Nursery Business Performance & Operations Manager

ODIN RECRUITMENT GROUP LIMITED; Coventry; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

ODIN RECRUITMENT GROUP LIMITED is seeking a Business Support Manager – Early Years in Leicester, with regular travel across UK nursery settings. The role offers £40,000 per annum and is a full-time position.

You will drive occupancy and financial performance, support nursery leaders with performance insights, and strengthen operational efficiency across multiple settings. The successful candidate will combine commercial awareness with analytical ability, supporting settings through growth,

Qualifications

• Strong early years background, ideal experience as Nursery Manager or Area Manager.
• Thorough understanding of EYFS, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Commercial experience covering budgets, occupancy, staffing and nursery performance.
• Knowledge of early years funding (funded hours, Pupil Premium, DAF).
• Experience analysing operational and financial data.
• Ability to identify risks, trends and opportunities and develop solutions.
• Experience supporting multiple settings or influencing leadership teams.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Confident communicating complex information to different audiences.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions.

Responsibilities

• Improve occupancy, place utilisation, enquiry conversion and financial performance.
• Monitor KPIs including attendance, staffing deployment, agency and overtime use, debt and operational expenditure.
• Help nursery leaders interpret performance information and turn it into practical action plans.
• Support settings where occupancy, staffing costs, business processes or financial sustainability are concerns.
• Develop and monitor recovery plans, improvement plans and setting‑level business actions.
• Identify opportunities to increase income, reduce costs and improve value for money without compromising care or education.
• Strengthen operational consistency across multiple nursery settings.
• Review local practices and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and compliance.
• Support processes covering staffing records, registers, fee administration, funding and reporting.
• Provide hands‑on support during growth, mobilisation, leadership transitions or instability.
• Help implement new systems, working practices and organisation‑wide initiatives.
• Develop tools and reporting mechanisms that improve performance visibility and accountability.

Skills

Strong early years background

EYFS knowledge

Commercial acumen

Analytical ability

Stakeholder management

Job description

ODIN RECRUITMENT GROUP LIMITED is seeking a Business Support Manager – Early Years in Leicester, with regular travel across UK nursery settings. The role offers £40,000 per annum and is a full-time position.

You will drive occupancy and financial performance, support nursery leaders with performance insights, and strengthen operational efficiency across multiple settings. The successful candidate will combine commercial awareness with analytical ability, supporting settings through growth,