Compass Associates
Regional Director - Early Years
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Regional Director – Early Years
Location: Telford / Stafford through Derby / Nottingham, Lincolnshire and into Peterborough / Cambridgeshire
Salary: £75,000–£80,000 + car allowance + bonus + benefits
We are partnering with a growing and ambitious early years group to appoint an experienced Regional Director to take responsibility for a significant portfolio of nurseries across the Midlands and East of England.
This is a senior operational leadership position, responsible for leading through Area Managers and driving quality, people, commercial performance and operational delivery across the region. The successful candidate will be an experienced multi-site early years operator with a strong understanding of the complexities of nursery operations at scale. You will have a proven track record across Ofsted, safeguarding, occupancy, people leadership, financial performance and operational improvement.
The Role
You will:
- Lead, coach and hold Area Managers accountable for performance across their portfolios
- Drive occupancy, revenue, staffing efficiency and overall nursery performance
- Maintain consistently high standards of quality, safeguarding and regulatory compliance
- Provide strong leadership around Ofsted preparation, inspections and sustained quality improvement
- Identify underperformance quickly and lead effective improvement and turnaround plans
- Build leadership capability, succession and high-performing teams across the region
- Support the integration of newly acquired nurseries and lead teams through periods of growth and change
- Use data, KPIs and commercial insight to understand performance, identify risk and determine priorities
- Balance strategic leadership with being sufficiently visible and close to the nurseries to understand operational reality
- Work collaboratively with the wider senior leadership team and contribute to the broader growth strategy
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About You
We are particularly interested in individuals currently operating at:
- Regional Director
- Regional Operations Director
- Head of Operations
- Senior Regional / Area leadership level
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
within a nursery or early years group.
Exceptional senior Area Managers who are already operating across a substantial portfolio and are ready to step into a Regional Director position will also be considered.
Significant early years sector experience is essential for this appointment.
You'll be a visible and credible leader with strong commercial judgement, high standards and the ability to bring people with you. You will be comfortable challenging underperformance, making difficult decisions and creating accountability, while maintaining strong relationships with your teams.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who wants to join a growing organisation where acquisitions, expansion and change are part of the journey, and where there is genuine scope to influence the wider operational strategy.
If you're an experienced early years leader looking for a broader regional remit within a growing and acquisitive organisation, we'd be keen to hear from you.
Contact me on kpfeiffer@compassltd.co.uk
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London