The Operations Excellence Manager is a strategic, practice-focused leadership role responsible for driving high standards of education, care, and operational effectiveness within the nursery.
This role sits above the Nursery Manager and Deputy Manager, providing leadership, oversight, and accountability across all areas of practice.
The postholder will focus on strengthening leadership capacity, improving quality of provision, and ensuring consistent delivery against organisational expectations.
A key aspect of the role is to work alongside teams in practice, coaching, mentoring, and
modelling excellence to secure continuous improvement.
1. Leadership & Oversight
- Provide strategic leadership across the nursery, ensuring high standards in both quality of education and operational practice
- Support the Nursery Manager (and indirectly the Deputy Manager), holding them accountable for performance
- Ensure clear structures, expectations, and accountability across the management team
- Maintain oversight of staffing, ratios, routines, and daily operations without directly managing these on a day-to-day basis
2. Quality of Education & Practice
- Drive high-quality teaching and learning in line with the EYFS and organisational curriculum framework
- Be highly visible in practice, regularly working across rooms to observe, support, and enhance provision
- Model outstanding interactions, including sustained shared thinking, language development, and effective teaching strategies
- Ensure environments are enabling, engaging, and reflective of children’s interests and developmental needs
- Monitor and improve outcomes for children through consistent evaluation of practice
3. Coaching, Mentoring & Workforce Development
- Coach and mentor the Nursery Manager and Deputy Manager to strengthen leadership capability
- Provide in-the-moment coaching to practitioners, improving practice through realtime feedback
- Identify training needs and work closely with the central training function to address gaps
- Support a culture of reflective practice, professional curiosity, and continuous improvement
4. Performance & Improvement
- Lead on nursery improvement planning, ensuring clear targets are set, monitored, and achieved
- Track progress against quality audits, internal reviews, and inspection readiness
- Analyse strengths and areas for development, implementing targeted actions to drive improvement
- Ensure consistency in standards across all rooms and age groups
5. Operational Excellence
- Maintain oversight of operational effectiveness including staffing structures,
occupancy, compliance, and customer experience
- Work in partnership with the Nursery Manager to ensure smooth and efficient day-today operations
- Intervene at a strategic level where improvements are required, without taking over operational responsibilities
6. Inspection Readiness & Compliance
- Ensure the nursery is consistently inspection-ready, with strong practice embedded across all areas
- Monitor compliance with statutory requirements, safeguarding, and company policies
- Support the management team in confidently articulating practice and impact
7. Wider Organisational Contribution & Progression
- Contribute to group-wide quality improvement initiatives
- Support the induction and development of new managers across the organisation (as the role evolves)
- Share best practice and contribute to training, coaching, and leadership development programmes
- Gradually extend impact beyond the base nursery, supporting other settings as required
Essential
- Degree in Early Years Education or relevant equivalent
- Significant experience in a leadership role within early years (e.g. Nursery Manager or equivalent)
- Strong understanding of the EYFS, Ofsted expectations, and quality of education
- Proven ability to improve practice and lead teams to higher standards
- Experience in coaching, mentoring, and developing others
- Excellent observational and analytical skills
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence and challenge appropriately
Desirable
- Experience supporting multiple settings or working at a group/quality level
- Experience in training delivery or workforce development
Key Behaviours
- Visible, hands-on leader who leads through practice
- High expectations with a supportive, developmental approach
- Solutions-focused and improvement-driven
- Strong communicator with the ability to build trust and credibility
- Resilient and confident in holding others to account
Progression Pathway
This role is designed as a senior leadership position with progression into a wider group role.
Over time, the postholder will:
- Support additional nurseries
- Lead on manager induction and development
- Contribute to organisation-wide quality and training strateg
Little Elms is an established nursery that aims to provide the highest standards of care for children aged between 3 months and 5 years.
A family-run business, we believe that a fun and a caring environment is crucial to happy and healthy development.
Our nurseries offer state-of-the-art facilities, combining bright and spacious rooms indoors with fabulous outdoor areas. Our experienced and motivated team provides a stimulating yet safe environment for creative play. Little Elms takes pride in being a friendly setting in which each child’s physical, emotional and developmental needs are met. Every child is special and is encouraged to achieve his or her full potential in the precious pre-school years.
Established in 2009, we have 11 nurseries across South London.
