Lead Early Years Educator

Early Years Alliance; City Of London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading early years education provider in England is looking for a Lead Early Years Educator. This role requires a skilled individual to lead a team, ensuring the delivery of high-quality early years education. The ideal candidate should possess a Level 3 qualification in Early Years Education and Childcare, along with relevant experience in the field. Offering competitive workplace benefits including generous annual leave and professional development opportunities, this is an excellent opportunity to grow within a supportive environment.

Benefits

100% discount on childcare

Extensive training opportunities

Generous workplace pension

25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays

Enhanced sickness pay

Birthday leave

Access to Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Minimum Level 3 Early Years Education and Childcare qualification or equivalent.
• Post-qualification experience in working in early education and childcare.
• Ability to plan and implement curriculum as per the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team to provide creative learning opportunities for children.
• Be a role model for the staff team.
• Provide a safe and inclusive environment.
• Support nursery management to deliver high-quality care.
• Oversee the setting in the absence of management.

Skills

Level 3 Early Years Education and Childcare qualification

Experience in early education and childcare

Understanding of child development

Curriculum planning

Safeguarding procedures knowledge

Education

Level 3 qualification or equivalent

Job description

About The Role

Is early years your passion? We are looking for a skilled and creative Lead Early Years Educator, who can inspire and lead others to deliver outstanding early years education and care.

Northend Nursery is based in Slade Green, Erith, in the London borough of Bexley, a popular setting at the heart of the community. Northend Nursery is rated Good by Ofsted and 9.5 on Day Nurseries.

What we offer

We are proud to be part of the Early Years Alliance family of early years settings. Founded over 60 years ago, the Alliance is an educational charity dedicated to supporting the delivery of quality early years education and care to children and families.

The Alliance prides itself on being a supportive workplace and offers significant benefits for our team members including:

• 100% discount on childcare and early education places (applicable to staff working in our early years settings)
• Extensive training and career progression planning, including access to our Learning Management System (LMS)
• The Alliance has invested in FAMLY reducing paperwork and giving you more time to focus on the children.
• A generous workplace pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, with additional annual leave for long service.
• Birthday leave so you can have a day off for your birthday dedicated to you and your well being
• Enhanced sickness pay and paid bereavement leave
• A Recruitment Referral Payment Scheme, giving you an introductory payment of up to £300 if someone you have referred to the Alliance takes up a role in the charity.
• Access to our Employee Assistant Programme (EAP), which includes 24/7 helpline access, dedicated managers helpline, confidential counselling sessions delivered by accredited specialists, legal, debt and life management advice, discounts, and wellbeing content plus resources.
• Savings of up to 25% on O2 Refresh Airtime Plan on any new phone or tablets
• A dedicated mental health First aider to support your mental well being

Job purpose

As the Lead Early Years Educator, you will:

• lead a team enabling them to provide creative and engaging learning opportunities for children.
• be a role model for the wider staff team, modelling sensitive and responsive interaction and extending children’s learning
• be a proactive member of the team, providing a safe, stimulating, and inclusive environment
• support the nursery management team to deliver high-quality care and education in line with the setting’s policies and procedures.
• be responsible for curriculum planning within the setting
• oversee the setting in the absence of the Assistant Manager and Manager.

Requirements

Successful applicants for the Lead Early Years Educator position will need:

• a minimum Level 3 Early Years Education and Childcare qualification or equivalent.
• post-qualification experience in working in early education and childcare.
• a sound understanding of child development and children’s needs with an ability to plan and implement the curriculum in accordance with the Early Years Foundation Stage, taking into account the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice, safeguarding procedures and equality and diversity considerations.

Also, you will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check if your current certificate is not subscribed to the update service.

For the full list of duties and the requirements, please download the job description and person specification which accompanies this advert.

Hours per week

40

Weeks per year

52

Interview date

Monday 26th January 2026

About The Service

The Alliance is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and equal opportunities in employment. It is a requirement of all staff that they share this commitment and follow the prescribed policy and procedures to continuously promote a culture of safeguarding and equal opportunities across the whole organisation.

If you would like to find out more about our setting, please go to Web Link to Setting: https://www.eyalliance.org.uk/northend-nursery