Third in Charge

BHUK Bright Horizons Family Solutions Limited UK; Romsey; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Childcare discount 50% for first child

Bonus up to £1,500 linked to Ofsted

Enhanced parental leave

20 days annual leave + bank holidays

Pension

Wellbeing and financial benefits

Job summary

Bright Horizons Romsey Day Nursery and Preschool is seeking a Third in Charge to lead a dedicated team and champion high standards of care and education at our Romsey nursery. You will mentor staff, oversee safeguarding and play a key role in building strong partnerships with parents and professionals.

As a senior member of the team, you will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead when needed, promote occupancy growth, and work with the Local Authority to align safeguarding practices across the

Qualifications

• Leadership and mentoring experience within an early years team.
• Ability to make confident, informed decisions.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and child protection requirements.
• Excellent communication with colleagues and parents.
• Ability to develop partnerships with Local Authority and other professionals.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, support and inspire the nursery team to deliver high‑quality care and education.
• Act as Designated Safeguarding Lead when required and ensure child welfare and safety standards.
• Engage with parents, colleagues and professionals to meet each child’s needs and grow occupancy.
• Collaborate to promote the nursery and maintain strong community partnerships.

Skills

Leadership & mentoring

Decision making

Safeguarding knowledge

Education

Level 3 Early Years qualification

Job description

Nursery: Bright Horizons Romsey Day Nursery and Preschool

Salary: From £30,754.90 per annum depending on experience and qualifications. Job Type: Full Time / Permanent / 40 Hours.

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 Third in Charge to join our Romsey nursery.

Benefits

• Childcare discount of 50% for first child*
• Competitive bonus of up to £1,500, awarded in line with Ofsted inspection outcomes
• Enhanced parental leave 20 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 Third in Charge, you will lead, mentor, support, and inspire a team to deliver exceptional care and education. You will promote and ensure child welfare, health and safety, and safeguarding, and maintain strong partnerships with colleagues, parents, and other professionals to meet each child’s needs. When required, you will also act as Designated Safeguarding Lead at the nursery, promote the nursery to support retention and ongoing occupancy growth, and engage with the Local Authority to understand the local offering and support practice across all areas of the nursery.

What we’re looking for

• Full and relevant Level 3 or above Early Years qualification
• Previous experience working within an Early Years setting – ideally as a Third in Charge, Room Leader, Early Years Educator or similar
• 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

Recruitment & 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.

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 at 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 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.

Privacy Notice

By creating this account you acknowledge that Bright Horizons will collect, store and process any of your personal data provided in respect of your application and employment in accordance with our Employee Privacy Notice. https://www.brighthorizons.co.uk/statutory-information/privacy-notice-employees.