Regional Nursery Manager

Fennies Nurseries; Bromley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car Allowance or Company Car

Annual bonus up to £6,000

Comprehensive pension scheme

Childcare discount up to 75%

Wellbeing support

Free daily meals

Job summary

Fennies Nurseries seeks an experienced Regional Manager to lead a group of nurseries, delivering exceptional care and education while driving commercial performance. You will coach Nursery Managers, work with the Education Team, and contribute to strategic projects shaping the region.

You will balance operational excellence with people development, using data and professional judgement to drive continuous improvement, succession planning, and stakeholder collaboration across sites.

Qualifications

• > Full and Relevant Level 3 qualification in Early Years, Education, Early Childhood Studies or a related discipline.
• > Significant leadership experience within the early years sector.
• > Proven success leading across multiple settings.
• > Proven experience as a Nursery Manager or equivalent senior leadership role, demonstrating sustained high performance.
• > Strong knowledge of the EYFS, child development, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• > Experience leading quality improvement initiatives and supporting successful inspection outcomes.
• > Demonstrable experience coaching and developing leaders and teams.
• > Strong understanding of nursery operations, including commercial performance, workforce planning and KPI management.
• > Ability to analyse data and translate insights into practical action plans.
• > Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• > Experience managing multiple priorities and leading through change.
• > Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across the region.

Responsibilities

• > Drive continuous improvement across all nurseries, ensuring the highest standards of education and care.
• < Oversee safeguarding and EYFS compliance, ensuring robust safeguarding in every setting.
• < Support Nursery Managers in inspections and action plans to achieve Exceptional ratings.
• < Collaborate with Education Team to evaluate curriculum delivery and child development tracking.
• < Lead initiatives promoting innovation, sustainability, and excellence across settings.
• < Inspire Nursery Managers to lead teams effectively and align with goals.
• < Serve as role model for Fennies DNA and pedagogy.
• < Ensure regulatory compliance and outstanding performance across settings.
• < Provide coaching and mentorship to develop leaders and navigate challenges.
• < Lead performance reviews and align KPIs with organisational goals.
• < Maintain clear communication with managers, parents and senior leaders.
• < Cascade senior leadership updates and ensure consistent messaging.
• < Build relationships with external agencies and partners to enhance reputation.
• < Foster feedback channels and address escalations while safeguarding confidentiality.
• < Recognise achievements across nurseries and celebrate success.
• < Ensure safe environments, health and safety compliance, and audits.
• < Monitor risk, attendance, and incident logs with proper reporting.
• < Support premises management for cleanliness and security.
• < Guide dietary, medical, and First Aid training needs for staff.
• < Ensure mandatory training and development opportunities are completed.
• < Identify training needs and coordinate with Learning and Development.
• < Lead regional meetings and share best practices.
• < Assess training impact and drive improvements.

Skills

Leadership

People development

Strategic thinking

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Level 3 Early Years qualification

Level 6 leadership qualification

Job description

• Comprehensive pension scheme

Salary: up to £72k + car/car allowance

Annual bonus: potential to earn a further £6,000

Lead a group of nurseries where exceptional early years education, inspiring leadership, thriving teams and happy children come together. At Fennies, we nurture our people to build a thriving community for children, families and educators.

If you're an experienced leader ready to drive quality across multiple nurseries, develop high performing Nursery Managers and shape regional success, this is your opportunity to make a real impact.

Why join Fennies?

We invest in and support our leaders so they can build exceptional nurseries.

Competitive salary and bonus

• Up to £72k annual salary
• Car Allowance or Company Car
• Up to £6,000 annual performance related bonus
• Comprehensive pension scheme
• £500 referral bonus*

Childcare discount and support

• Up to 75% discount on childcare

Leadership Development

• Personalised Clifton Strengths leadership coaching
• Dedicated learning and development programmes
• Mentoring and support from senior leadership
• A full central support team to enable you to focus on exceptional quality of care and education

Wellbeing And Lifestyle Benefits

• 25 days annual leave increasing by 1 day per year of service (up to 30) plus bank holidays
• BUPA wellbeing support
• Free daily meals from the Fennies Café

A community of committed, high achieving educators

• Regular leadership forums and networking
• Summer BBQs, Christmas events and company celebrations
• Recognition and reward through the Fennies Club long service awards

About The Role

At Fennies, we believe every child deserves exceptional early years experiences delivered by outstanding teams, strong leaders and ambitious nurseries.

We are looking for an experienced and inspirational Regional Manager to lead a group of nurseries, ensuring excellent outcomes for children, families and colleagues across your region.

Working closely with Nursery Managers, Senior Nursery Managers, the Education Team and wider Support Office colleagues, you will provide strategic leadership, operational oversight and coaching to ensure every nursery delivers exceptional care, education and commercial performance.

Through regular nursery visits, performance reviews, quality assurance activities and leadership development, you will empower Nursery Managers to achieve exceptional standards whilst building high-performing, engaged and sustainable teams.

