Early Years Manager (EYM)

Goodstart Early Learning; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work

Salary packaging

Childcare discount

Fitness Passport

Health care discount

Exclusive discounts

Free flu shot

Additional leave option

First Nations support

Growth and development investment

Job summary

Goodstart Early Learning is seeking an experienced Early Years Manager to lead a high-performing team and shape kindergarten delivery across Victoria and Tasmania.

You will oversee the Early Years Management program, ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations, delivering positive outcomes for children and families, and driving strategic initiatives with state and national teams.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience within Early Childhood Education or governance.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and developing teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management with influence across levels.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budgeting and reporting.
• Experience navigating regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks.
• Strategic thinking with ability to translate strategy into delivery.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation and relationship‑building capabilities.
• Continuous improvement mindset and focus on outcomes for children and families.
• Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related discipline.
• Victorian Working with Children Check andDriving Licence required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team across Victoria and Tasmania.
• Oversee day‑to‑day management of the Early Years Management program.
• Drive high‑quality operational, governance and financial outcomes.
• Partner with State Operations to meet funding and regulatory obligations.
• Manage budgets, monitor performance and deliver reporting.
• Build relationships with government departments and sector stakeholders.
• Contribute to strategic planning and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support rollout of national funding strategies and service improvements.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Budgeting

Strategic thinking

Communication

Regulatory compliance

People development

Negotiation

Continuous improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education

Job description

This is an opportunity to lead a high-performing team while helping shape the future of kindergarten delivery across Victoria and Tasmania.

As the Early Years Manager, you'll oversee the successful delivery of Goodstart's Early Years Management program, ensuring our kindergartens and grant-funded programs operate effectively, remain compliant within a highly regulated environment, and continue to deliver positive outcomes for children, families and communities.

Working closely with State Operations, government stakeholders and national teams, you'll play a critical role in driving operational excellence, supporting strategic initiatives and strengthening our impact across the early learning sector.

Your Impact:

Leading and developing a team of funding, grants and school readiness professionals across Victoria and Tasmania.

Overseeing the day-to-day management of the Early Years Management program and associated grant-funded initiatives that support quality improvement of our Kindergarten Services.

Driving high-quality operational, pedagogical, governance, financial and compliance outcomes.

Partnering with State Operations teams to ensure kindergarten programs meet funding requirements and regulatory obligations including National Quality Standards

Managing budgets, monitoring program performance and delivering meaningful reporting and insights.

Building strong relationships with government departments, councils, service providers and sector stakeholders.

Contributing to strategic planning and continuous improvement initiatives that improve outcomes for children and families.

Supporting the implementation of the Early Years Management Service Improvement Plan and national funding strategies.

Identifying opportunities for innovation, growth and operational efficiency.

WhatGoodstart can offer you:

Flexible work arrangements giving you choice about when and how work will be done in order to bettermanage your work and non-work needs

Salary packaging benefits available through AccessPay (eligibility applies)

Access to discounted childcare (up to 15%)

Fitness Passport - access to gyms and pools for you and your family at a heavily discounted price

Discounted health care and access to employee wellbeing program with BUPA

Exclusive discounts on travel, gym memberships, Apple and Dell products, and more.

Free annual flu shot (optional)

Option to purchase extra leave for even greater work life balance

First Nations Support and Cultural Leave

Work for a company that has an aspiration to be globally recognised for early years practice and learning outcomes

Gain significant investment in your growth and development with support, tools, training and experiences that will truly enhance the progress and outcomes for children in their earliest years.

You'll bring to the table:

Proven leadership experience within Early Childhood Education and Care or a comparable governance-focused environment.

Strong people leadership skills with experience coaching, mentoring and developing teams.

Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across multiple levels.

Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budgeting, reporting and performance monitoring.

Experience navigating regulatory requirements and compliance frameworks.

Strategic thinking skills paired with the ability to translate strategy into operational delivery.

Outstanding communication, negotiation and relationship-building capabilities.

A continuous improvement mindset and passion for achieving positive outcomes for children and families.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Business Administration or a related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Demonstrated leadership experience in early childhood education, grants administration, governance or a related field.

Current Victorian Working with Children Check.

Current Victorian Driver's Licence.

Willing to obtain a Certificate of Completion for the National Child Safety Foundation Training, completed via Geccko platform

Supporting our people and protecting our children

We're an equal opportunity employer that is proud of our inclusive and diverse work environment. We know that Goodstarters from diverse cultures, backgrounds and experiences strengthen our teams and help us grow. We're also deeply committed to Reconciliation and creating an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People feel a strong sense of belonging and connection.

Safety is our priority and we will take any action necessary to ensure that all children can feel safe and be safe, and are safeguarded from abuse, neglect and harm. As a Child Safe Organisation, all of our candidates must have or obtain a valid working with children check along with Certificate of Completion for the National Child Safety Foundation Training, completed via Geccko platform