Early Years Area Manager

Early Years Area Manager Kent & Surrey

Salary: -45,000 per annum

Location: Kent & Surrey Multi-Site Role

Hours: 40 hours per week | Full-Time, Permanent

Are you an experienced Nursery Manager ready to take the next step in your career?

We are recruiting for an exciting Early Years Area Manager opportunity with a growing, well-established nursery group covering settings across Kent and Surrey.

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Area Manager or a strong, successful single-site Nursery Manager looking to progress into their first multi-site leadership role.

Our client is a friendly, supportive nursery group that prides itself on maintaining a personal, people-focused approach. With continued growth and development, they are looking for a passionate Early Years professional who can support nursery teams, develop exceptional leaders and drive high standards across their settings.

The Role

As Early Years Area Manager, you will play a key role in supporting and developing nurseries across Kent and Surrey, ensuring exceptional standards of childcare, strong operational performance and continued business growth.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Supporting Nursery Managers with the day-to-day operations and performance of their settings.

• Providing hands-on leadership and management cover across nurseries when required.

• Ensuring high standards of childcare, safeguarding, EYFS compliance and Ofsted readiness.

• Coaching, mentoring and developing Nursery Managers and their teams.

• Supporting recruitment, staff retention, succession planning and performance management.

• Driving nursery occupancy, admissions and commercial performance.

• Monitoring budgets, staffing costs and operational efficiencies.

• Supporting settings with parent relationships, complaints and employee relations.

• Identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing best practices across multiple nurseries.

About You

We are looking for a confident, commercially aware Early Years professional with a genuine passion for developing people and delivering outstanding childcare.

You do not need previous multi-site management experience to be considered. We would particularly welcome applications from experienced Nursery Managers who have successfully led their own settings and are now ready to take that next step into an Area Manager position.

Ideally, you will have:

• A minimum Level 3 qualification in Early Years.

• Proven experience as a Nursery Manager, Area Manager or in a similar senior Early Years leadership position.

• A strong understanding of EYFS, safeguarding, Ofsted and regulatory requirements.

• Experience managing nursery budgets, occupancy, staffing and commercial performance.

• A successful track record of leading, motivating and developing nursery teams.

• Excellent communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.

• The confidence to support different settings, adapt to new environments and build strong working relationships.

• A full UK driving licence, access to a vehicle and the flexibility to travel regularly between nurseries across Kent and Surrey.

What''s on Offer?

• -45,000 annual salary

• Full-time, permanent position.

• The opportunity to progress into multi-site management.

• A supportive, friendly and growing nursery group.

• Ongoing professional development and career progression.

• Generous annual leave entitlement.

• Mental health and wellbeing support.

• Life assurance and pension scheme.

• The opportunity to make a genuine difference across multiple nursery settings.

Interested?

Whether you''re an experienced Area Manager looking for a fresh challenge or a successful Nursery Manager ready to take your first step into multi-site leadership, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today to find out more about this exciting opportunity!