Head of Early Years-Birmingham

Salary: £45,000                                   

Hours per week: 37.5                        

Contract: Permanent

Location: Based at YMCA Billy Bears Day Nursery in Solihull, as additional nursery sites are acquired, there will be an expectation to work across multiple settings each week and maintain a visible presence in each location.

Background

YMCA Heart of England is a Christian charity providing a range of life-changing services for the local community. With a turnover of over £7.5m, we house over 300 young people and support them to get their lives back on track. We also care for pre-school children in our nursery and run various social enterprises and community programmes. With over 100 Staff and volunteers working for us and thousands of people using our many premises every year, we are an organisation committed to delivering the best possible service to our customers in line with our Christian ethos and values.

Job role

We’re looking for a Head of Early Years to lead and grow a key area of our organisation. This is a strategic leadership role with hands-on responsibility for driving high-quality provision and expanding our Early Years offer across Birmingham and Coventry. You’ll oversee our existing nursery while leading the development of up to four new settings in line with our five-year growth plan. Reporting to the Director of Business, Community and Youth Services, you’ll work closely with senior leaders to align Early Years with our wider organisational goals.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead curriculum development and quality improvement across all nursery settings, starting with Billy Bears, in line with EYFS and Ofsted standards.
• Provide strategic leadership as part of the Senior Management Team, shaping early years direction, staff performance, and growth plans across Birmingham and Coventry.
• Line manage Nursery Managers and support a strong, values-driven team culture focused on reflective practice and child-led provision.
• Oversee safeguarding, compliance, and preparation for Ofsted inspections, maintaining inclusive, high-quality early years environments.
• Build partnerships with families, external agencies, and local authorities to support children’s development and community engagement.

What we Offer:

• Training and Development Opportunities 
• Travel expenses paid at 45p per mile
• 29 days annual leave including Bank Holidays plus an additional day after each year of completed service up to 5 days. 
• Free on-site car parking 
• Workplace Pension scheme 
• 20 days sick pay 
• Life Assurance of 4 times your annual salary 
• Day off for your Birthday

To apply, send us your CV along with a covering letter to: recruitment@ymcaheartofengland.org.uk

The closing date is Monday 5^th January 2026. We do reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 14^th and Thursday 15^th January 2026. YMCA Heart of England is an independent Christian charity, a registered provider of social housing, and affiliated to the national and international YMCA Movement. 

As an organisation fully committed to the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, a thorough vetting process is carried out as part of the appointment process, including verification of any required qualifications, verification of identity, taking of references and a DBS check as appropriate.