Nursery Reception & Operations Assistant (Front of House & Compliance)

Nursery Reception & Operations Assistant

(Front of House & Compliance)

Working hours:  Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm (30-minute unpaid lunch break) - All Year Round

Salary: £25,350 to £26,325 per annum

Role purpose

You’ll be the welcoming face and organised hub of the nursery. You’ll run reception cover, support smooth drop-offs and collections, manage visitors and deliveries safely, keep communal and staff areas clean and well-stocked, and provide admin support to the management team. You’ll also take ownership of key compliance tasks such as visitor sign-in/out, delivery logs, stock auditing, and ordering within budget.

Key responsibilities

Reception & front of house

• Cover the reception desk and act as the first point of contact for parents, visitors, contractors and delivery drivers.
• Create a warm, calm and professional welcome for families every day.
• Support daily drop-offs and collections, including taking messages to/from parents and helping children transition to their rooms when needed.
• Answer the telephone promptly, handle enquiries professionally, and ensure messages are accurate and passed on quickly.
• Manage incoming deliveries efficiently and safely, ensuring items are received, recorded and stored appropriately.

Compliance, security & records

• Carry out visitor sign-in and sign-out checks, ensuring visitors follow nursery procedures (including badges/identification as required).
• Maintain accurate delivery logs and relevant records.
• Support compliance routines by ensuring reception procedures are followed consistently and issues are escalated to the management team promptly.
• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism at all times when handling parent or staff information.

Housekeeping, hygiene & presentation

• Keep all communal areas tidy, clean, welcoming and “always ready” for families and staff (e.g., entrance, reception, corridors, shared spaces).
• Ensure all hygiene stations are fully stocked throughout the day (e.g., hand sanitiser, gloves, aprons, wipes—aligned to your setting).
• Monitor and replenish communal supplies to maintain high presentation and hygiene standards.
• Report maintenance issues, low stock, or any health & safety concerns to the management team.

Stock control & ordering

• Audit stock levels regularly (hygiene supplies, reception consumables, communal items) and maintain sensible stock rotation.
• Place orders within an agreed budget, keeping clear records and flagging unusual spend or shortages early.
• Work with the management team to ensure best value purchasing and consistent availability of essential supplies.

Administrative support

• Provide day-to-day admin support to the management team as required (e.g., printing, filing, scanning, preparing daily operational paperwork, basic data entry).
• Keep reception information organised and up to date to support smooth nursery operations.

Health, safety & safeguarding

• Follow all nursery policies and procedures, including safeguarding, health & safety, hygiene, security and confidentiality.
• Maintain a calm, professional approach in a busy environment and model high standards at all times.

Any other duties as required to ensure the smooth running of the nursery.

Person specification

Essential

• Friendly, professional communicator with a confident, welcoming manner.
• Highly organised and reliable — able to manage competing priorities.
• Strong attention to detail and pride in maintaining clean, well-presented spaces.
• Comfortable with telephone handling, record keeping, and basic admin tasks.
• Able to follow compliance procedures consistently and confidently.

Desirable

• Previous front-of-house/reception experience (nursery, school, healthcare, hospitality, etc.).
• Experience in an early year or education setting.
• Confident using basic IT systems (email, Word/Google Docs, printing/scanning).
• Experience with ordering stock and working to a budget.

What can we offer you?

• A competitive salary with regular reviews
• Workplace pension
• Employee Assistance Programme – available from your first day of employment
• Extra Birthday/Wellbeing Day as an annual gift *
• Bupa health care package *
• Mental health first aiders at nursery to offer support when needed
• 50% discounted childcare fees *
• FREE Monthly Staff Prize Draw
• Retail discounts
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth including 5 paid training days per year, access to extensive online and face to face CPD
• Referral bonus when you recommend a staff member or a family to the nursery *
• Team wellbeing and celebration budget to enable regular events, celebrations, annual awards day, summer and Christmas party and treats at nursery.