Early Years Compliance Officer

Salary: £40,000–£42,000

Location: Yorkshire market

Schedule: Full-Time | Monday–Friday

Travel: Regular travel across an assigned Banana Moon nursery region

About the role

Banana Moon Day Nurseries is hiring an Early Years Compliance Officer to support a group of nurseries across your assigned region. You’ll help them meet Ofsted, EYFS and safeguarding standards and stay ready for inspection.

This is more than an auditing role. You’ll be the main compliance contact for franchisees and Nursery Managers in the Yorkshire region (Leeds & Sheffield). Your job is to spot risk early, explain it clearly and work with each nursery on a plan that leads to lasting improvement. You’ll know when something isn’t right, and you’ll have the confidence and warmth to help a team put it right.

Your week will be a mix of nursery visits, virtual meetings and report writing. Most travel is within your region. You’ll also visit our Franchise Support Office in Warwick from time to time and occasionally go elsewhere in the Banana Moon network. Overnight stays are rare but sometimes needed.

What you’ll do

• Run the quarterly self-audit process for your nurseries. You’ll review submissions, carry out verification visits, agree resolution plans, track corrective actions and escalate serious concerns to the Head of Compliance.
• Carry out safeguarding, compliance, facilities and operational audits against statutory requirements and Banana Moon standards.
• Help nurseries prepare for Ofsted inspections and stay inspection-ready all year. You’ll also support inspections across the wider network before, during or after the visit.
• Write clear reports, recommendations and action plans after each visit, within agreed timescales, and follow up until actions are complete.
• Coach Nursery Managers and franchisees through on-site visits and remote support so they can build their own compliance capability.
• Track regional trends, recurring themes and emerging risks, and report them to the Head of Compliance.
• Share audit findings with the Training and Development team so training targets the real gaps.
• Escalate significant compliance or operational concerns to the right Franchise Support teams.
• Contribute to Early Years development planning and network-wide projects.
• Keep up to date with regulatory changes, safeguarding guidance and sector best practice.

Requirements

What you’ll bring

• Strong working knowledge of the EYFS, safeguarding requirements and Ofsted expectations
• Significant Early Years experience, for example as a Nursery Manager or in a quality, compliance or safeguarding role
• A Level 3 Early Years qualification or above
• Experience assessing standards, identifying risk, and setting or monitoring improvement actions
• The confidence to have constructive, sometimes challenging conversations with nursery leaders and franchisees
• Strong writing skills, with the ability to turn findings into clear reports and action plans
• Sound judgement, good organisation and close attention to detail
• The ability to work independently across several sites while building strong relationships
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel regularly across your region

Desirable: Experience supporting regulatory inspections, quality assurance, multi-site Early Years operations or a franchise environment.

Benefits

What we offer

• £40,000 to £42,000 salary
• Car allowance
• 38 days’ annual leave, including bank holidays and wellbeing days
• Auto-enrolment pension scheme
• Real career development as our UK business grows
• A collaborative, people-first culture with strong UK and US leadership support

About Banana Moon

Banana Moon is a well-loved UK childcare brand with more than 50 franchised nurseries and a reputation for quality, community and warmth. We’re part of The Learning Experience family, one of the largest early years education providers in North America. That means career growth, transatlantic exposure and the chance to help build something meaningful as our UK footprint expands.