Early Years Development Officer

Proposed Interview Date: Week Commencing Monday 25 May 2026

Closing Date: Sunday 17 May 2026

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: FC7 £34,914 to £43,437 (Pro-Rata)

Work Pattern: 14.4 hours per week

Location: Dunfermline

Purpose and Values of Education & Children’s Services Directorate

The Education & Children’s Services Directorate is committed to Improving Life Chances for All through a wide range of direct services which support our children, young people, families and the wider Fife community. Our approach to improvement is rooted in our core values: Compassion, Ambition, Respect and Equity which reflect the ethos, culture and practice principles of all staff across the directorate. We strive to ensure that our attitudes and behaviour reflect these core values in all our dealings with children, young people, their families, and the wider community in partnership with those who support them.

Supporting Statement

As part of the application process, you must provide a Supporting Statement which tells us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate. More information is available on our Career site under How to Apply. Without this, your application may not be progressed . . Please consider and demonstrate the following when completing your Supporting Statement:

• Working Together – Please give examples of when you have worked with others to contribute to team work and how you influenced those you were working with.

• Delivering Results – Please give examples that demonstrate your ability to organise and solve problems to achieve results.

• Personal Ownership – Please give examples of situations in which you have used your initiative to make improvements and used your skills to deal with challenges and change.

• Customer Focus – Please give examples of when your skills and knowledge have helped improve the learning and development of children.
  

Job Details

You will be promoting children’s learning, development and welfare, including their personal, social and emotional wellbeing. You will work in a variety of settings, supporting staff to provide quality experiences and outcomes for children and families in line with current guidance, policies and curriculum.

You will interact effectively and enthusiastically to motivate children by engaging them in learning activities and supporting their participation based on their appropriate needs. You will contribute to the organisation and implementation of a wide range of learning activities, including out of establishment visits, and the achievement of appropriate learning outcomes. You will support staff to do these tasks through modelling excellent practice.

You will promote equality and awareness of cultural diversity, ensuring that every child experiences a fair and friendly environment.

You will comply with and implement Child Protection procedures.

You will observe and assess children and their progress, recording any observations and contributing to their personal learning plans or profiles where appropriate. You will support staff to do this, providing training when appropriate.

You will contribute to, and may lead, team meetings, training sessions, feedback sessions, action plans and gathering evidence of improvement from a variety of sources. You will establish positive working relationships with a wide variety of staff teams and Senior Leadership teams. You will work collaboratively with SLT in each setting to identify and support development work linking to their Improvement Priorities.

You will be able to provide experiences and outcomes for children and families’ needs in line with the Care Inspectorate and Fife Council standards.

Qualification, Registration and Skill Requirements

• You are required to hold one of the following practitioner level qualifications (or equivalent):

- HNC Childhood Practice OR

- SVQ Level 3 Social Services, Children and Young People.

• Before confirming your appointment, you will be required to obtain Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme membership through Disclosure Scotland and become a member of the relevant PVG scheme.
  

• You are also required to registered with SSSC at practitioner level within 6 months of taking up employment in this role and must complete the required post registration training and learning (PRTL) over the registration period.
  

• You should have a working knowledge of the Curriculum for Excellence, Realising the Ambition and Child Development from birth to 5 years.

• You are required to have high levels of interpersonal skills and abilities which will enable you to work as a member of a team to ensure positive outcomes for all children and young people in all settings you support.
  

Further Information

• Role Profile - When preparing your supporting statement, review the role profile and think about how you meet the essential criteria Role Profile

• How We Work Matters - Our employees are expected to display and promote certain behaviours in the workplace. See our How We Work Matters behaviour framework for more information.

• Employee Benefits - Employees have access to a benefits package that offers discounts on a wide range of products and services

• Directorate Information - Council Department information
• Social Media - Search for more 'Fife Council Jobs' on Facebook or follow us on X @FCJobsOfficial.

• Alternative Formats - Job information can be made available in alternative formats, to make a request please email: transactions.recruitment@fife.gov.uk