Assistant Nursery Manager in Horsham

Join our caring, welcoming and supportive team at Monkey Puzzle Horsham. The role of the Nursery Assistant Manager is to support the Nursery Manager in providing professional leadership and management of the nursery and its staff and to support the Nursery Manager in the successful management of the day‑to‑day running of the nursery and deliver high quality standards of care and education for all children.

Aims

• Comply with all regulatory requirements.
• Provide high standards of care and education.
• Support all nursery staff in their roles.
• Acquire and maintain positive working partnerships with staff, parents and carers.
• Sustain targets for revenue and costs.

Key Responsibilities

• Adhere to all company policies and procedures.
• Ensure that all company policy and procedures are adhered to by all staff.
• Promote a high standard of quality within the nursery, including practice, environment and resources to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Ensure appropriate planning and assessment is in place and is accurately maintained by all staff.
• Support the development of good practice in relation to special educational needs and inclusion.
• Provide leadership and support to all staff to enable them to establish and maintain professional positive working relationships with both colleagues, parents and carers.
• Deploy staff effectively to ensure the required standards are maintained.
• Ensure the effective implementation of the company’s keyperson system throughout the nursery.
• Ensure that all children are kept safe, and that staff are confident to follow safeguarding procedures.
• Implement and support others in delivering the EYFS in line with current practice and guidelines.
• Develop and maintain professional working relationships with relevant outside agencies.
• Support the Nursery Manager in creating and maintaining a culture of self‑evaluation and reflective practice throughout the nursery.
• Proactively promote and represent the nursery to current and potential parents/customers including in the wider community.
• Adhere to all health and safety policies and procedures and support the Nursery Manager in ensuring all staff receive health and safety training.
• Be fully aware of all emergency and security procedures.
• Support the Nursery Manager in ensuring the nursery remains compliant in respect of suitably trained and vetted staff with relevant qualifications.
• Support the Nursery Manager with recruiting, inducting, supporting, training and appraising all staff to deliver high quality childcare practice.
• Support the Nursery Manager to identify, address and support individual training needs and self‑development such as supervisions and appraisals.
• Support the Nursery Manager in working in conjunction with Head Office in disciplinary and grievance investigations and hearings.
• Support the Nursery Manager in making sure all complaints/concerns are actively resolved in a timely manner.
• Support the Nursery Manager to facilitate inspections by regulatory bodies and implement any recommendations.
• Support the Nursery Manager with all administrative duties associated with the nursery, including maintaining children’s records, ordering equipment and keeping personnel files.
• Undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by line manager.
• Assume additional management responsibilities as and when required.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Minimum Level 3 Early Years qualification (Level 5 desirable).
• Safeguarding Knowledge.
• Minimum of 2 years recent experience working as a Third‑in‑Charge/Room Leader.
• Excellent communication, organisation, and IT skills.
• A natural leader with a passion for creating a happy, high‑performing team culture.

Benefits

• Length of Service Recognition: We recognise and reward your length of service with vouchers.
• Competitive Salaries: Our salaries are competitive based on your position and the job market and are reviewed throughout the year.
• Enhanced Maternity Pay: Enhanced pay after 2 years’ service.
• Medicash: Cover for dental treatments, optical, doctor consultations, therapies, and prescriptions as well as mental health support.
• YuLife: You will be enrolled into our Group Life Assurance policy and have access to the YuLife app.
• Refer a Friend: Bring connections to work with us and earn rewards.
• Flexible Working: We would like to be able to give you the choice and flexibility to reduce your working hours.
• Social Events: We arrange catch‑ups with the team alongside our Christmas parties.

Safeguarding Statement

Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries are committed to Keeping children safe; therefore, it is necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record Disclosure and Barred check to be undertaken. All posts involving direct contact with children and vulnerable adults are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. However, amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975 (2013 & 2020) provide that certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. These are not subject to disclosure to employers and cannot be taken into account. All candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions, you may be asked for further information about your criminal history during the recruitment process. If your application is successful, this self-disclosure information will be checked against information from the Disclosure & Barring Service before your employment commences.