Date posted: 3rd August 2026
Pay: £32,000.00-£33,000.00 per year
Job Description:
Senior Early Years Practitioner
Location: Lily Pad Day Nursery, Woburn Sands
Job Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Salary: Competitive, based on experience
Join the Founding Leadership Team at Lily Pad Day Nursery - A Beautiful New Nursery in the Heart of Woburn Sands
Are you an experienced Early Years professional ready to take the next step in your career? We're excited to be opening the doors to Lily Pad Day Nursery in Woburn Sands, a brand new nursery set within a beautifully restored and freshly renovated Grade II listed building in the heart of Woburn Sands.
We're looking for a passionate, experienced and inspiring Senior Early Years Practitioner to join our founding team. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in shaping a new nursery from the very beginning, leading a room, supporting colleagues and helping to create an exceptional environment for children, families and staff.
If you're looking for a role where you can combine hands on childcare with leadership responsibilities and have a real influence on the success of a growing nursery, we'd love to hear from you.
Why Join Lily Pad Woburn Sands?
Help Build a Nursery from the Ground Up
As one of our first senior team members, you'll have the opportunity to:
- Shape a brand new nursery environment
- Lead and inspire a team of Early Years Practitioners
- Influence best practice and daily operations within your room
- Build strong relationships with children and families from day one
- Join a close knit team with a shared vision and purpose
- Grow your career as the nursery expands
What You'll Be Doing
As a Senior Early Years Practitioner, you will:
- Lead a room and act as a role model for high quality care and education
- Support, mentor and guide Early Years Practitioners within your room
- Work closely with the management team to maintain outstanding standards
- Provide exceptional physical, emotional, social and intellectual care for all children
- Create a safe, inclusive and stimulating environment in line with EYFS standards
- Plan and deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities that support learning and development
- Observe, assess and record children's progress, sharing meaningful updates with families
- Support daily routines, including mealtimes, rest and personal care
- Build strong, positive relationships with parents, carers and colleagues
- Promote safeguarding, health and safety, and best practice at all times
- Contribute to staff development and support new team members as required
About You
We're looking for someone who:
- Has at least 3 years post qualification experience within an early years setting
- Holds a relevant Early Years qualification
- Has experience supporting, mentoring or supervising colleagues (preferred)
- Is passionate about early years education and child development
- Has strong knowledge of the EYFS framework and safeguarding requirements
- Is confident leading a room and making decisions independently
- Is organised, proactive and an excellent communicator
- Builds positive relationships with children, families and colleagues
- Is committed to continuous professional development and inspiring others
Our Values
At Lily Pad, we help children become INSPIRED (I*nquisitive, Nurturing, Social, Positive, Independent, Respectful, Enthusiastic and D*etermined).
These values guide everything we do, from how we support children's development to how we work together as a team.
A Place Where You Matter
At Lily Pad, we believe exceptional childcare starts with exceptional people. That's why we're committed to creating a positive, supportive workplace where our team feels valued, respected and empowered to succeed.
You'll be joining a nursery that invests in its people through training, wellbeing support and genuine opportunities for career progression.
Lily Pad has already established a successful and well-regarded nursery in Brackley, where we've built a strong reputation for delivering high-quality care and education. We're now excited to bring our passion for exceptional early years experiences to Woburn Sands.
As part of our founding leadership team, you'll have the unique opportunity to help shape a brand new setting while benefiting from the experience, values and proven foundations of an established and growing nursery group.
What We Offer
Competitive Package
- Salary of £32,000 - £33,000 depending on experience
- Health cash plan with Westfield Health
- Company pension scheme
- Employee discounts and perks
Work Life Balance & Wellbeing
- Additional annual leave
- Health and wellbeing programme
- Regular team celebrations and social events
Career Development
- Ongoing training and funded professional development
- Opportunities to gain further qualifications
- Mentoring and leadership support
- Clear progression pathways into management roles as the nursery grows
How to Apply
If you're ready to help create an exceptional early years environment and build something special from the start, we'd love to meet you.
Click Apply Now to submit your CV and tell us why you’d be a great fit for Lily Pad Day Nursery.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £32,000.00-£33,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Private dental insurance
- Private medical insurance
- Store discount
Work Location: In person
