Join Early Years – the organisation for young children as Creative Development Worker
Location: Dungannon and Coalisland SureStart
Hours: 25 hours per week
Tenure: Permanent
Salary: NJC Scale 5, Point 12-17 (£27,711-£30,060) per annum pro rata
Do you have a passion for making a meaningful impact in early childhood education?
Do you believe in the power of play to unlock potential?
Be part of our team and help shape the futures of children by fostering growth and learning through purposeful opportunities.
At Early Years, we are committed to fostering growth for both the children and our staff. Joining means an opportunity to enhance your skills, make a meaningful difference, and collaborate with a team that upholds dedication, compassion, and excellence in early years care and education.
In return, Early Years provides a comprehensive rewards package, including a competitive salary, 36 days of annual leave (pro-rata), inclusive of statutory/public holidays, a contributory pension scheme, options to purchase additional leave, and access to healthcare schemes.
The role
The Creative Development Worker will work closely with the Play Development Team Leader, our Artist-in-Residence and the wider SureStart team to ensure all programmes maximise opportunities for children to enhance their creative and imaginative play.
We're looking for people who:
At the closing date have:
Essential criteria
At the closing date applicants, must have:
1. An NVQ Level III in a Creative Arts related discipline or in Early Care and Education.
2. Two years’ experience working with young children gained in a group based early years setting.
3. Excellent knowledge of child development in particular the benefits of creative play.
Desirable criteria
1. A pass level degree in a Creative arts discipline or Early Childhood Care and Education.
An information pack containing the job description and personnel specification is available by clicking here.
Please note, the information pack will not be available after the job posting closes therefore you may want to download it.
As part of the application process, you will need to demonstrate how you meet the criteria as outlined above and, on the personnel specification, and provide a copy of your CV.
Shortlisting will be completed based on the information contained with the application form, therefore it is important to clearly outline how you meet the criteria.
Please note that your CV will only be used to support your application in assessing employment history. Once you begin the application, it must be completed in one session, as there is no option to save and return to it later.
The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Wednesday 7 January 2026.
For shortlisted applicants it is anticipated that interviews will take place on Thursday 29 January 2026.
A reserve list may be held for a period of up to six months for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via email.
Should you need to contact us, please use the following methods:
Email: monitoringofficer@early-years.org
Phone: 028 9038 7905
Early Years is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to providing flexible friendly working conditions. As Protestants and males are currently known to be under-represented in the Organisation, we would particularly welcome applications from these groups.