Centre Manager / Director

seek.com.au; Sydney; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Above market pay

Generous bonus

4/5 day week option

Conference leave

Discounted childcare

Right to disconnect

Pathway to Area Manager

On-floor time

Autonomy

Job summary

seek.com.au is seeking an experienced Centre Director to lead our small family-run early childhood service in Sydney. The role focuses on autonomy, staff leadership, and delivering high-quality care for children.

You will oversee operations, ensure QA and compliance, manage rostering and relationships with families, and report weekly KPIs to the owners. This is a full-time role with a clear growth path as we expand.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years experience as a Centre Director and 10 years in early childhood.
• Confident using OWNA
• Strong working knowledge of the Fair Work Act, the Children's Services Award and the Educational Services (Teachers) Award
• Confident liaising with the Department during spot checks and visits
• Comfortable reporting on weekly centre KPIs directly to the owners
• Highly knowledgeable in centre compliance and the QAs
• Organised, efficient and excellent at managing your time
• Works autonomously with minimal hands on support from management
• Builds rapport quickly with families and educators, enthusiastic, kind and calm and excellent people management skills

Responsibilities

• Lead the team of educators and centre staff to deliver quality care.
• Report weekly KPIs directly to owners and align with business goals.
• Maintain compliance with the Fair Work Act and Education Awards.
• Foster strong relationships with families and the community.
• Participate in staff development and performance reviews.

Skills

Centre Director

Early childhood

Team leadership

Time management

Tools

OWNA

Job description

We are a small, family run service on in the city's north and we are looking for an experienced Director to lead our team.

We are not a big corporate group. There is no head office three states away and no waiting six weeks for a decision. The owners are contactable, the team is close, and things get done.

Why educators stay with us

Our turnover is genuinely low. We have a dedicated team of permanents and a reliable pool of casuals who know our children and our routines, so your roster is not a weekly scramble.

You will also have real support around you:

• A dedicated admin and marketing assistant supporting you day to day, including CCS and Centrelink liaison, social media assistant
• A CRM that manages enquiry follow up, so enquiries do not sit in an inbox
• Ten hours of funded professional development per lead educator each year, including external training and our teach back program where Room Leaders present to the team

What we are offering

• Above market salary package (inclusive of Super and WRP)
• A very generous bonus scheme tied to clear, achievable targets
• Full time, five days per week, or the option to explore a full time four day week for the right person
• One day of conference leave each year, with your conference fees paid
• Discounted childcare for your own children
• Clear right to disconnect expectations, because your evenings belong to you
• The opportunity to be involved as we acquire further centres, with a genuine pathway into an Area Manager role
• At least one day on the floor or covering breaks, because we believe Directors should know the children by name
• Genuine autonomy: we hire Directors we can trust to run the service, not manage from above

What we are looking for

Minimum 5 years experience as a Centre Director and 10 years in early childhood

Confident and capable using OWNA

Strong working knowledge of the Fair Work Act, the Children's Services Award and the Educational Services (Teachers) Award

Confident liaising with the Department during spot checks and visits

Comfortable reporting on weekly centre KPIs directly to the owners

Highly knowledgable in centre compliance and the QAs

Organised, efficient and excellent at managing your time

Works autonomously with minimal hands on support from management

Builds rapport quickly with families and educators, enthusiastic, kind and calm and excellent people management skills

Beneficial to have

• Experience with Xero payroll and reconciliation
• Ideally has led a service through at least one Assessment and Rating

If you are someone who wants autonomy, a team worth leading and owners who back you, we would love to hear from you.