Service Manager - Best Start in Life

Southampton City Council is looking for an experienced, values-driven Service Manager – Best Start in Life to lead and shape our Early Years and Childcare service. This is a pivotal leadership role focused on improving outcomes for children from conception to age five, strengthening childcare sufficiency, and ensuring high-quality early education and inclusion across the city.

You will provide strategic and operational leadership across early years improvement, childcare markets, funded entitlements, inclusion and SEND pathways, quality assurance, and partnership delivery. You will be working closely with families, settings, schools, health, voluntary sector partners, and regional/national stakeholders.

About The Role

As Service Manager – Best Start in Life, you will:

• Provide strategic leadership for the Early Years & Childcare Service, aligning delivery to council priorities and statutory responsibilities.
• Lead on childcare sufficiency and market management, ensuring families can access high-quality, affordable childcare in their communities.
• Drive quality improvement across early years settings, supporting strong practice and improved outcomes, especially for vulnerable children and those with SEND.

Oversee delivery of funded early education entitlements, ensuring compliance, robust processes, and excellent customer experience.

Manage performance, budgets, risk, and governance, using insight and data to improve impact and value for money.

For further information about this role please view the job description.

About You

We’re seeking a confident senior leader with a strong track record of improving services for children and families. You’ll bring:

• Substantial leadership experience in early years, childcare, children’s services or a related field, including strategic planning and operational delivery.
• Strong understanding of the early years landscape, including childcare markets, funded entitlements, quality improvement, and inclusion.
• Evidence of delivering measurable improvement through performance management, quality assurance, and partnership working.
• Experience managing budgets, commissioning/contract management, and delivering services within complex systems.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to work across agencies.

A strong commitment to equity, safeguarding, and improving outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children.

If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you.

What We Can Offer You

Salary: The salary band for this role is £65,222 - £73,834. The starting salary is £65,222 with annual progression through the salary bands.

Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.

• Excellent
• Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
• Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
• Flexible working options (role-dependent)
• Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
• Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
• Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
• Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant

Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform

Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres

Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans

Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer

For Further Information On Our Benefits Package Please Visit

Contact details for informal discussion:

For further information and details regarding the role, please contact Clodagh Freeston, Head of Education, at

Interview Information

Please note that interviews are scheduled for week commencing 13 th April.

Email

Recruitment contact details:

Tel: 023 8083 4033

For More Information About SCC Please Visit

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