Early Years Funding Manager

Altum Consulting is partnering with a children's charity in their search for an Early Years Funding Manager to lead on the delivery of early years entitlements and funding programmes. You will manage a broad portfolio of funding streams and oversee effective financial monitoring, claims, and audit systems to ensure full compliance with statutory guidance and local council regulations.

You will also lead a small team and work across Early Years, Finance and other departments to ensure that funding supports sufficiency, quality, inclusion and access - with a strong focus on maximising take-up, particularly for disadvantaged children.

• Managing and monitoring a large, complex early years funding budget across multiple funding streams

• Implementing effective systems for claims, payments, audits, and complaints resolution

• Advising senior leaders, teams and providers on funding policies, procedures, and changes

• Analysing data to ensure effective distribution of funds and inform decision-making

• Leading training and communication strategies for settings, stakeholders and families

• Supporting the wider early years agenda - including sufficiency, access, inclusion, and quality - through robust funding processes

• Representing the charity in external forums and supporting the local implementation of government policy

• Minimum GCSE Grade C or equivalent in Maths and English

• Educated to degree level (Level 6) or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level experience

• Senior-level experience in early years, education funding, commissioning, finance or local authority work

• Strong financial background and proven experience of managing multi-million-pound budgets, ideally in a publicly accountable setting

• Deep understanding of national early years funding policy and its impact at local level

• Extensive experience in data analysis and reporting to drive insight and improvement

• Sound knowledge of business practices in the childcare sector

• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills

• Strong leadership with a track record of supporting high performance in teams

• Competence in using software including databases, Microsoft or Google tools, and data presentation platforms

• This role would be suitable for a Finance Business Partner with a background in education

• Analytical and numerate, with excellent attention to detail

• Organised, solution-focused and creative in approach

• Collaborative, respectful and able to build productive partnerships

• Determined and ambitious, with a strong drive for achieving outcomes and continuous improvement

• Flexible and adaptable, able to work across services and meet changing business demands

If you are seeking a role that will make a tangible difference to the lives of children and families, please apply today.