Part-time Nursery HR Manager

Part‑time HR Manager – Little Learners Nursery

Location: Little Learners Nursery, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading, Berkshire

Salary: Pro rata salary £26,139.74 (based on full time equivalent of £36,595.63)

Contract: Fixed term contract (12 months)

Hours: Part‑time 25 hours per week (office based)

A role where you can innovate and make a real impact!

Our nursery has been on the University of Reading campus for over 20 years. Little Learners was purpose‑built in 2009 to provide more childcare places to students and staff of the University of Reading. We have since expanded into the broader community. The nursery is available for children aged from three months to five years and is staffed by a team of experienced and professional childcare practitioners.

Proud to be OFSTED rated Good. Check out our website here to find out more!

We are proud to be part of Reading Students' Union, a charity that aims to empower students and improve student experience.

Are you an experienced HR manager with broad Generalist skills and experience? We are looking for a confident HR Manager to provide dedicated support the nursery with day‑to‑day HR operations, whilst also driving our ambitious strategic development plan.

You’ll be part of our small but very busy nursery team, where no two days are the same. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll manage complex HR processes, develop robust systems, and provide strategic insight to keep us ahead of the curve. You’ll report into the Nursery Manager but you'll also collaborate with the Reading Students' Union HR team for best practice and operational synergies.

• Lead on employment law, contracts, employee relations, IR35, right‑to‑work checks, and HR audits.
• Act as the HR lead for Nursery payroll operations and ensure GDPR compliance.
• Process DBS checks.

• Handle day‑to‑day HR queries and deliver excellent customer service.
• Design and optimise workflows, SOPs, and HR processes for efficiency.
• Maintain and develop accessible HR policies, templates, and resources for best practice and accessibility.
• Manage technical queries (payroll, statutory leave, annual leave, contract changes).
• Oversee multiple HR and payroll databases and leverage automation for accuracy and efficiency.
• Deliver end‑to‑end recruitment for career staff, student staff, apprenticeships, and internships, including planning and fair selection.
• Implement streamlined onboarding and off‑boarding processes, including exit interviews.
• Manage reporting schedules (absence, turnover, new hires etc.) for data‑driven insights and impact reporting.
• Coordinate work experience placements.

• Coach and empower managers to confidently lead on disciplinaries, grievances, sickness absence, capability, and redundancy processes.
• Support conflict resolution through mediation and coaching.
• Develop disability support plans and manage occupational health referrals.
• Lead on staff wellbeing and create opportunities to proactively bring the team together.

• Collaborate with the Reading Students' Union Head of People & Culture in developing and implementing a new People Strategy and managing organisational change.
• Drive continuous improvement and position the organisation as a sector leader.
• Training needs analysis and creating development plans which align individual and organisational goals.

• Collaborate with the Nursery admin team on ad hoc tasks and projects.
• Collaborate with Reading SU's HR team for operational synergies and best practice.
• Manage stakeholder relationships and deliver clear, engaging all‑staff communications.
• Sit on our Little Learners Board of Trustee meetings.

• CIPD Level 5.
• Significant experience as an HR Manager in a busy environment, with the confidence to handle all complex issues that come your way and really 'own' the operations.
• Proven ability to create processes—not just follow them—driving innovation and efficiency.
• Strong knowledge of employment law and HR compliance.
• Strong stakeholder management…