I’m fortunate to speak with aspirational nursery staff every week and most are looking for what’s next; applying for roles that they should have applied to years before or applying for roles they’re not quite ready for...yet. 

Some are deputies who are ready, and know it, but have been biding their time. Some are room leaders who have been doing management work for months without the title to show for it. And some are senior practitioners who are closer than they think but have lacked confidence to take the jump. 

A harsh reality of the sector right now is that there is a huge amount of competition for roles. If you haven’t ‘done the time’, the chances are that someone else has. 

Why This Matters Now 

Before we get into the career path, it's worth understanding the current climate. 

The sector is under real pressure. The government's expansion of the 30-hour funded childcare entitlement in September 2025 created an estimated 80,000+ additional childcare places almost overnight. The Department for Education estimates that around 40,000 extra staff are needed to meet that demand, yet research from the NFER suggests the early years workforce grew by just 600 people between 2024 and 2025.  

A National Day Nurseries Association report in 2025 highlighted that 7 in 10 nursery providers don't have enough staff to operate at full capacity with an average of 4.2 FTE vacancies per setting. 

The shortage is a genuine issue, but it is mostly concentrated at practitioner levels. At management level, employers can still afford to be selective. What that means for you is that the bar is high, but experienced, well-qualified people who want to step into management will find opportunities that weren't there a few years ago. The right candidate, at the right time, with the right preparation, will not be short of options! 

The Typical Career Path 

Nursery Management isn't a role you usually drift into. It's one you grow towards, and the pathway couldn’t be clearer... 

Apprenticeship / Trainee / Nursery Assistant – junior/entry-level positions and require working under supervision and a lot of learning. 

Level 3 Early Years Educator – Once qualified, you’ll work more independently with your own key children. A chance to develop your observation and planning practice. 

Senior Practitioner / Room Leader – When you’ll start taking responsibility for a room, leading a small team, and start to mentor junior staff. This is where leadership responsibilities really begin. 

3rd in Charge / Senior Room Leader - Not every provider offers this role, but many larger settings do. It sits between room leadership and deputy management, typically involving some whole-setting responsibility without the full, day-to-day responsibility of a deputy manager. If your setting offers it, it's an excellent development role and shows future employers that you were trusted with more and showed leadership potential. 

Deputy Nursery Manager - Managing in the manager's absence, leading on specific aspects of running the nursery, taking on admin and compliance responsibilities, and building your understanding of the whole setting rather than just your room. Depending on the size of the setting, this role can be room-based or super numerary, or hybrid, and this can make a difference in exposure and development. 

Nursery Manager - Full responsibility! The quality of care, safety of the children, performance of your team, relationships with parents and stakeholders, and, in many cases, commercial and financial responsibility of the setting too. 

Senior Nursery Manager / Area Manager - The next step for those in larger group settings or multi-site operations. At this level you're typically overseeing multiple nurseries, supporting and developing other managers, and reporting into senior leadership on performance, compliance, and growth. It's less about the day-to-day of any single setting, although you may have to step in when needed, and more about the wider performance of your portfolio. Not every provider has this option. For those who do, it's a natural home for managers who've outgrown one site and can impact on a larger scale. 

It can take 5-10 years to travel this journey and there’s no rush. Some move faster (I’ve spoken to Nursery Managers aged as young as 21) and those who actively seek additional responsibility and don't wait to be handed it are the ones who are often fast-tracked. 

What Are Hiring Teams Looking For? 

When working with our nursery and early years partners, we look at each nursery manager vacancy and application as completely unique through their eyes. Each location has different needs and different challenges, but there are some personal traits and qualities that are consistent... 

Room/Team Leadership - Evidence that you've managed a team, not just worked in one. There's a distinct difference and experienced hiring managers will spot it quickly. 

Ofsted Readiness – Clear knowledge of inspection frameworks and the ability to help prepare a setting for a visit. If you have experience of being part of one, highlight it – especially good practice. If you’ve been involved in an ‘Outstanding’ inspection, you’ll be expected to articulate what truly makes the difference. 

