Salary: NJC Grade 6 £27,254 to £28,598 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week, full time, Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm and Friday 9am-4.30pm
Location: Northleigh, County Hall, Chichester
Closing date: 22 September 2025
Interview date: 6 October 2025
Are you confident advising customers and finding solutions to complex issues?
Are you skilled in literacy and numeracy to carry out funding calculations?
Are you keen to empower others?
Our Early Years Funding Team has a unique opportunity to join us as an Early Years Funding Assistant, where you will be supported to grow and develop as you learn about our service and how we support our communities.
In this role you will triage incoming requests and assess the correct course of action or referral, using your skills to provide a customer focussed service.
Key responsibilities of this role include:
- Calculating complex funding entitlements.
- Making decisions to inform parents, carers, and professionals about funding entitlements
- Identifying and flagging any risks of financial irregularity.
- Contributing to the design and implementation of processes for continuous improvement.
- Supporting on any concerns and complaints.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of age, gender, or any other protected characteristic.
For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.
About You
To ensure the service functions well, you will need to be multi-skilled to support a wide range of customers.
We are looking for:
- Superb relationship building with a range of customers and colleagues.
- Interpersonal and communication skills to provide clear and concise information, advice, and guidance.
- Numeracy skills for funding queries.
- Use of own initiative to work independently with a commitment to supporting families.
- A professional approach, as at times you may deal with highly sensitive and confidential matters.
- A reliable, efficient, and flexible individual who enjoys being part of a team.
- A strong attention to detail, being adept at using IT software confidently.
Please note: There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
About Us
WSCC’s Early Years Funding Team has a statutory duty to secure early years provision free of charge.
The Team provides Early Years funding information, advice and guidance to colleagues and customers, as well as processing funding claims and resolving complex funding queries. This funding is key to supporting families and a sustainable economy across the county.
We provide a multichannel approach such as inbound and outbound call handling, managing e-mails, web forms and a secure Online Provider Portal.
This is a specialist team which deals with out-of-scope enquiries which include calls transferred from the customer service centre and direct contact via other channels.
Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.
For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.
Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:
Employer Pension Contribution: 18.70% (this alters per annum on the 1 April each year).
Annual leave: 25 days holiday + Bank Holidays = 33 days
How to Apply
The reference number for this role is CAFHE05914.
We are also recruiting for a Family Information Service Assistant under CAFHE05913.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Gemma Barrett (Early Years Funding Advisor) at Gemma.barrett2@westsussex.gov.uk
To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and complete the Application Form.
In your application, please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV.
Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
This post is subject to three years referencing and an occupational health check.
Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.
Job Reference: CAFHE05914