Key Responsibilities

• Create a safe, welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment where children, families, and colleagues can thrive.
• Lead and inspire your team to deliver high-quality education in line with the organisation’s pedagogy and curriculum.
• Recruit, develop, support, and retain a talented and motivated team.
• Take responsibility for safeguarding and child protection, acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead where required.
• Take ownership of nursery performance, balancing commercial objectives with quality and educational outcomes.
• Oversee health and safety, risk assessments, regulatory compliance, and EYFS requirements.
• Build strong relationships with parents, carers, local organisations, and other key partners.
• Represent the nursery positively within the local community.
• Drive continuous improvement, ensuring practice remains innovative, engaging, and of an exceptionally high standard.
• Lead with positivity, flexibility, and enthusiasm while supporting the wider organisation’s strategic objectives.

About You

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• At least two years’ experience as a Nursery Manager.
• Experience working within a large nursery or multi-site environment is desirable.
• Proven experience recruiting, developing, and retaining early-years staff.
• Strong knowledge of local authority and regulatory requirements, including inspection processes.
• Experience managing budgets, staffing levels, capacity, team deployment, performance, and operational reporting.
• A strong track record of delivering excellent customer service and building positive parent relationships.
• A full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification or above. A Level 6 qualification would be desirable.
• Current Paediatric First Aid and/or First Aid at Work certification, with a commitment to maintaining compliance.
• Relevant safeguarding and child protection training, with a willingness to undertake regular updates.
• A genuine passion for early-years education and improving outcomes for children.
• Excellent decision-making, leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
• The ability to set and achieve ambitious operational and strategic goals.

Salary & Benefits

• Competitive salary of approximately £55,000–£65,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• Performance-related bonus of up to 25% of base salary, plus an additional potential bonus.
• Employee share or partnership scheme.
• Generous annual leave entitlement, including additional wellbeing/personal days and a company Christmas closure.
• Annual learning and development allowance.
• Access to funded professional development and training programmes.
• Enhanced parental, fostering, and neonatal leave following qualifying service.
• Employee childcare discount and emergency childcare support.
• Long-service rewards and additional paid leave.
• Leadership conferences and professional networking opportunities.
• Coaching and mentoring programmes.
• Employee referral scheme.
• Discounts across retail, groceries, fitness, travel, and other services.
• Season ticket loans and cycle-to-work schemes.
• Team events, wellbeing initiatives, and fitness benefits.
• Opportunities for career progression within a growing early-years organisation.

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