Area Manager (Early Years)

Olympus Recruitment; Dorking; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Olympus Recruitment is seeking an Early Years Area Manager in Surrey with hybrid duties and regular nursery visits. You will lead quality, people and commercial performance across a portfolio of nurseries, coaching managers to deliver excellent childcare and a profitable operation.

You will oversee safeguarding, EYFS compliance and inspection readiness while managing budgets, occupancy and staffing costs. Travel across the area is required to support settings and drive improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience leading managers across multiple settings or geographically dispersed teams.
• Full and relevant early years qualification at Level 3 or above.
• Strong knowledge of EYFS, Ofsted requirements, safeguarding and safer recruitment.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality, people and commercial performance across your area; coach nursery leaders and develop talent.
• Oversee safeguarding, EYFS compliance and inspection readiness.
• Manage budgets and P&L, grow occupancy and inform staffing decisions.
• Turn performance data into practical improvement plans across settings.
• Support recruitment, succession planning and development within your area.
• Strengthen community ties and convert enquiries into registrations.

Skills

Leadership across multiple nurseries

Early years leadership coaching

EYFS knowledge

Safeguarding & compliance

Budgeting & P&L

Performance improvement

Nursery management systems

Travel across area

Education

Early years qualification Level 3+

Job description

Early Years Area Manager

Location: Surrey | Hybrid with regular nursery visits

Salary: £50,000-£55,000 + Car Allowance

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Great nursery managers need great leadership behind them. Could that be you?

You know what a thriving nursery looks like. Children are curious and engaged, parents feel confident, and the team has a manager who brings out their best. You also understand the work behind it: strong safeguarding, thoughtful staffing decisions and a close eye on performance.

We’re recruiting an Early Years Area Manager to bring that understanding to a portfolio of nurseries, helping managers build settings where excellent childcare and a successful business go hand in hand.

If you enjoy coaching leaders, getting to the heart of operational challenges and seeing your ideas make a difference, this role offers plenty to get stuck into.

Your opportunity

You’ll take responsibility for quality, people and commercial performance across your area. Through regular nursery visits and close collaboration with your managers, you’ll recognise what’s working, spot where support is needed and turn improvement plans into everyday practice.

With support from an experienced operations team, you’ll have the scope to make decisions and influence how your settings develop.

Where you’ll make your mark

• Help managers grow. Coach and support nursery leaders, build their confidence and develop the next generation of management talent.
• Champion quality. Review learning environments, curriculum delivery and practice, keeping children’s experiences at the centre of improvements.
• Keep standards strong. Oversee safeguarding, EYFS compliance and inspection readiness, supporting teams through inspections and following through on actions.
• Own your area’s performance. Manage budgets and P&L, grow occupancy and help managers make informed decisions about staffing, resources and costs.
• Turn insight into action. Use performance data to identify challenges early and create practical plans that deliver measurable progress.
• Build teams that stay and succeed. Support recruitment, succession planning and development, while handling performance concerns fairly and confidently.
• Strengthen family relationships. Help settings build local connections, convert enquiries into registrations and respond constructively to concerns.

What you’ll bring

You’re an experienced early years leader who can build trust with managers, offer clear direction and hold people accountable. You’re comfortable discussing both the quality of children’s learning and the numbers behind a nursery’s performance.

You’ll also need:

• Experience leading managers across multiple settings or geographically dispersed teams.
• A full and relevant early years qualification at Level 3 or above.
• Strong knowledge of the EYFS, Ofsted requirements, safeguarding and safer recruitment.
• Confidence managing budgets, P&L, occupancy and staffing costs.
• A practical approach to quality improvement, coaching and challenging conversations.
• Confidence using nursery management systems and performance reports.
• A clean UK driving licence and the ability to travel regularly across your area.

Why consider this role?

This is an opportunity to extend your influence across several nursery teams, with the backing of an operations team and room to take ownership. You’ll help capable managers become stronger leaders and see the impact of your decisions in the settings you support.