Safeguarding Knowledge - Safeguarding Lead or DSL responsibility is increasingly expected at deputy manager level and above. If you haven't taken this on yet, that's something to consider. 

Budget & Financial Awareness - Even at deputy level, exposure to financial management is becoming increasingly expected. Being able to answer questions on occupancy rates, fee structures, and having clear knowledge of what a financially sustainable nursery looks like will help your application. 

Parent Relationship Management - The ability to handle difficult conversations professionally and build long-term trust with families is a must have skill, as well as being able to evidence attracting new families and parents to your nursery. 

Staff Development - Evidence that you've mentored, coached, and supported your colleagues. Almost anyone can manage a rota, it takes a lot more to develop a team. This doesn’t need to be staff who have improved internally, it can also be staff that you have mentored and have moved on to a senior role elsewhere. 

Do You Want to be a Good or Great Manager? 

Qualifications and experience will get an interview; these things will make you stand out… 

Calm Under Pressure - Settings are unpredictable. Unexpected Ofsted calls, staff absences, a safeguarding concern, an escalated parent complaint – the list could go on. Great nursery managers stay composed through all of it and are consistent in their approach, even when faced with adversity. 

Genuine Warmth - The best managers genuinely care and are still practitioners at heart. They get on the floor with their staff and the children and remember fondly why they came into this field of work. They show empathy daily to their team and community and this matters more than any qualification (although that qualification is still important!) 

Commercial Awareness - Understanding what a financially healthy nursery looks like isn't optional anymore, especially in private group settings. Being able to clearly articulate your impact on growth, performance, profit, occupancy, staffing costs etc. could be the difference between good and great. 

Decisiveness - Management involves making difficult decisions, sometimes urgently, and sometimes with incomplete information. The ability to make a decision and own it with confidence, and be able to articulate why, will be something that stands out. 

Communication – Being equally comfortable talking to a new parent, a practitioner, an Ofsted inspector, or an external agency is vital. Some nursery managers avoid certain conversations and situations, which will be a concern to future employers. 

What Can a Nursery Manager Earn? 

Salaries have positively grown over the past couple of years, and the exact situation varies significantly by location and setting size. Based on current market data: 

Salary is heavily influenced by setting size, occupancy, compliance responsibility, and whether you're accountable for the commercial performance of the nursery. A manager running a 120-place private nursery with full P&L responsibility should be earning more than a manager running a 30-place term-time setting, and they are. 

Salaries are important, of course they are, however, please also consider what each role will expose you to and what skills you’ll develop as a result. 

When Should You Make the Move? 

This is a question I get asked a lot and my honest answer is always the same – if you’re asking, you’re probably closer than you think. But don’t be disheartened if your first application or two aren’t successful. 

If your owner, senior leadership, and/or manager is regularly replying on you, delegating responsibilities, and asking you to support in their absence, that is a key sign that you’re ready. 

You may even have colleagues looking to you for guidance rather than going to someone with a more senior job title, or your current role isn't challenging you like it used to, leading to you being frustrated by decisions being made knowing you’d have made better ones. 

If you get to the point of frustration, that could mean you’ve waited too long. 

How We Can Help?

At Love Childcare Recruitment, we work with nursery employers across the UK every day. We know what a competitive candidate looks like in 2026, we know what employers are looking for, where your specific experience will be a great fit, and which roles/locations can or cannot accommodate development needs or skills gaps. 

We will always be completely honest with candidates, seeking to support both now and in the future. We won’t just tell you what you want to hear, we’ll let you exactly what you need to know in order to make the right decision at the right time. 

If you're thinking about making the move and would like advice on your CV and roles to apply for, or if you’re ready to explore nursery manager opportunities now, you can connect with our team here or browse our roles here. 

Steve Brennan, Recruitment Director, Love Childcare Recruitment