagement co-designing provision, responding to queries and ensuring satisfaction and repeat business.
• Contribute to the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), evidencing impact and driving continuous improvement across the sector.
• Promote consistent and effective use of digital tools and data to support teaching, reporting and compliance, including customer relationship management (CRM) and e-portfolio platforms.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Educated to RQF Level 5 or above (or equivalent by experience) in a relevant vocational, teaching or leadership discipline, with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Teaching and/or assessor qualifications (for example Certificate in Education (Cert Ed), Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), Diploma in Education…