ECT EDUCATIONAL LEADER ROLE

The Ballykin Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Ballykin Group is seeking an Educational Leader to work closely with the Centre Director, room leaders and educators. The role focuses on strengthening the quality and consistency of educational practice across the service and making leadership visible, approachable, and actively involved in daily life.

You will lead, mentor and collaborate to develop meaningful, intentional programs, encourage inquiry, and support curriculum planning aligned with EYLF and NQS standards.

Qualifications

• Passionate about early childhood education and pedagogy.
• Confident leading and mentoring a team.
• Experienced in Educational Leader, Curriculum Leader or similar pedagogical leadership role.
• Knowledgeable in the EYLF and NQS.
• Inspired by child-led approaches (e.g., Reggio Emilia).
• Strong communicator with educators and families.
• Reflective, curious and open to new ideas.
• Organised and able to support consistent planning and documentation.
• Confident facilitating professional conversations and giving constructive feedback.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor educators in understanding and implementing our philosophy.
• Support educators to develop meaningful, intentional and responsive programs.
• Encourage inquiry, critical reflection and collaborative thinking.
• Mentor room leaders and educators in curriculum planning and documentation.
• Support educators to recognise and extend children's interests, ideas and theories.
• Strengthen children's agency, autonomy and voice throughout the curriculum.
• Lead professional discussions, reflective practice and pedagogical meetings.
• Support educators to confidently interpret and implement the EYLF.
• Contribute to our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and continuous improvement journey.
• Support the team to work towards and maintain high-quality NQS practice.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Curriculum planning

Communication

Reflective practice

Job description

As our Educational Leader, you will work closely with the Centre Director, room leaders and educators to strengthen the quality and consistency of our educational practice across the service. We want our Educational Leader to be visible, approachable and actively involved in the life of the service.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and mentor educators in their understanding and implementation of our philosophy
• Support educators to develop meaningful, intentional and responsive programs
• Encourage inquiry, critical reflection and collaborative thinking
• Mentor room leaders and educators in curriculum planning and documentation
• Support educators to recognise and extend children's interests, ideas and theories
• Strengthen children's agency, autonomy and voice throughout the curriculum
• Lead professional discussions, reflective practice and pedagogical meetings
• Support educators to confidently interpret and implement the EYLF
• Contribute to our Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and continuous improvement journey
• Support the team to work towards and maintain high-quality NQS practice

About you

• Passionate about early childhood education and pedagogy
• Confident leading and mentoring a team
• Experienced in an Educational Leader, Curriculum Leader or similar pedagogical leadership role
• Knowledgeable and confident in the EYLF and NQS
• Inspired by Reggio Emilia or other child-led, inquiry-based approaches
• A strong communicator who can build respectful relationships with educators and families
• Reflective, curious and open to new ideas
• Organised and able to support educators with consistent planning and documentation
• Confident facilitating professional conversations and giving constructive feedback

About us

Ballykin is a well-established, privately owned early learning service with a strong reputation within the local community. We have established systems and operations in place, allowing our leadership team to focus on what matters most — the children, our educators and the quality of our practice. Our philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, with a strong focus on relationships, children's agency, inquiry, creativity, nature, community and the belief that children have 100 languages through which they can express their thinking.