Free Entitlement Placement Coordinator x2

Bristol City Council; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

LGPS pension

Generous annual leave

Job summary

Bristol City Council is recruiting two Placement Coordinators to join the Early Years Free Entitlement Team. This hybrid role involves coordinating free nursery places for children under 5 and supporting providers to process claims for free hours.

Based at Southmead and Avonmouth locations, with occasional Monday work at Avonmouth during term time. DBS check required; training on the EYES system provided. Interviews scheduled in October 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience in customer-facing roles within education or public services.
• Proficient in using MS Excel for data analysis.
• Interest in digital innovation and process improvement.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the free nursery places for children under 5.
• Support nurseries and childminders to claim free hours.
• Work as part of a team to process funding and data reporting.
• Attend interviews/test as required.

Skills

Customer service

MS Excel

Data analysis

Digital innovation

Tools

EYES system

Job description

Job description

Full Time, Permanent Full Time, Fixed Term until 31st March 2028

The Early Years Free Entitlement Team are recruiting for 2 positions for Placement Coordinators to join our growing team.

This fulfilling role will coordinate the free nursery places for children under 5 in Bristol, and work as part of a larger team to ensure that nurseries and childminders are supported to make claims for free nursery hours. This role directly supports early years providers with funding.

The role is hybrid, i.e involve some office work and working from home (details to be agreed on a successful interview). Our bases are at Southmead Children's Centre and Avonmouth Children's Centre. This role will require you to work Mondays at our Avonmouth location on a rota basis (approx once a month), however this is only required during school term times.

Your skills in customer service and a passion for digital innovation will be supported and encouraged, with full training given on the EYES system we use to process the free entitlement. Your excellent communications skills (both written and verbal) will be in in daily use and a flair for data (mainly MS Excel) will help (although training can be given).

Please note that this role is subject to an Enhanced DBS Check.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you'll receive an excellent rewards package including, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you'll be working in a supportive environment where you'll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

For permanent Bristol City Council employees, this post will be a secondment.

For employees who are currently on a fixed term contract with Bristol City Council, the secondment must not extend beyond the end of the fixed term period to ensure there is a substantive post to return to.

If you are currently a casual worker or a member of an employment agency (currently working with Bristol City Council) this post will be a fixed term contract.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

Interviews will be held at Southmead Children's Centre on Friday 16th October 2026. This will comprise of a 30 minute MS Excel test, followed by a 45 minute panelled interview. Interview questions will be shared on arrival.

Bristol City Council strives to have a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, we are therefore committed to ensuring diversity in our hiring process. We welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you'll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.