Nursery Manager

Nursery – Bright Horizons Columbus Courtyard Day Nursery & Pre School

Salary – Up to £59,529 per annum (dependent on qualification/s and experience)

Location – Canary Wharf, E14 4DA

We are looking for an inspiring and experienced Nursery Manager to lead our welcoming, well-established nursery. The Nursery was last OFSTED inspected in April 2026 being recognised as a strong standard across all areas.

Our nursery is in close proximity to both Canary Wharf and West Ferry DLR stations, as well as Canary Wharf tube

Our nursery features five bright rooms tailored to each age group, supporting development from babies through to pre-school. Babies benefit from activities like tummy time, toddlers enjoy a stimulating environment focused on friendships and wellbeing, and pre-schoolers are encouraged to become independent learners.

We offer an enriching EYFS-led curriculum, alongside indoor garden rooms for gross motor development and a sensory room for co-regulation. Families stay connected via our app with daily updates.

Children also enjoy extra activities including Boogie Mites, Cooking Club, and Theatrebugs sessions in drama, music, and dance.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident leader who is passionate about early years education and wants to make a real difference in a thriving setting.

Our Benefits

Up to £59,529 per annum per annum

Childcare discount of 100% for first child

Competitive bonus of up to £6,000, awarded in line with Ofsted inspection outcomes

Enhanced parental leave

25 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 Nursery Manager, you will lead a team to deliver outstanding care and education to all the children in your setting, and through inspirational leadership drive employee engagement, retention and performance. You will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead, holding overall responsibility for the day to day running of the nursery, and management of safeguarding policies. You will work in partnership with support office teams to recruit, nurture, and continuously develop high performing colleagues, as well as identify and implement commercial plans and strategies to deliver FTE growth. You will optimise nursery performance, revenue generation, and cost efficiency in line with staff ratio requirements.

What we’re looking for

Full and relevant Level 3 or above Early Years qualification

Experience within an Early Years leadership role (ideally as a Nursery Manager, Deputy Manager, Assistant Manager or similar)

Experience of participating with a regulatory inspection, leading to a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ outcome

Experience of developing high performance teams, with effective regulatory compliance, quality improvement, delivery of high-quality pedagogy, innovation and service excellence

Confident decision maker, with ability to support change and understanding of complex relationship between commercial and service excellence within a regulated setting

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

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. Please note, due to our sector all roles are subject to an Enhanced DBS.

If you want to make a difference, with a company who has been voted Great Place to Work every year since 2006, apply today!

INDNMP

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.

Proud to be a Great Place to Work for 20 years. Apply today!

We look forward to receiving your application!