As a key member of both the Operations and Education teams, you will champion Fennies’ educational vision, support the delivery of our curriculum and pedagogy, and ensure that quality improvement remains at the heart of every nursery. The role requires a leader who can balance operational excellence with people development, using data, professional judgement and strong relationships to drive continuous improvement across multiple settings. You will also play a vital role in identifying future leaders, supporting succession planning and contributing to strategic projects that shape the future direction of Fennies.

You Will

• Drive continuous improvement across all nurseries, ensuring the highest standards of education and care
• Oversee compliance with safeguarding, EYFS, and other regulatory requirements, ensuring robust safeguarding processes in every setting.
• Support Nursery Managers in preparing for inspections, monitoring action plans, and sharing best practices to achieve Exceptional ratings.
• Collaborate with the Education Team to evaluate curriculum delivery, child development tracking, and the effectiveness of the key person approach.
• Lead initiatives that promote innovation, sustainability, and excellence across all settings.
• Inspire and support Nursery Managers to lead their teams effectively, promoting collaboration and alignment with organisational goals.
• Serve as a role model for Nursery Managers, championing the Fennies DNA and Curriculum and demonstrating resilience, professionalism, and integrity.
• Ensure Nursery Managers are effectively managing their teams, adhering to statutory requirements, and maintaining outstanding performance.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to Nursery Managers, helping them develop as leaders and navigate challenges confidently.
• Lead performance reviews and ensure KPIs for all nurseries within your region align with organisational goals.
• Maintain clear, transparent, and professional communication with Nursery Managers, parents, and senior leaders.
• Cascade key updates from senior leadership to Nursery Managers, ensuring consistent messaging across all nurseries.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, including external agencies and community partners, to enhance nursery reputation and effectiveness.
• Foster open channels for feedback and address escalations promptly while ensuring safeguarding confidentiality.
• Encourage recognition of achievements across nurseries and celebrate team successes
• Ensure all nurseries maintain a safe and secure environment, compliant with health and safety policies and audits.
• Monitor risk assessments, attendance records, and incident logs, ensuring accurate documentation and reporting.
• Support Nursery Managers in managing premises and grounds to ensure cleanliness, security, and suitability for children and staff.
• Provide guidance to Nursery Managers on dietary needs, medical care, and First Aid compliance, ensuring staff are appropriately trained.
• Ensure Nursery Managers and their teams complete all mandatory training and stay up-to-date with professional development opportunities.
• Identify training needs across nurseries and collaborate with the Learning and Development to design targeted sessions.
• Lead and participate in regional and manager meetings to align strategies and share best practices.
• Monitor the impact of training on nursery operations and quality, making recommendations for improvements where needed.

What We're Looking For

You're an experienced and inspiring leader who thrives on developing other leaders, driving performance and creating exceptional environments for children across multiple nurseries.

Essential Qualifications And Experience

• Full and Relevant Level 3 qualification in Early Years, Education, Early Childhood Studies or a related discipline.
• Significant leadership experience within the early years sector.
• Proven success leading across multiple settings.
• Proven experience as a Nursery Manager or equivalent senior leadership role, demonstrating sustained high performance.
• Strong knowledge of the EYFS, child development, safeguarding and regulatory requirements.
• Experience leading quality improvement initiatives and supporting successful inspection outcomes.
• Demonstrable experience coaching and developing leaders and teams.
• Strong understanding of nursery operations, including commercial performance, workforce planning and KPI management.
• Ability to analyse data and translate insights into practical action plans.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience managing multiple priorities and leading through change.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across the region.

Desirable Qualifications And Experience

• A Level 6 qualification in Early Years, Education, Leadership or a related discipline.
• A leadership or management qualification.
• Experience leading across multiple sites.
• Experience contributing to organisational projects, strategy development or operational improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of current developments within the early years sector and education landscape.
• For internal candidates, a strong understanding of the Fennies DNA, People Promise, curriculum and operational expectations.

Become part of the Fennies DNA

Education

We're family-owned and family-run; this guides our culture,our decision making, and what it feels like to be part of our team. We have a strong sense of community, with connections that bring us together and the systems and processes that mean our educators can focus on what they do best. Quality matters to us – starting with our people and curriculum - through to our beautiful buildings and inspiring environments. We're investing into Fennies, into our teams, and into the education we provide our children. Our People Promise inspires us to build the kind of culture that is ambitious, passionate and supportive. We provide the environment where you can:

• Be Yourself
• Come Together
• Be All In
• Go Further

Diversity and Inclusion

At Fennies, we celebrate diversity and believe inclusive teams create stronger learning environments for children. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported.

Safeguarding

Fennies is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All successful applicants will be required to complete an enhanced DBS check and provide proof of identity. In line with Safer Recruitment guidance, online searches (including social media) may be conducted for shortlisted candidates.

• T&Cs apply in relation to referral bonus eligibility