Early Years Nursery Administrator

YMCA Fairthorne Group; Newport; Hybrid; GBP 9,000 - 11,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Refer a Friend Scheme

Employer pension contribution

25 days’ annual leave (pro rata)

50% discount on nursery fees

Cycle to Work Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

YMCA Fairthorne Group Newport IOW Nursery is seeking a friendly, organised Nursery Administrator for a part-time role (20 hours/week). You’ll greet families, support admissions, manage records, and assist HR and communications tasks.

A proactive, customer-focused approach helps ensure smooth day-to-day operations and positive experiences for children and families. Experience in reception or admin, strong IT skills, and the ability to handle a busy workload are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in reception, front-of-house or another customer-facing role.
• Two years’ experience carrying out administrative duties in a busy environment.
• Excellent IT skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and database systems.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to prioritise competing workloads.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information.
• Confidence in handling challenging situations.
• Commitment to delivering excellent customer service.
• Positive, proactive and reliable approach.

Responsibilities

• Welcoming families, visitors and professionals with a friendly and helpful approach.
• Answering enquiries in person and over the telephone.
• Supporting parents through the nursery admissions process.
• Arranging nursery viewings and sending information packs.
• Booking settling visits and maintaining accurate records on our nursery management system.
• Maintaining children’s files, accident records and other important documentation.
• Providing administrative support for HR processes, including arranging interviews and recruitment paperwork.
• Maintaining staff records and training files.
• Promoting the nursery through social media, newsletters and emails.
• Building relationships with local partners and stakeholders.
• Supporting community engagement activities and YMCA services awareness.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues to help the nursery run smoothly.
• Providing practical support within nursery rooms or during lunch cover when required.
• Managing challenging situations professionally while maintaining excellent customer service.
• Maintaining confidentiality and following YMCA policies and procedures.

Skills

Customer-facing experience

IT skills

Organisation

Communication

Confidentiality

Problem solving

Customer service

Proactive attitude

Tools

Nursery management systems

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Database systems

Job description

Behind every great childcare nursery, someone makes everything work.

A nursery is about much more than what happens in the rooms.

It’s the warm welcome a family receives when they first walk through the door.

It’s the phone call answered with patience. The viewing arranged. The information pack sent at just the right time. The records kept accurate and confidential. The team member supported with the paperwork they need.

These moments might happen behind the scenes, but they make a real difference to the children and families who use our services.

At the YMCA Fairthorne Group Newport, we’re looking for a friendly, organised and proactive Nursery Administrator who enjoys helping people and takes pride in making things run smoothly.

You’ll be one of the first people families, visitors and professionals meet, so you’ll play an important part in creating a welcoming experience from the very beginning.

You don’t need to have worked in a nursery before. What matters most is that you’re organised, approachable, confident communicating with people and able to keep on top of a busy workload.

A role with plenty of variety

No two days will necessarily look the same.

One day you might be welcoming a new family and arranging a nursery viewing. Another might involve supporting the admissions process, updating children’s records, helping with recruitment paperwork or creating content to promote the nursery in the local community.

You’ll be at the heart of the nursery’s day-to-day organisation, helping colleagues focus on what matters most: providing great experiences for children.

The Nursery Administrator position is offered on a part-time basis, working 20 hours per week.

You’ll ideally work Monday, Wednesday and Friday, however, some flexibility is required.

Welcome to the YMCA Newport IOW Nursery

Our nursery is part of YMCA Fairthorne Group, an organisation committed to helping children, young people and families belong, contribute and thrive.

Behind every thriving nursery is a welcoming, organised and supportive environment.

As Nursery Administrator, you’ll help create that environment.

You’ll support families from their first enquiry through the admissions and settling-in process, while also helping colleagues with the administration that keeps the nursery running effectively.

You’ll also have the opportunity to help connect the nursery with its local community, promoting the services we provide and helping more families discover what YMCA has to offer.

The difference you’ll make

For families, you’ll be a friendly and reassuring point of contact.

For colleagues, you’ll be someone they can rely on to keep things organised.

For the nursery, you’ll help make sure the important details don’t get missed.

And for children, you’ll help create the organised, welcoming environment they need to feel secure, settled and ready to learn and play.

Your role might include:

• welcoming families, visitors and professionals with a friendly and helpful approach
• answering enquiries both in person and over the telephone
• supporting parents through the nursery admissions process
• arranging nursery viewings and sending information packs
• booking settling visits and maintaining accurate records on our nursery management system
• maintaining children’s files, accident records and other important documentation
• providing administrative support for HR processes, including arranging interviews and preparing recruitment paperwork
• maintaining staff records and training files
• promoting the nursery through social media, newsletters and emails
• building relationships with local partners and stakeholders
• supporting community engagement activities and raising awareness of YMCA services
• working collaboratively with colleagues to help the nursery run smoothly
• providing practical support within nursery rooms or during lunch cover when required
• managing challenging situations professionally while maintaining excellent customer service
• maintaining confidentiality and following YMCA policies and procedures.

It’s a varied role where being organised is important, but so is being a people person.

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who enjoys building relationships, helping others and taking pride in getting things right.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• experience in reception, front-of-house or another customer-facing role
• at least two years’ experience carrying out administrative duties in a busy environment
• excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and database systems
• strong organisational skills and the ability to prioritise competing workloads
• excellent written and verbal communication skills
• the ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately
• confidence when dealing with challenging situations
• a commitment to delivering excellent customer service
• a positive, proactive and reliable approach.

It would also be great if you have:

• experience working in an Early Years, childcare or education setting
• experience using nursery management systems
• an understanding of community engagement and social media promotion.

You don’t need to tick every box.

If you’re someone who is organised, dependable, approachable and enjoys making a difference to the experience people have, we’d love to hear from you.

More than an administration job

Joining the YMCA Fairthorne Group is about more than keeping records and answering phones.

It’s about being part of a team that supports children and families every day.

You’ll help create positive first impressions, support families through important moments, help colleagues do their jobs effectively and contribute to a nursery environment where people feel welcomed, supported and valued.

You’ll also have opportunities to grow.

At the YMCA Fairthorne Group, we’re committed to helping our people develop throughout their careers, with:

• ongoing training and development opportunities
• supportive colleagues and opportunities to share best practice
• the chance to be part of an organisation that makes a real difference within the community.

And you’ll receive a range of benefits, including:

• Refer a Friend Scheme
• employer pension contribution
• 25 days’ annual leave (pro rata), increasing with service up to 30 days
• the option to purchase up to 10 additional days’ leave each year
• Celebration Leave for life’s special moments
• Employee Assistance Programme with Health Assured
• 50% discount on nursery fees
• discounts on YMCA day camps, family activities and holidays
• campsite and activity discounts at YMCA Fairthorne Manor
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• a welcoming and supportive culture
• opportunities for personal and professional development.

Could you be the person behind the scenes who helps everything come together?

If you’re looking for a Nursery Administrator role where you can use your organisational and people skills to make a genuine difference to children, families and colleagues, we’d love to hear from you.

Even if you don’t meet every requirement listed above, we encourage you to apply. Great people come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and we’re committed to helping talented individuals develop and succeed.

Join the YMCA Nursery, Newport IOW and help us nurture futures, support families and make a lasting difference in our community.

Safeguarding

YMCA Fairthorne Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Successful applicants will be required to complete appropriate safer recruitment and pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced Disclosure through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

YMCA Fairthorne Group is committed to creating an inclusive organisation where everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect.

We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. We want YMCA to be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected and able to thrive.