Ad Reference:4048825
Director – Responsible Person (Diploma or Bachelor Qualified)
$46.09 – $53.70 (Inclusive of Worker Retention Payment) depending on experience & qualification
Full time – 38hrs per week

Do you have a passion for leading people and making a meaningful impact in early childhood education? We are looking for a dedicated Centre Director to drive quality practices, build strong relationships, and lead our service to success.

About Us
One Tree Defence Unit Puckapunyal located near Seymour in Regional Victoria, is committed to providing an enriching and nurturing environment where children thrive.

We adhere to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), focusing on delivering high-quality educational programs that foster holistic development.

We have placements for 86 children across our long day care. We have several rooms including pre kinder, nursery, toddler room, preschool and outside of school hours care. Our operating hours are 7am to 6pm.

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and motivated Centre Director with 1 – 2 years experience in a leadership or management role to lead our early learning service. This role is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the centre, ensuring the delivery of high-quality education and care, maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, and fostering a positive culture for children, families, and staff.

The successful candidate will be a confident leader who is passionate about early childhood education and committed to achieving excellent outcomes for children and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the day-to-day operations of the service.
• Ensure compliance with the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, National Quality Framework (NQF), and all relevant policies and procedures.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and professional support to educators and teachers.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and quality practice.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with children, families, staff, and community stakeholders.
• Oversee staffing, recruitment, rostering, and workforce planning.
• Manage occupancy, enrolments, and family engagement initiatives.
• Monitor centre budgets and support the achievement of financial and operational goals.
• Lead quality improvement planning and preparation for Assessment and Rating visits.
• Promote a safe, inclusive, and child-focused learning environment.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Sound knowledge of the National Quality Framework and early childhood legislation.
• Strong organisational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to lead change and inspire high-performing teams.
• Commitment to child safety, wellbeing, and inclusion.
• High level of professionalism, accountability, and integrity.
• Ability to build and maintain a positive team culture through effective leadership, mentoring, collaboration, and recognition of staff strengths.

Essential Criteria

• Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, or ACECQA-approved qualification.
• Current Working with Children Check or VIT
• Current First Aid, CPR, Asthma, and Anaphylaxis qualifications (or willingness to obtain).
• Current National Police check (or willingness to obtain)
• Demonstrated knowledge of the National Quality Framework, National Regulations, and Child Safe Standards.
• Experience leading teams within an early childhood education and care setting.
• Strong understanding of compliance, quality improvement, and operational management.
• Mandatory reporting and Child Safety certificate

Preferred Criteria

• 1–2 years’ experience as a Centre Director, Assistant Director, Educational Leader, or other leadership position within an early childhood service.
• Experience managing centre occupancy, budgets, and workforce planning.
• Experience leading Assessment and Rating processes and quality improvement initiatives.

If you’re an experienced early childhood professional who enjoys leading and mentoring others, fostering positive team cultures, and creating exceptional learning environments, we’d love to hear from you.