Operations Support Manager

Operations Support Manager

At The Old Station Nursery Group, we are passionate about delivering exceptional early years education and care. As we continue to grow, we are looking for an experienced and driven Operations Support Manager to play a pivotal role in strengthening performance, quality, and leadership across our nurseries.

Reporting to the Regional Operations Manager, you’ll work closely with Area Managers to provide hands-on operational and leadership support to Nursery Managers. This is a dynamic, field-based role combining strategic thinking with practical problem-solving, ensuring every nursery consistently delivers excellence in quality, safety, education, and customer experience.

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What You’ll Be Doing

Operational Excellence

• Support Nursery Managers to maintain outstanding standards of care, safety, education, and customer experience.

• Contribute to operational KPIs including occupancy, margin, and customer satisfaction.

• Provide coaching and insight around nursery-level P&L performance and operational efficiency.

• Ensure compliance with Ofsted, EYFS, health & safety, and internal quality standards.

• Lead or support audit actions (Ofsted, EHO, Local Authority and internal audits), embedding improvement plans where needed.

• Provide temporary leadership cover during periods of absence or crisis.

• Represent the Group at parent meetings, staff events and with external agencies.

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Team Leadership & Development

• Inspire, mentor and develop Nursery Managers to build high-performing teams.

• Deliver on-site coaching, model best practice and facilitate focused training where required.

• Support recruitment and onboarding initiatives for new managers and team members.

• Identify and nurture future leaders to support succession planning.

• Promote engagement, recognition and a culture aligned with our values.

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Business Growth & Continuous Improvement

• Support the integration of new or acquired nurseries, ensuring alignment with brand, financial and regulatory standards.

• Resolve operational challenges swiftly and sustainably using data and insight.

• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver business-wide initiatives.

• Drive innovation and continuous improvement across quality, people and performance.

• Support change management and policy rollouts across settings.

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Who You Are

• Early Years Qualified – Full and relevant qualification with significant operational experience within early years or education.

• Operationally Strong – Proven ability to drive improvements across multiple settings.

• Compliance Focused – Strong knowledge of Ofsted, EYFS and health & safety frameworks.

• Financially Aware – Experience supporting P&L oversight and budget performance.

• People-Centred Leader – Able to inspire, coach and influence others.

• Highly Organised & Resilient – Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Values-Led – Act with integrity and a genuine commitment to children, families and teams.

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About the Role

• Field-based with regular travel across nursery locations

• Some home working depending on business needs

• Occasional visits to Head Office in Theale

• Reports to: Regional Operations Manager

• Direct Reports: None (matrix leadership and support to Nursery Managers)

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Why Join The Old Station Nursery Group?

You’ll join a supportive, forward-thinking organisation that is committed to quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced operational leader who thrives on making tangible impact — supporting teams, strengthening performance, and ensuring every child receives the very best start.

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Safeguarding Commitment

The Old Station Nursery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all applicants to share this commitment. All roles are subject to enhanced DBS checks, satisfactory references, and verification of your right to work in the UK and any essential qualifications. If successful, our recruitment and compliance team will guide you through every step of the onboarding process. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Reasonable adjustments will be considered to ensure fairness and accessibility for all candidates.