Early Years Operations Manager

Happy Days Nurseries & Pre-Schools; England; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Happy Days Nurseries is seeking an Early Years Operations Manager to oversee nurseries in South East England. The role involves ensuring high-quality care, compliance, and commercial performance while leading and supporting nursery managers. Ideal candidates will have a Level 3 childcare qualification and experience in multi-site management.

Benefits

Car allowance

25 days annual leave

50% childcare discount

Colleague wellbeing tools

Qualifications

• Minimum three years’ experience in nursery management or multi-site early years operations.
• Proven track record in overseeing commercial performance and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a portfolio of nurseries ensuring excellence in childcare and compliance.
• Drive operational excellence and implement strategic growth plans.
• Manage nursery P&L accounts and enhance commercial success.

Skills

Leadership

Commercial Acumen

Analytical Skills

Education

Level 3 childcare qualification

Job description

• England, UK
• Posted 1 week ago
• NEG DOE GBP / Year
  
  

Are you a dynamic, commercially astute leader with a passion for delivering high-quality early years education? Due to ongoing business growth, Happy Days Nurseries is seeking an Early Years Operations Manager to oversee a portfolio of nurseries in South East England, ensuring excellence in childcare, compliance, and commercial performance.

What You Will Be Doing

As an Early Years Operations Manager, you will play a pivotal role in supporting and guiding nursery managers across multiple settings. You will drive operational excellence, implement strategic growth plans, and ensure our nurseries deliver the highest standards of care and education to children and families.

You will lead and support nursery managers and work with our functional support departments in achieving operational objectives and outstanding childcare standards, regularly visiting nurseries to provide hands-on leadership and management oversight. Ensuring full regulatory compliance, safeguarding adherence, and high-quality educational delivery is a key part of the role.

You will oversee and manage nursery P&L accounts, identifying efficient ways of working and enhancing commercial success. Additionally, you will drive key performance indicators, including occupancy rates, EBITDA, OFSTED ratings, and customer satisfaction, while also recruiting, training, developing, and inspiring high-performing nursery managers. Fostering a positive workplace culture, promoting staff retention and engagement, and identifying and resolving areas of underperformance across the portfolio are also integral responsibilities.

Who We’re Looking For

You are an experienced multi-site nursery manager or regional operations leader, with a proven track record in overseeing commercial performance, compliance, and quality standards. You thrive in a fast-paced, field-based role and are passionate about leading teams to success.

You must have a Level 3 or above childcare qualification (as defined by the Department for Education) and a minimum of three years’ experience in nursery management or multi-site early years operations. A strong commercial acumen, with expertise in budget planning, P&L management, and occupancy growth, is essential.

The ability to develop strategic plans, implement quality improvements, and achieve business objectives is key to success in this role. You should have a dynamic leadership style that inspires, motivates, and challenges teams towards excellence, as well as strong analytical skills with the ability to report on key performance indicators at board level.

Working For Happy Days Nurseries

We offer a competitive salary, including a car allowance, 25 days annual leave (exc. Bank Holidays) PLUS up to four days gifted Christmas closedown, 50% childcare discount, full communications package and a range of colleague wellbeing tools.

Our teams, whether in our nurseries or our support centre SHINE, they ensure we are delivering outstanding childcare to every child in our settings every day, this helps to make Happy Days a great place to work. By ensuring we are always recruiting, retaining and promoting a diverse mix of colleagues, who are representative of the communities within which our nurseries sits gives us the best opportunity to continue to deliver outstanding childcare

“Happy Days Nurseries are committed to the safety and wellbeing of the children in our care, as such the successful post holder will be required to undergo a robust vetting process, including an enhanced DBS Check and Reference History Checks”

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