Step into a pivotal leadership role where you’ll shape the quality, culture, and success of a well-established nursery in Swanscombe. This is an opportunity to combine your passion for early years education with your strengths in people management, safeguarding, and operational excellence to create an outstanding environment for children, families, and staff.

About the Role:

As Nursery Manager, you will have full day-to-day responsibility for the running of the setting, ensuring high standards of care, education, and safety for all children. You will lead and develop the staff team, drive continuous improvement in line with EYFS and Ofsted requirements, and manage the nursery’s resources and finances effectively. Your work will directly impact children’s outcomes, parent satisfaction, and the overall reputation and performance of the nursery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the daily operation of the nursery, ensuring a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment in line with EYFS and nursery policies.
• Oversee planning, implementation, and evaluation of the early years curriculum to support each child’s learning and development.
• Provide clear leadership, direction, and support to the staff team, including effective deployment, supervision, and performance management.
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead (or equivalent), ensuring robust safeguarding and child protection procedures are understood and followed by all staff.
• Manage health and safety across the setting, including risk assessments, incident reporting, and adherence to statutory and internal standards.
• Control budgets and financial performance, including fee management, staffing costs, and resource allocation to meet occupancy and profitability targets.
• Lead on behaviour management and inclusion strategies, ensuring all children’s individual needs are identified and supported appropriately.
• Prepare for and manage Ofsted inspections, maintaining compliance, accurate records, and high-quality documentation across the nursery.

Key Requirements:

• Proven experience in a senior role within an early years setting, with responsibility for staff and day-to-day operations.
• Strong working knowledge of the EYFS framework and current early years best practice.
• Demonstrable leadership and people management skills, including team motivation, conflict resolution, and performance improvement.
• In-depth understanding of safeguarding and child protection procedures, with the ability to respond appropriately to concerns.
• Solid knowledge of health and safety requirements in early years settings, including risk assessment and incident management.
• Experience managing budgets and nursery finances, with confidence in monitoring income, expenditure, and occupancy.
• Competence in behaviour management and inclusion, supporting children with diverse needs and backgrounds.
• Excellent administrative, record-keeping, and IT skills, with attention to detail and strong organisational abilities.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience leading a setting through a successful Ofsted inspection.
• Background in delivering or coordinating staff training and development programmes.
• Familiarity with nursery management software and digital record-keeping systems.
• Experience building strong partnerships with parents, external agencies, and local authorities.

Qualifications:

• Level 3 or above qualification in Early Years/Childcare (e.g. NVQ, CACHE, NNEB, Early Years Educator) – essential.
• Designated Safeguarding Lead training or willingness to complete upon appointment – essential.
• Paediatric First Aid and Food Hygiene certificates – preferred.
• Management or leadership qualification (e.g. Level 3/5 in Leadership and Management or equivalent) – preferred.

If you are a confident, experienced nursery professional ready to lead a high-quality setting and drive outstanding outcomes for children, we would like to hear from you.