Centre Manager

Anderson Road Child Care Centre; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Autonomy to lead

Competitive salary package

Professional development

Supportive owner

Mon–Fri hours

Home-like environment

Job summary

Anderson Road Child Care Centre in Albion, VIC is seeking an experienced Centre Manager to lead the centre with warmth and organisation. You will know every child by name and every family by their story, supporting a stable team and shaping how the centre runs with real autonomy.

You will drive daily operations, ensure compliance with national laws and standards, and mentor educators while overseeing the educational program and budget. This is a hands-on leadership role in Melbourne's inner west.

Qualifications

• Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (ACECQA-approved).
• Bachelor of Early Childhood is highly regarded.
• Strong knowledge of National Law, Regulations, NQF, EYLF.
• Experience with compliance, Assessment & Rating and QIP development.
• Excellent communication and relationships with families and staff.
• Current Victorian Working with Children Check and First Aid certifications.
• Full working rights in Australia.
• Experience running funded kindergarten programs in Victoria.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the centre and act as Nominated Supervisor.
• Ensure full compliance with Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, the NQF and Victorian Child Safe Standards.
• Drive continuous improvement against the NQS, maintain the QIP and lead Assessment & Rating.
• Mentor, coach and support educators, room leaders and the Early Childhood Teacher.
• Manage ratios, recruitment, induction and performance.
• Oversee the educational program with the Educational Leader, guided by EYLF and VEYLDF.
• Build strong relationships with families from enquiry to enrolment and transition to school.
• Maintain occupancy, manage waitlists, CCS administration and Free Kinder funding requirements.
• Manage the centre budget, wages and resources, reporting to the owner.
• Champion a safe, inclusive and culturally welcoming environment.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Budgeting

Mentoring

Relationship-building

OWNA

Team coaching

Education

Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care

Bachelor in Early Childhood (highly regarded)

Tools

OWNA

Job description

Anderson Road Child Care Centre – Albion VIC

For over 16 years, Anderson Road Child Care Centre has cared for babies, toddlers and kinder children from a restored weatherboard cottage at 145 Anderson Rd, Albion. We are a privately run, single-site centre, not a chain. Families choose us because we feel like a home rather than an institution. Educators choose us because they are genuinely looked after.

We care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years across Babies, Toddlers, Pre-Kinder and Kindergarten rooms. We deliver funded 3 and 4 year old Free Kinder, taught by a bachelor-qualified teacher. We're open 6am–6pm, cook meals fresh on site, and hold a 4.8 Google rating.

The role

We're looking for an experienced, warm and organised Centre Manager to lead our centre into its next chapter. You'll know every child by name and every family by their story. You'll support a stable, experienced team, and you'll have real autonomy. There are no layers of head-office approval here, and your ideas will shape how the centre runs.

What you'll do

Lead the day-to-day operations of the centre and act as Nominated Supervisor

Ensure full compliance with the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, the NQF and the Victorian Child Safe Standards

Drive continuous improvement against the NQS, maintain our QIP and lead the team through Assessment & Rating

Mentor, coach and support educators, room leaders and our Early Childhood Teacher

Manage ratios, recruitment, induction and performance

Oversee the educational program with the Educational Leader, guided by the EYLF and VEYLDF

Build strong relationships with families, from enquiries and tours through to enrolment and transition to school

Maintain occupancy and manage waitlists, CCS administration and Free Kinder funding requirements

Manage the centre budget, wages and resources, reporting regularly to the owner

Champion a safe, inclusive and culturally welcoming environment for our multicultural community

About you

Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (or ACECQA-approved equivalent). A Bachelor of Early Childhood is highly regarded

Sound working knowledge of the National Law and Regulations, NQF, NQS and EYLF

Experience with compliance, Assessment & Rating and QIP development

Strong leadership skills and a genuine, supportive approach to people

Excellent communication and relationship-building with families and staff

Confidence with childcare software (we use OWNA), CCS and basic budgeting

Current Victorian Working with Children Check (Employee)

Current First Aid (HLTAID012), Anaphylaxis and Asthma management training

Current Child Protection / Mandatory Reporting training

Full working rights in Australia

Experience running a funded kindergarten program in Victoria

Experience in a small, independent or family-owned centre

What we offer

A competitive salary package, discussed at interview

Genuine autonomy to lead a single, close-knit centre

A stable, experienced team with low turnover

A supportive owner who values your ideas and has your back

Ongoing professional development and support to grow as a leader

A warm, home-like environment with a lovely garden and fresh, on-site cooked meals

Monday to Friday hours

The chance to make a real difference for local families in Melbourne's inner west

Anderson Road Child Care Centre is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children. We follow the Victorian Child Safe Standards, and all appointments are subject to reference checks and a valid Working with Children Check. We welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with disability.