Project Manager
Contract: Self-employed contractor/consultant
Hours: Equivalent to 24 hours per week, 40 weeks per year
Rate: £250 per day (8-hour day)
Contract period: October 2026 – March 2028, with potential extension to March 2029
Are you an experienced Early Years professional with a passion for improving outcomes for young children?
Would you enjoy working with early years professionals, providers and Local Authorities to share evidence-informed practice and create opportunities for learning and improvement?
Aiming High EYSPH is one of the 18 Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs announced by the Department for Education (DfE). The Hub has an important role in supporting early years providers and professionals to access and apply evidence-informed practice, share expertise and strengthen the quality of provision for young children.
About the role
You do not need to be an experienced career project manager. What is most important to us is that you have strong Early Years knowledge, credibility within the sector and experience of taking responsibility for projects, initiatives or programmes of work.
You will work with early years providers, practitioners, Local Authorities and other partners to support the sharing and adoption of evidence-informed practice, helping to strengthen provision and improve outcomes for young children.
The role will include:
- Using your Early Years knowledge and experience to help shape the Hub's programme of activity.
- Building strong relationships with early years providers, practitioners, Local Authorities and other partners.
- Developing and supporting networks of Early Years professionals.
- Coordinating projects, programmes and initiatives across the Hub.
- Supporting the planning and delivery of professional learning, training, conferences and network events.
- Coordinating meetings and preparing agendas, papers, presentations and resources.
- Supporting communication and promotion of Hub activity.
- Collecting and analysing data, monitoring activity and contributing to reports and evaluation.
- Supporting the production of case studies, blogs, newsletters and other communications.
- Helping to ensure that high-quality, evidence-informed resources and professional learning opportunities are accessible across the Hub area.
- Supporting the Hub to meet its agreed objectives, milestones and DfE Key Performance Indicators.
You will be based at Caverstede Nursery School, working across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Central Bedfordshire, developing relationships and understanding local priorities to help ensure that the Hub's work is relevant and reaches the settings and practitioners who need it most.
You will have experience of working within the Early Years sector and a strong understanding of Early Years practice, although you may not currently be working within the sector. You may now be working in another area, including project or programme management, but will be able to demonstrate relevant Early Years knowledge and experience alongside the ability to work collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders.
We recognise that some of the strongest candidates for this role may come directly from the Early Years sector rather than from a traditional project management background.
You do not need extensive experience of formal project management methodologies or large-scale programme management.
We are looking for someone who has taken responsibility for making things happen — whether that has been leading an improvement project, coordinating a network or training programme, organising an event or initiative, developing professional learning, introducing a new approach in a setting, or coordinating work across different partners.
If you have the Early Years knowledge, are passionate about improving outcomes for young children, enthusiasm and organisational skills, we can support you to develop further in the project management aspects of the role.
The role requires a flexible approach to working, including some evening and weekend commitments, together with travel across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Central Bedfordshire.
Please apply early: We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. Early closure may therefore occur before the advertised closing date.