Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£50,000 per annum

About the Role
Kido operates 22 nurseries in and around London, dedicated to providing the highest quality early years education and care. We create magical and engaging learning spaces infused with cutting edge pedagogy, brought to life by great teachers who nurture and enhance every child’s innate curiosity, creativity and ability to be a lifelong learner. We believe a combination of free and structured play, an engaging and interactive learning environment, and an abundance of love, care and attention provide the most solid foundation for children in their early years.

As a People & Quality Manager, you will nurture our people throughout their employee journey by delivering training and providing hands-on support for career development. Unlike traditional management roles, we do not have Area or Regional Managers focused on spreadsheets or nursery-level P&L. Instead, our People & Quality Managers focus on ensuring the quality of care and education is exceptional across their regions.

You will work closely with the Performance Director, Head of People and Chief Operations Officer to oversee all elements of nursery operations. You will be directly responsible for the effective leadership of Nursery Managers, providing coaching, mentoring, and implementing robust action plans and performance management strategies to ensure excellence for children and families. Role modelling leadership behaviours to positively impact team engagement and staff retention is key.

The role involves significant time spent in nurseries embedding and empowering teams, while also protecting time for strategic and developmental work. You will need to manage competing demands effectively and navigate complex trade-offs. This is an exciting opportunity for a team player with initiative, resilience, and determination who wants to make a meaningful impact on our people, children, and parents.

Experience
Proven leadership experience managing nursery or early years teams is essential. Experience in coaching, mentoring, and performance management within an educational or childcare setting is highly desirable. Strong knowledge of the Early Years Statutory Framework and early years legislation is required. Experience supporting Ofsted inspections and delivering high-quality training is advantageous.

About you
You are a resilient, proactive, and hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment. You have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong relationships with nursery teams. You are passionate about early years education and committed to delivering outstanding care and learning experiences. You embrace a coaching and role-modelling approach to leadership and are comfortable managing competing priorities and complex challenges.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications in early years education, leadership, or management are preferred. You should have a sound understanding of safeguarding procedures and compliance requirements. Commitment to continuous professional development and supporting others in their qualification journeys is important.

Key Responsibilities
- Provide exceptional leadership to nursery management teams through culture, values, and behaviours to drive excellence.
- Spend time in every nursery to embed best practices and role model from within the rooms.
- Support teams with daily operational challenges as a hands-on problem solver.
- Empower teams to succeed independently.
- Ensure nurseries are staffed and supported daily.
- Manage regional commercial performance including budgets and costs.
- Ensure compliance with the Early Years Statutory Framework and all relevant legislation.
- Oversee regulatory training and company inductions.
- Identify training needs and develop personal development plans including coaching and mentoring.
- Lead and support Ofsted inspections.
- Ensure teaching aligns with EYFS and Kido’s curriculum.
- Develop soft skills through training, workshops, and coaching.
- Analyse nursery needs and deliver inspiring training to upskill teams.
- Support apprentices and EYITT students towards qualification.
- Collaborate with the Qualification Lead to align training delivery.
- Advise nursery teams on safeguarding concerns and ensure robust follow-up actions.
- Maintain thorough and compliant safeguarding documentation.

Additional Information
Kido is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children. Successful candidates will undergo pre-employment checks including enhanced DBS and barred lists checks. All applications are considered in line with the Equality Act 2010. Due to the nature of this role, disclosure of relevant criminal record information is required in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended).

Benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 5 years' service
- Your birthday off
- 100% Free Childcare (subject to availability, T&Cs apply)
- Up to £1000 refer a friend bonus
- Annual performance-related pay increases
- Brilliant career progression opportunities
- Company awards and celebrations
- 5 days of enhanced sick pay
- Early access to pay through the Hastee app
- Perkbox discounts and savings on thousands of retailers
- Confidential employee assistance programme and wellness hub access
- Cycle to work scheme
- Electric car scheme