Nursery Manager

QCE Nurseries; Halesowen; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

QCE Nurseries in Halesowen is seeking an ambitious Nursery Manager to lead our All the Ambitions for Every Child curriculum and uphold the highest standards of care and learning. You will guide a talented team, foster a positive culture and build strong relationships with families to ensure thriving outcomes.

You will bring deep early years knowledge, strategic thinking and a passion for inclusion, with a track record of managing nursery operations and safeguarding compliance.

Qualifications

• Full and relevant Level 6 Childcare Qualification (Level 3 considered).
• Minimum of 5 years' experience managing a nursery.
• Strong knowledge of the EYFS, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the nursery team to deliver exceptional care and education.
• Embed the All the Ambitions for Every Child Curriculum.
• Create a safe, inclusive and stimulating environment for children.
• Develop colleagues through coaching, supervision and recognition.
• Build strong relationships with families and the wider community.
• Maintain safeguarding practices and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor experiences and outcomes to support continuous improvement.
• Manage staffing, occupancy, budgets and day-to-day operations.
• Lead inspection readiness and quality assurance processes.
• Support sustainable growth without compromising care.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Inclusive practice

Education

Level 6 Childcare Qualification

Level 3 qualification considered

Job description

Lead a Nursery Where We Have All the Ambitions for Every Child

At QCE, we believe every child deserves Much More Than Childcare.

That belief comes to life through our unique All the Ambitions for Every Child Curriculum, which gives every child the experiences, opportunities and encouragement to become confident, capable, kind and curious.

We are looking for an ambitious and inspiring Nursery Manager to lead our Halesowen Nursery, support an exceptional team and ensure that children receive the highest standards of care, learning and opportunity.

This is more than a management role. You will bring our values and curriculum to life, create a positive culture for colleagues and build trusted relationships with children and families.

Our All the Ambitions for Every Child Curriculum

Our curriculum goes beyond the everyday and includes:

• Kindness Code and affirmations, building kindness, confidence, resilience and a positive sense of self.
• Forest School and outdoor learning, helping children explore nature, embrace adventure and learn beyond four walls.
• Risky play and woodwork, developing independence, practical skills, problem‑solving and confidence.
• Cooking, creating meaningful, hands‑on experiences and valuable life skills.
• Yoga and wellbeing, supporting movement, mindfulness and emotional wellbeing.
• Creativity and loose‑part play, giving children the freedom to imagine, experiment, create and discover.
• Music Bus, bringing music, movement, expression and fun into children's learning.
• Sustainability, helping children understand, appreciate and care for the world around them.
• Path-to-School Programme, ensuring children develop the confidence, independence, communication, early literacy, numeracy and self‑help skills needed to thrive as they transition into school.

The Role

As Nursery Manager, you will have overall responsibility for the nursery's quality, culture, safeguarding, compliance and performance.

You will:

• Lead and inspire the nursery team to deliver exceptional care and education.
• Embed our All the Ambitions for Every Child Curriculum consistently across the nursery.
• Create a safe, inclusive and stimulating environment in which every child can thrive.
• Develop colleagues through effective coaching, supervision, recognition and performance management.
• Build strong relationships with parents, carers and the wider community.
• Maintain excellent safeguarding practice and ensure all statutory and regulatory requirements are met.
• Monitor children's experiences and outcomes, using observations and evidence to support continuous improvement.
• Manage staffing, occupancy and nursery resources effectively.
• Recruit and retain talented colleagues who share QCE's values and ambitions.
• Lead confidently through inspection and quality assurance processes.
• Support the nursery's sustainable growth without compromising care, quality or culture.

About You

We are looking for a leader who combines excellent early years knowledge with warmth, ambition and sound operational judgement.

Desired Requirements

• A Full and Relevant Level 6 Childcare Qualification.( We will consider a Level 3)
• A minimum of 5 years' experience managing a nursery.
• Strong knowledge of the EYFS, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Experience of leading, coaching and developing high‑performing teams.
• Proven ability to maintain high standards whilst managing staffing, occupancy, budgets and day‑to‑day operations.
• Confident communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with families, colleagues and external partners.
• A genuine commitment to inclusion and ambitious outcomes for every child.

Most importantly, you will believe in:

More opportunities. More experiences. More independence. More creativity. More kindness. More ambition for every child.

Join QCE

If this sounds like the kind of nursery you want to lead, we would love to hear from you.

QCE is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments are subject to safer recruitment procedures, including identity and qualification checks, an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references and any other checks appropriate to the role.

QCE is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates from all backgrounds.