Area Director

Area Director South West (Includes Bristol/South Wales) - Busy Bees

Competitive salary up to £60,000 per annum plus company car and up to 25% annual salary bonus!

Please note: A recognised Early Years qualification and significant experience working within the Early Years sector are essential requirements for this role.

At Busy Bees, we believe every child deserves the best possible start in life. As an Area Director
, you'll play a pivotal role in bringing this vision to life, leading and supporting a group of centres to deliver outstanding early years education, exceptional care and memorable experiences for children, families and colleagues.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced senior leader in the early years sector to make a real impact across multiple settings, empowering Centre Directors, strengthening performance and building a culture where quality, safety, innovation and continuous improvement are at the heart of everything we do.

As Area Director, you'll take ownership of the strategic and operational performance of centres within your area. Working closely with Centre Directors and our National Support Centre, you'll ensure every centre delivers high-quality childcare, meets regulatory requirements and achieves its operational and commercial goals.

You'll combine strategic thinking with a hands-on leadership approach, building strong relationships, developing talented teams and identifying opportunities to make our centres even better.

Busy Bees is proud to be the UK's leading and largest provider of early years education and childcare, with a growing global presence of around 1000 centres worldwide
. Our ambition is to reach even more children and families, creating opportunities for every child to thrive and receive the best possible start in life.

We're proud of our award-winning culture, where our colleagues are valued, talent is nurtured, and individuals are empowered to grow, develop and make a real difference every day.

• Company car
• Annual salary bonus up to 25%
• Sector leading Family Leave.
• Big Benefits
  . Dedicated 24/7 employee benefits platform 'Hive' (Reward Gateway) with retail, cinema, and travel discounts
• 35% Childcare discount
• 33 days holiday including bank holidays plus an extra day for your birthday.
• Health and Wellbeing.We know that sometimes life can be tricky, or you might need guidance so you can lean on our Employee Assistance Program and our Peppy and Mental Health Apps
• Further Training and development.Access to our own training company to help support you in your development and gaining further qualifications

• Build and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, ensuring children's safety and wellbeing always come first.
• Oversee educational programmes and quality standards across your centres, driving consistently excellent outcomes.
• Ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements, policies and procedures.
• Regularly visit centres to monitor standards, support improvement and ensure readiness for inspections and audits.

• Coach, mentor and empower Centre Directors to become confident, effective leaders.
• Create a positive, inclusive and respectful working environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and motivated.
• Support effective recruitment, workforce planning, training and career development across your area.
• Drive colleague engagement, wellbeing and retention through meaningful initiatives and a commitment to listening to your teams.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous professional development.

• Set clear objectives, monitor performance indicators and support centres to achieve their targets.
• Oversee budgets, financial performance and resource planning, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and add value.
• Use data and insight to identify trends, address challenges and deliver sustainable operational improvements.
• Maintain high standards of customer service, ensuring positive experiences for children, families and colleagues.
• Lead local marketing and community engagement initiatives to strengthen centre visibility and reputation.

• Act as a key link between your centres and the National Support Centre, ensuring clear communication and alignment.
• Lead the implementation of new initiatives,…