Job Description

$120,000–$135,000 plus superannuation | Permanent full-time | Sydney's North Shore

This is the organisation's most senior early childhood leadership position, offering an unusual level of control over both service decisions and your own working pattern.

You will lead an established, Exceeding-rated, 56-place, community-managed not-for-profit service on Sydney's North Shore. The service is co-located with an outside school hours care program and supported by a full-time administrator.

Why this role stands out

• $120,000–$135,000 plus superannuation
• Permanent full-time position based on 38 ordinary hours
• Meaningful control over how you structure your working week
• The organisation's senior early childhood authority
• Full-time administrative support
• Additional paid service closures throughout the year
• Early service closure on Fridays
• Staffing maintained above minimum ratio requirements
• Planned succession following the retirement of a long-serving Director

About the service

This is a warm, established community service with a distinctive cultural identity and calendar. It welcomes children, families and educators from various backgrounds while maintaining strong connections with the community it serves.

The service operates independently rather than as part of a multi-site early learning group. It is community-managed, not-for-profit, and co-located with an outside school-hours care program.

An established Educational Leader retains responsibility for curriculum and pedagogical leadership, while the full-time administrator supports the service's daily administrative workload. This allows the Centre Director to concentrate on operational leadership, compliance, workforce decisions, family relationships and sustainable service performance.

About the role

As Centre Director, you will be the organisation's principal early childhood authority. There is no Area Manager or corporate early childhood department sitting above the position.

When government policy, regulation or compliance requirements change, you will translate those changes into updated policies, procedures and practices, then lead their implementation across the service.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining compliance with the National Quality Framework, regulatory requirements and service policies
• Leading staffing, rostering, recruitment and responsible-person coverage
• Motivating, managing and providing constructive feedback to staff
• Addressing performance concerns and conducting difficult conversations fairly and confidently
• Building trusted relationships with children, families, educators and community stakeholders
• Responding constructively to complaints and sensitive family matters
• Working collaboratively with the Educational Leader
• Supporting sustainable enrolment growth without compromising quality
• Working closely with the full-time administrator and the co-located outside school hours care leadership'

You will have considerable autonomy to determine how you structure your 38-hour working week, reflecting the seniority and accountability of the position.

About you

You may already be an experienced Centre Director or Service Manager. Alternatively, you may be an accomplished Assistant Director or senior early childhood leader ready to take responsibility for an entire service.

You will bring:

• Strong knowledge of early childhood regulation, compliance and service operations
• Demonstrated experience leading staff, rosters and workplace performance
• An early childhood qualification, or another relevant qualification, combined with substantial early childhood sector leadership experience
• The confidence to make sound decisions without relying on an Area Manager or the corporate office
• Warm, tactful and credible communication with families and educators
• Commercial awareness and the ability to support sustainable occupancy
• Genuine respect for the service's cultural identity, calendar and community expectations
• Eligibility and willingness to act as Nominated Supervisor and Responsible Person
• A current Working with Children Check and the required child-protection and first-aid credentials, or the ability to obtain them before commencement

The decisive requirement is your demonstrated ability to lead a regulated early learning service safely, independently and well.

How to apply

Apply through SEEK with your résumé and a short introduction outlining your experience leading early childhood operations, compliance, people and family relationships.

Alternatively, if you reach out to Josh Freeman, @earlyyearstalent.com, with any queries you may have.

All enquiries and applications will be treated in strict confidence.