Hours: Full-time (40 hors per week), Permanent
Salary: Up to £75,000 depending on experience plus performance bonus
Location: Hybrid, typically 2 days on-site at any of our Early Years settings, or Head Office location
About Storal
Storal is a leading nursery group with over 50 settings across England, recently doubling in size through the acquisition of Children 1st Nurseries. With ambitious growth plans, we’re embracing digital transformation to better serve our families and teams. Since early 2024, we’ve been upgrading to cloud-based solutions, aiming for full integration by the end of 2025.
We are looking for an experienced and hands-on Head of Property to lead the management and development of our nursery estate. This role is key in ensuring our environments remain safe, welcoming, and inspiring for children, families, and colleagues.
The Head of Property will oversee all aspects of property management, in-house maintenance, compliance, and capital works. They will lead our maintenance team and work closely with nursery managers to deliver high-quality, cost-effective property solutions across the group.
What you'll be doing
Property Strategy & Management
- Develop and deliver a property strategy that supports the organisation’s growth and quality ambitions.
- Oversee the full property lifecycle: acquisition, refurbishment, ongoing maintenance, and disposals.
- Manage relationships with landlords, contractors, and suppliers.
Maintenance & Facilities
- Lead the in-house maintenance team to ensure timely, efficient, and high-quality support for nurseries.
- Oversee planned preventative maintenance schedules to minimise disruption and cost.
- Respond to urgent property and maintenance issues across the group.
Health, Safety & Compliance
- Ensure all properties meet statutory requirements (health & safety, fire, building regulations, environmental standards).
- Maintain accurate records of inspections, testing, and certifications.
- Act as the organisation’s lead for property-related compliance matters.
Capital Projects & Improvements
- Lead refurbishment, expansion, and improvement projects, from planning through to delivery.
- Manage budgets, contractors, and timelines to ensure projects are delivered on time and within scope.
- Drive sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives across the estate.
Leadership & Team Development
- Line manage and develop the maintenance team, ensuring high standards of service.
- Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, and pride in our nursery environments.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues across operations, safeguarding, and quality teams.
What you'll need
Essential
- Proven experience in property management, facilities, or estates leadership.
- Strong knowledge of building compliance, health & safety, and statutory requirements.
- Experience leading and developing a maintenance or facilities team.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, budgets, and stakeholders.
- Excellent organisational, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- A hands-on, solution-focused approach.
Desirable
- Experience within education, childcare, healthcare, or a regulated environment.
- Knowledge of early years settings and the importance of safe, welcoming environments for children.
- Project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, APM).
- NEBOSH/IOSH or equivalent H&S training.
Why work for us
-
A leadership role with real impact in shaping inspiring environments for children.
- Opportunity to lead a dedicated in-house maintenance team.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Professional development and career growth opportunities.
- A values-driven culture that puts children first.
- Family Friendly Benefits- enhanced parents leave including maternity, paternity & adoption & Childcare Discount at 50% off all fees
- Wellbeing & Refuel Benefits- extra day off per year for your wellbeing and access to modern-day, progressive mental health support & sick pay
- Financial Perks- emergency cash access to your pay before pay date, free financial coaching
- Social Perks – online community for peer-to-peer socializing eg. book club, pets club, pinecones club & continuous professional development accessible to you at anytime
About us
This nursery is part of Storal, a group of nurseries across England. It is our vision at Storal to be the nursery group that every family and educator wants to be part of. Our values are built around creating this environment for teams and children. We believe in high standards, praising each other, pulling together as a team whilst actively helping others to grow and that’s only the beginning of the story. We do what we say we do and if you align with this approach, then a Storal nursery is the place for you.
Storal is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All employees will be subject to background checks, enhanced DBS check and reference checks.
