quality development manager early years jobs

Nursery Manager
RAFAKidz at RAF Honington, Bury St Edmonds IP31 1LJ
£42000 plus £5000 sign on bonus plus 10% annual performance bonus
40 hours per week

Enhanced childcare discount of 40% for permanent employees
Healthcare cash back for you and your children to cover prescription, dental and optician costs
Free access to virtual GP
Health and Stress Support plus gym discount
Unlimited Refer a Friend bonus payments
Generous leave with time off to relax and recharge over the Christmas period
Group Associate Membership – savings and discounts on household bills and more!
Guaranteed transfer to another nursery (for spouses and families being reassigned)
Preparing for promotion? We pay travel and overnight expenses to allow you to experience another of our fabulous settings
First Stage Informal Telephone Interviews – let’s get to know each other before arranging a visit
Opportunities to attend gala evenings to celebrate our big nominations and wins together!

About us
2025 was a phenomenal year for RAFAKidz! Our special awards include
Nursery Group of the Year Nursery World
Medium Sized Nursery Group of the Year National NMT Nursery Awards
Outdoor Learning Environment National NMT Nursery Awards

If you’re a talented, passionate and dedicated childcare professional looking for your next step, our welcoming and warm nursery at RAFAKidz Honington is the place for you! With our friendly team and small room sizes we can offer exciting experiences every day. Located in a beautiful setting close to Bury St Edmunds and Thetford, our little RAFAKidz family are always busy with trips out, picnics, parties and outdoor learning. For every child that comes through the doors of RAFAKidz, no matter their ability, background or circumstances, we provide experiences that will help them be confident and reach their full potential.

As one of our busiest nurseries, you can expect to be fully ‘hands on’ to create a stimulating and exciting nursery setting, using many of the tools and resources RAFAKidz have already developed, to strengthen and grow the quality of our care and our team. Managing a team of 24 employees and with places for 69 children, you will be fully supported by our wider management team including an Operations Manager, Operations Director and our amazing HR team.

About you
As an experienced Nursery Manager, you’ll have a great understanding of putting children at the heart of everything you do. Equally important, we are looking for someone to harness the passion and commitment of our colleagues to nurture and develop them into the very best educators and support them on their career pathways. As you would expect, you will need to have an in-depth knowledge of all regulatory requirements and come with the relevant qualifications to hold this post. A full role profile is available to view on our website however core objectives for a RAFAKidz Nursery Manager include;

To provide professional leadership and day-to-day management of nurseries.
To ensure the delivery of the highest standards of care and education
To ensure compliance with all policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
To ensure the financial sustainability of the nursery
To be the Designated Safeguarding Lead
Mentor and develop staff skills and knowledge

If you would like an informal chat about this opportunity then please contact us on 0800 018 2361

This post requires a satisfactory, enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check on appointment and every three years thereafter. As part of our inclusive culture, we encourage applications across all cultural backgrounds, genders and abilities

Interviews are ongoing and we may close this advert early so please do not delay in applying as we’d love to hear from you!