Nursery Manager Early Years

Premier; Bognor Regis; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Treasure Box Nursery in Bognor Regis is seeking a Nursery Manager to lead a warm, dedicated team and maintain a high-quality curriculum. The role is permanent and term-time, with a focus on fostering strong relationships with families and the church community.

You will serve as a key leader within Treasure Box Nursery, ensuring Ofsted readiness, safeguarding governance, and smooth day-to-day operations. A genuine vocation for early years education is essential.

Qualifications

• Must hold a full Level 3 Early Years qualification or higher.
• GCSE Mathematics or Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent.
• At least two years in a management/leadership role in an early years setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the staff team: hiring, training, scheduling and supporting growth.
• Oversee a high-quality, child-centred curriculum grounded in children’s interests and seasons.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organisational skills

Paediatric First Aid

Safeguarding

Education

Level 3 Early Years qualification or above

GCSE Mathematics or Functional Skills Level 2

Job description

Job Description: Nursery Manager – Treasure Box

• Job Title: Nursery Manager
• Contract: Permanent, Term-time
• Location: The Shore Community Church, Bognor Regis.
• Hours: 8.45am–3.30pm, Monday to Friday, 38 weeks per year,

plus 5 hours' paid administration time per week and 9 additional days annually

(3 inset days and 6 planning days).

• Salary: Between £32,597.00 (£25,331.33 pro rata) -£39,152.00 (£30,962.54 pro rata) depending on qualifications and experience.
• Annual Leave: Holiday payment of 5.6 weeks, pro rata, to be taken in nursery holiday closure times.
• Reports to: Senior Minister; trustees

Some jobs are just jobs. This one is more than that.

Treasure Box Nursery has been a much-loved part of Bognor Regis for over 40 years, and we are looking for an exceptional leader to take it into its next chapter.

We are a small, warm, brilliantly staffed nursery with a big heart. We care for up to 30 children across full-day and morning sessions, with a dedicated team of qualified practitioners and a Forest School programme which we hope inspires a lifelong respect and connection with nature. Our name says everything about who we are: we believe children are treasure, and that what we give them in these early years is treasure too; something they will carry with them for life.

We are not just looking for someone who can run a nursery well (though that matters enormously). We are looking for someone who leads with warmth, who earns the trust of families, who gets down to muddy-puddle level with the children and knows how to inspire and develop a team. Someone who sees early years education not as a stepping stone but as a vocation.

But here is what makes this role genuinely unique.

Treasure Box is part of The Shore Community Church, a contemporary, community-focused church in the heart of Bognor Regis. Our nursery is not a side project; it is central to our mission of loving and serving this town. As Nursery Manager, you will join the church’s Trustee Team and play a genuine role in shaping that wider vision, particularly our growing work with children and families across the community.

This means the right candidate will not just be an outstanding nursery professional. They will also be a committed, practising Christian who can nurture the Christian ethos of the nursery in partnership with the church community. This post is subject to a Genuine Occupational Requirement under the Equality Act 2010.

If that is you; if you are someone who sees their faith and their professional calling as two parts of the same story, then this role was built for you.

As Nursery Manager, you will take the lead on everything that makes Treasure Box thrive:

• Leading and developing your staff team: hiring, training, scheduling, and supporting their growth
• Overseeing a high-quality, child-centred curriculum grounded in children's interests, the seasons, stories, and rhymes
• Acting as the Nominated Person for Ofsted, leading inspections and driving continuous improvement
• Supporting and supervising the nursery SENDCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead, with the potential of extending a safeguarding role into the wider life of the church.
• Communicating warmly and effectively with parents and families
• Overseeing the nursery budget with support from the Church Finance Manager
• Ensuring compliance with health, safety, and all regulatory requirements

What You Will Need

• A full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification or above
• GCSE Mathematics or Functional Skills Level 2
• At least two years’ experience in a management or leadership role in an early years setting
• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills
• A genuine passion for early childhood education and child development
• Current or willingness to complete: Paediatric First Aid, Safeguarding, DSL and Prevent training, Level 2 Food Hygiene

And Finally: The Most Important Requirements of All.

We asked the children what they would want from their new Nursery Manager. Apparently, the successful candidate will need to:

• Tell jokes, play tricks, and make them laugh
• Be really good at making snacks
• Love muddy puddles and hot chocolate (Welly Wednesday, Forest school is non‑negotiable)
• Be willing to dress as a dinosaur
• Know their way around a Play‑Doh machine
• Tell stories in different voices
• Always have plenty of sticky tape and glue

Additional Information

• Contract Type: Term-time only permanent
• Salary: Between £32,597.00 (£25,331.33 pro rata) -£39,152.00 (£30,962.54 pro rata) depending on qualifications and experience.
• Start Date: January 2027
• Probationary Period: 6 months
• Flexibility: We would also welcome applications from candidates interested in Part-Time hours as a Job Share arrangement. There may also be an opportunity to extend, weeks worked and develop role depending on skills, experience and applicants requirements. Please get in touch to discuss.

Treasure Box Nursery, as part of The Shore Community Church, is wholly committed to safeguarding children and young people.

This role requires an Enhanced DBS check (with Barring), identity checks, employment history and reference checks, and qualification verification. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

We are committed to equality of opportunity. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of gender, marital status, religion, colour, age, disability, or sexual orientation.

This post is subject to Genuine Occupational Requirements under the Equality Act 2010 that the post holder is a committed practising Christian who can nurture the Christian ethos of the nursery in partnership with the church community.

Every candidate will be assessed solely on their merits, qualifications, and ability to perform the role. We will consider any reasonable adjustments required.