Head of Nursery Operations & Learning Excellence

Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries; Brentford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Length of Service Recognition

Competitive Salaries

Enhanced Maternity Pay

Medicash

YuLife

Refer a Friend

Flexible Working

Social Events

Job summary

Monkey Puzzle Brentford is seeking an experienced Nursery Manager to lead a large-scale setting with a hands-on, strategic approach. You will drive exceptional childcare, education, and customer experience while developing leaders and maintaining Ofsted readiness.

You will manage budgets, occupancy planning, and staff development, fostering a positive culture and strong partnerships with parents and external agencies.

Qualifications

• Minimum Level 3 Early Years qualification (Level 5+ desirable).
• Designated Safeguarding Lead trained with strong safeguarding knowledge.
• Safer Recruitment training and proven experience in managing large teams.
• Minimum 2+ years in a Deputy or Manager role in a busy nursery/preschool (80+ places desirable).
• Strong track record of delivering ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted results.
• Financially astute, confident managing budgets and occupancy planning.
• Excellent communication, organisation, and IT skills.
• A natural leader with a passion for creating a happy, high-performing team culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead the nursery operationally and strategically to deliver exceptional standards of childcare, education, and customer experience.
• Recruit, induct, and retain talented team members, managing staffing levels for a large-scale setting.
• Conduct appraisals, supervisions, and one-to-ones to drive professional growth and team engagement.
• Identify training needs and implement development plans to build a strong pipeline of future leaders.
• Champion inclusion and diversity within the nursery community.
• Maintain regulatory compliance and keep the nursery inspection-ready for Ofsted and local authority visits.

Skills

Team leadership

Safeguarding

Budgeting

Communication

IT skills

Ofsted experience

Deputy/Manager experience

Early Years qualification

Education

Early Years Level 3 (Level 5+ desirable)

Job description

Monkey Puzzle Brentford is seeking an experienced Nursery Manager to lead a large-scale setting with a hands-on, strategic approach. You will drive exceptional childcare, education, and customer experience while developing leaders and maintaining Ofsted readiness.

You will manage budgets, occupancy planning, and staff development, fostering a positive culture and strong partnerships with parents and external agencies.