Nursery Manager
Location: Swadlincote
Salary: from £15 per hour
Hours: 30-40 a week, term time only or year round considered.
Contract: Permanent
Start Date: ASAP
Are you an inspiring Early Years leader ready for your next challenge?
We are looking for an experienced, passionate and confident Nursery Manager to lead our nursery and be responsible for the overall day-to-day running, quality and success of the setting.
This is a key leadership role for someone who is passionate about children, people and high-quality early years practice, but who also understands that running a successful nursery requires strong organisation, accountability and commercial awareness.
We are looking for a manager who will lead from the front, set high standards and genuinely care about making a difference.
About the Role
As Nursery Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the effective running of the nursery.
You will lead a team of Early Years professionals, work closely with your Deputy Managers and Senior Leads, and ensure that children receive outstanding care, learning and experiences.
You will be responsible for:
- Leading and motivating the nursery team.
- Managing the day-to-day operation of the setting.
- Ensuring the nursery is safe, compliant and well organised.
- Maintaining high standards of EYFS practice.
- Ensuring safeguarding remains at the heart of everything we do.
- Managing staff performance, attendance and development.
- Supporting recruitment, induction and probation.
- Managing staffing levels and rotas effectively.
- Ensuring rooms are appropriately staffed without unnecessary overstaffing.
- Making effective use of staff hours and resources.
- Monitoring occupancy and supporting nursery growth.
- Conducting show rounds and following up enquiries.
- Building strong relationships with parents and carers.
- Managing complaints and difficult conversations professionally.
- Supporting staff through 1-to-1s, supervisions and meetings.
- Ensuring policies and procedures are followed.
- Monitoring health and safety.
- Preparing the nursery for Ofsted and other inspections.
- Identifying areas for improvement and ensuring actions are completed.
Leadership
We are looking for a manager who is visible, approachable and confident.
You will be expected to lead by example and create a culture where staff:
- Know what is expected of them.
- Take responsibility for their role.
- Work professionally as a team.
- Feel supported and valued.
- Are accountable for their performance.
- Understand the importance of high-quality practice.
You will need to be confident having difficult conversations when standards are not being met and be willing to challenge poor practice, attitude or performance appropriately.
At the same time, you will recognise good work, celebrate achievements and support your team to develop.
Quality & Children's Experiences
Children are at the centre of everything we do.
You will be responsible for ensuring:
- The EYFS is effectively implemented.
- Children receive high-quality care and education.
- Staff provide positive interactions and experiences.
- Children's individual needs are recognised.
- Planning and assessment are effective.
- The environment supports learning.
- Inclusion is embedded throughout the nursery.
- Children's development is monitored.
- Staff continuously improve their practice.
You will work closely with your management team to identify strengths and areas for development.
Staff Management
People are one of our biggest assets, and we expect our Nursery Manager to be an excellent people leader.
You will oversee:
- Recruitment.
- Staff induction.
- Probation.
- Training.
- Supervisions.
- 1-to-1s.
- Performance management.
- Attendance and punctuality.
- Sickness and absence.
- Staff wellbeing.
- Team development.
- Staff meetings.
- Disciplinary and capability processes where required.
You will create a culture of professionalism, accountability, respect and teamwork.
Business & Operational Management
We are looking for someone who understands that a successful nursery needs both excellent childcare and strong business management.
You will be expected to have an awareness of:
- Occupancy.
- Enquiries.
- Show rounds.
- Registrations.
- Funding.
- Staffing costs.
- Staff deployment.
- Resources.
- Nursery expenditure.
- Parent retention.
- Opportunities to increase occupancy.
You will ensure that staff hours are used effectively and that rooms are not unnecessarily overstaffed.
You will work with the management team to make sensible decisions about staffing and room organisation while always maintaining children's safety, wellbeing and required ratios.
Parents & Families
You will be an important point of contact for families and will help ensure that parents receive an excellent experience from their first enquiry through to their child's time at nursery.
You will:
- Conduct show rounds.
- Build relationships with prospective and existing families.
- Follow up enquiries.
- Deal with parent concerns.
- Manage complaints professionally.
- Support difficult conversations.
- Ensure communication is clear and effective.
- Promote a welcoming and positive nursery environment.
We want our families to feel that their children are known, valued and genuinely cared for.
Compliance & Safeguarding
You will have overall responsibility for ensuring that the nursery operates safely and compliantly.
This includes:
- EYFS.
- Safeguarding.
- Health and safety.
- Staff suitability.
- Training.
- Risk assessments.
- Accident and incident reporting.
- Medication procedures.
- Fire safety.
- Food hygiene.
- Policies and procedures.
- Ofsted requirements.
You will ensure the nursery is inspection-ready every day, not just when an inspection is expected..
The Person We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who is:
- Passionate about Early Years.
- An experienced and confident leader.
- Organised and proactive.
- Reliable and accountable.
- A strong communicator.
- Confident managing people.
- Comfortable having difficult conversations.
- Able to work under pressure.
- Commercially aware.
- Passionate about quality.
- Confident with the EYFS and safeguarding.
- Able to make decisions.
- Positive and solution-focused.
- Someone who naturally takes ownership.
Most importantly, we want someone who doesn't wait to be told what needs doing.
We want a manager who walks into the nursery and thinks:
"What is working well? What needs improving? What can I do to make this better?"
Qualifications & ExperienceEssential:
- Level 3 Early Years qualification or above.
- Strong experience within an Early Years setting.
- Experience in a senior or management position.
- Strong knowledge of the EYFS.
- Strong safeguarding knowledge.
- Experience leading and supporting staff.
- Excellent communication and organisational skills.
Desirable:
- Previous Nursery Manager experience.
- Experience with Ofsted.
- Experience with staff performance management.
- Experience with occupancy and business development.
- Experience conducting show rounds.
- Safeguarding Lead experience.
- Experience with audits and quality improvement.
What We Offer
We want our managers to feel valued and supported.
We offer:
- A supportive senior leadership team.
- A genuine opportunity to make a difference.
- Professional development and training.
- Opportunities for career progression.
- A positive and professional working environment.
- Recognition for excellent performance.
- A role with genuine responsibility and autonomy.
- The opportunity to shape and improve the nursery.
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you are an experienced Early Years professional who is ready to take ownership, lead a team and make a genuine difference to children, families and staff, we would love to hear from you.
We are looking for someone who doesn't just want a job title — we want someone who wants to lead, develop and make the nursery the best it can be.
Pay: From £15.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- 2 year in a senior role-eg room lead, deputy manager
Education:
- Diploma of Higher Education (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
