At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a community-managed early childhood service with autonomy and support.
- Company: Exceeding-rated not-for-profit organisation on Sydney's North Shore.
- Benefits: Flexible working hours, full-time admin support, and additional paid closures.
- Other info: Opportunity for career growth and meaningful community connections.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a warm, community-focused environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in early childhood leadership and strong compliance knowledge.
The predicted salary is between 43650 - 53350 $ per year.
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
- 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.
Centre Director employer: Early Years Talent
As a Centre Director at our community-managed not-for-profit service on Sydney's North Shore, you will enjoy a unique level of autonomy in shaping your work schedule and leading an Exceeding-rated early childhood service. Our supportive work culture prioritises meaningful relationships with families and educators, while offering full-time administrative assistance and additional paid service closures throughout the year, ensuring a balanced and rewarding work environment. With a strong commitment to professional growth and community engagement, this role provides an exceptional opportunity for impactful leadership in early childhood education.
