Nursery Management
Permanent nursery manager jobs
Full accountability: the children, the staff, the occupancy, the budget and the inspection.
£34,000 to £46,000 outside London, by setting size
Guide band for 2026. See how we work these out.
A nursery manager runs a small business that happens to be regulated, inspected, and responsible for children. The statutory bar is an approved Level 3 or above. The practical bar is considerably higher.
What the role involves
- Full operational responsibility for the setting and everyone in it
- Recruitment, retention, supervision and the whole staffing cycle
- Ofsted registration, inspection, and whatever action follows one
- Designated safeguarding lead in most settings
- Occupancy, fee income, funding claims and budget
- Parent relationships, complaints, and the setting's local reputation
What you will need
- An approved Level 3 or above, which is the statutory minimum for the role
- Level 5 preferred by most groups, plus a Level 2 in maths within two years for managers appointed since January 2024
- A track record through a real inspection, ideally more than one
- Commercial grip: a manager who cannot read an occupancy report will struggle
Also advertised as: Nursery Setting Manager, Childcare Centre Manager. Settings use these titles more or less interchangeably, so search for all of them.
Where
Where we recruit this role
We place nursery manager roles across the UK. These are the areas we cover most closely.
Questions
About this role
What does a nursery manager earn?
Our 2026 guide puts this role at £34,000 to £46,000 outside London, by setting size. Bands assume a 40-hour week and are built from the National Living Wage floor and the published sector median. The full method is on our salary guide.
Is this a permanent role?
Every role we place is permanent. Tiny Tots Recruitment does not run a temp desk and does not offer agency shifts.
What else is this job called?
You will also see it advertised as Nursery Setting Manager, Childcare Centre Manager. The qualification and the ratio requirements are the same whichever title a setting uses.
Related
Other roles we recruit
Deputy Nursery Manager
Second in command, and usually the person who runs the floor while the manager runs the business.
£30,000 to £37,000 outside London
About this roleRoom Leader
Running a room: the children in it, the staff in it, the ratio, the planning and the parents. The first genuinely managerial job in a nursery.
£29,000 to £33,500 outside London
About this roleEarly Years Teacher
Level 6 practice leadership. The role that lets a setting run 1:13 with over-threes, and that usually leads the curriculum.
£30,000 to £38,000 outside London
About this roleLooking for a nursery manager role?
Register once and we will come to you when something fits. You will know the setting, the room and the pay before you decide whether to meet them, and your CV goes nowhere without your say-so.