Centre Director

Busy Bees Australia Employer Pty Ltd; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Better pay

Education for growth

Wellbeing support

Family-friendly benefits

Job summary

Busy Bees Australia Employer Pty Ltd is seeking a Centre Director to guide a Busy Bees learning centre in Craigieburn. You will lead daily operations, drive occupancy and financial performance, and build a high-performing leadership team while upholding child safety and regulatory standards.

The role emphasizes strong stakeholder engagement with families and the community, collaboration with Area Directors, and ongoing workforce planning and development to ensure educational excellence.

Qualifications

• Diploma or Bachelor qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care (ACECQA approved) and WWCC.
• Proven experience leading a service (ideally 70+ place centre).
• Strong knowledge of the National Quality Framework (NQF), EYLF and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage occupancy, rosters and financial performance.
• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a welcoming and nurturing early learning service.
• Drive occupancy growth and financial performance in line with budget targets.
• Build, mentor and retain a high-performing leadership team.
• Maintain compliance with the National Quality Framework and state regulations.
• Foster a culture of safety, inclusion, and educational excellence.
• Develop strong partnerships with families and the local community.
• Collaborate with Area Director and support functions to achieve strategic goals.
• Lead performance management, workforce planning and succession planning.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder management

Occupancy management

Roster management

Financial performance management

Education

ECEC qualification (ACECQA approved)

Job description

Centre Director | 40 Hothlyn Drive, Craigieburn VIC 3064

Busy Bees is a leading global, early learning provider, offering high-quality education in nurturing, purpose-built centres where educators are supported to grow, lead and make a real difference in children’s lives, with over 130 centres across Australia and around 3,000 employees.

Bee Safe: Child safety is at the heart of everything we do and is embedded in our people, places and processes. Help us give every child the Best Start in Life.

We’re seeking an inspiring and experienced Centre Director to guide and inspire the team to embed our Busy Bees philosophy and consistently deliver high-quality, engaging learning experiences.

What you’ll do

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a welcoming and nurturing early learning service.


• Drive occupancy growth and financial performance in line with budget targets.


• Build, mentor and retain a high-performing leadership team.


• Maintain compliance with the National Quality Framework and state regulations.


• Foster a culture of safety, inclusion, and educational excellence.


• Develop strong partnerships with families and the local community.


• Collaborate with your Area Director and support functions to achieve strategic goals.


• Lead performance management, workforce planning and succession planning.

What you’ll bring

• A genuine commitment to child safety and wellbeing & alignment to our Busy Bees values.


• Diploma or Bachelor qualification in Early Childhood Education and Care (ACECQA approved) and WWCC.


• Proven experience leading a service (ideally 70+ place centre).


• Strong knowledge of the National Quality Framework (NQF), EYLF and compliance requirements.


• Demonstrated ability to manage occupancy, rosters and financial performance.


• Excellent leadership, communication and stakeholder management skills.

Why Busy Bees?

• Better pay.


• Everyday balance.


• Education for growth.


• Support you can rely on.


• Convenient Craigieburn location; based at 40 Hothlyn Drive.


• Family-friendly benefits; 50% childcare gap-fee discounts for permanent staff, because your family should benefit too.


• Paid learning & development; First Aid, CPR & mandatory training covered, ongoing professional development, and access to our Busy Bees learning platform and ACCCO RTO pathways.


• Supportive leaders & inclusive teams; hands-on leadership, strong tenure and a culture built on trust, respect and collaboration.


• Career pathways that grow with you; opportunities & training to progress from Educator to leadership, management and area roles.


• Global & national opportunities; connect with leaders across Australia and apply for our Global Talent Exchange Program (UK, Canada and Asia).


• Wellbeing support that goes beyond work; free, confidential EAP access for you and your immediate family, when you need it most.

We live by our values of Care, Quality, Service, and Value to make a real impact on child safety and quality.

Employment is conditional on satisfactory, rigorous pre-employment checks (including WWCC, ID, Qualifications, Gecko Training, Work Rights & References) and child safety training, reflecting our strong commitment to safeguarding, equity, diversity and inclusion.

We are proud to be a child safe organisation, putting child safety at the heart of everything we do through our Triple Layer Child Safety Framework: trusted, trained and caring people, safe, supervised and supportive environments, and clear, consistent and transparent processes.

Why Work for Busy Bees? If you’re passionate about early learning, Busy Bees is the place to be. Although we are part of a global organisation, our company was founded by three families looking for better, more enriching childcare. Three decades later, we still keep the same values at heart. We know that we couldn’t do what we do without the important people in our teams. We invest in our people and work with them to build career pathways that inspire. Whether you're embarking on the exciting journey of your early educational career or striving to advance to the next level, Busy Bees presents an ideal opportunity for you! We're actively searching for enthusiastic and dedicated individuals who possess an authentic passion for Early Childhood Education and the well-being of children, to fill a variety of roles across our Services and Support Office. Early Childhood Education attracts a special type of person. You might possess creativity, nurturance, a focus on tasks, or a knack for problem-solving. However, at its core, your affinity for Early Childhood Education arises from a profound devotion to nurturing the educational growth of the youngest members within our communities. This resonates deeply with us, as our mission is to give every child the best start in life. We are driven to gather people who care deeply about quality and we empower people to bring their unique gifts and talents together for the benefit of our children. We value each member of our team and know that by supporting you in your journey you’ll be the positive and supportive influence in theirs.