Nursery Deputy Manager

MP Training and Recruitment; Farnham; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Childcare discount

Bonus up to £1,500

Enhanced parental leave

25 days annual leave

Pension

Wellbeing benefits and 24/7 virtual GP

Career development programme

Job summary

Bright Horizons Farnham Day Nursery and Preschool is seeking a Deputy Manager with a Level 3+ Early Years qualification to lead a dedicated team in delivering high-quality care and education in Farnham.

You will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead, oversee safeguarding, and contribute to staff development, parent partnerships, and nursery budgets. A competitive package supports professional growth within a values-driven culture.

Qualifications

• Full and relevant Level 3 or above Early Years qualification.
• Experience in an Early Years leadership role.
• Experience with regulatory inspections leading to a Good or Outstanding outcome.
• Strong safeguarding knowledge and child protection understanding.
• Ability to build trust with colleagues and parents.
• Effective communication with children and adults.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and inspire the nursery team to deliver exceptional care and education.
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead and oversee safeguarding policies.
• Support succession planning, training, and professional development plans.
• Maintain partnerships with colleagues, parents, and local professionals.
• Support commercial success through retention, occupancy growth, and budgets.

Skills

Leadership

Early Years

Safeguarding

Communication with parents

Education

Level 3+ Early Years qualification

Job description

Nursery – Bright Horizons Farnham Day Nursery and Preschool

Salary – Starting from £32,513 per annum (dependent on qualification/s and experience)

Location – Farnham

Are you looking to work for an organisation whose culture is driven by our HEART principles – Honesty, Excellence, Accountability, Respect, and Teamwork? Where you can be yourself, feel supported, and help to make a difference to the next generation? Somewhere you can say: “I did that.”

We’re looking for a Deputy Manager with a Level 3+ qualification in Early Years to join our Bright Horizons Farnham Day Nursery and Preschool.

Benefits

• Childcare discount of 75% for first child*
• Competitive bonus of up to £1,500, awarded in line with Ofsted inspection outcomes
• Enhanced parental leave
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and paid Christmas closure.
• Ability to also purchase additional leave*
• Pension
• Financial and wellbeing benefits including 24/7 virtual GP appointments, early access to wages, and more
• Professional development programme access for every stage of your career, including access to a careers coach *Subject to T&Cs

The Role

As a Deputy Manager, you will lead, mentor, support, and inspire a team to deliver exception care and education. You will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead, overseeing day to day running of the nursery and management of safeguarding and child protection policies. You will contribute to succession planning, training, and supporting team professional development plans, maintain strong partnerships with colleagues, parents, and other professionals (such as the Local Authority), and support the commercial success of the nursery through retention, occupancy growth, and maintaining budgets.

What we’re looking for

• Full and relevant Level 3 or above Early Years qualification
• Experience within an Early Years leadership role (ideally as a Deputy Manager, Assistant Manager, Third in Charge or similar)
• Experience of participating with a regulatory inspection, leading to a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ outcome
• Confident decision maker, with previous experience providing support and leadership to others
• Strong knowledge and understanding of Safeguarding, Child Protection, and the wider legislative requirements for working with children
• Ability to develop trust and strong working partnerships with both colleagues and parents/ carers
• Ability to use a variety of communication techniques with both children and adults

Safeguarding & Compliance

Bright Horizons is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks, including an enhanced DBS check, which will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

Equal Opportunity

We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all ages and backgrounds to apply. We will consider reasonable adjustments required by applicants.

Culture & Values

At Bright Horizons, our culture is built on our commitment to Keeping Everyone Safe and providing world‑class care and education, delivered by a world‑class workforce. We believe our people’s potential is endless and with this in mind, we aspire to create an environment where our colleagues can thrive and accomplish the things they thought impossible. Bright Horizons has been recognised as a Great Place to Work by our employees and the Great Place to Work Institute for the last 13 years. We care passionately about what we do, and our HEART values and principles help us support one another in the work that we do each day. These are quite literally at the HEART of our organisation’s ethos and culture as it helps us to provide a working environment that supports professionalism, growth and diversity. We are passionate about our people’s ongoing learning and development. Our learning and leading with HEART framework supports each Bright Horizons colleague on the first steps of their leadership journey, whether that includes our ‘World‑Class Welcome’ induction or our extensive ongoing training programme. Either way we want you to feel valued and invested in! Celebrating in the accomplishments of our people is an essential part of our culture. We believe in the power of “thank you” and throughout the year, in ways big and small, formal and informal, we show our appreciation for employees at all levels. We have many ways to acknowledge and celebrate our people, including our very popular “employee appreciation month”. This is a chance for everyone to share their gratitude to one another, across the whole company. Whether it is a “thank you” placed on our website, a chocolate pizza, team lunch or an ice cream van visit, it is our way of showing each other we care and appreciate everything we do. Each year, we have our annual ‘Awards of Excellence’ events; whether you are an award winner or cheering on a fellow team member, these formal award occasions are opportunities to come together and celebrate one another. Proud to be a Great Place to Work for 20 years.

We look forward to the opportunity to meet you and discuss how you can contribute to our team.