Head of Early Years @ Seymour College

Future Leadership; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Seymour College in Glen Osmond, South Australia, seeks a visionary Head of Early Years to lead the Early Learning Centre. You will shape educational excellence, foster lifelong learning foundations and nurture a culture of belonging for children and families.

Reporting to the Principal, you will guide teaching and wellbeing outcomes, coach educators, ensure compliance, and strengthen links with Junior Years.

Qualifications

• Qualified and registered teacher with substantial leadership experience in an Early Years setting.
• Ability to build strong relationships with staff, families and colleagues.
• Experience leading change, culture-building and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Provide educational leadership and strategic direction for the Early Learning Centre.
• Lead a team of educators, coach and mentor staff.
• Align Early Learning Centre with Junior Years and ensure learning outcomes.
• Oversee operations and compliance, and support wellbeing and development.

Skills

Educational leadership

Early Years expertise

Staff coaching

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Teaching qualification and registration

Job description

• Lead a thriving Early Years program at a leading independent school
• Shape educational excellence and lifelong learning foundations
• Build culture, capability and family engagement across the ELC

The Position

Seymour College is seeking an exceptional educational leader to become its next Head of Early Years. This is a significant leadership opportunity within one of Australia's leading independent schools for girls, providing the chance to shape the educational experience of the Colleges youngest learners while leading a strategically important part of the Seymour community. As a key entry point into the College, the Early Learning Centre plays a vital role in establishing lifelong connections with children and families and supporting Seymour's philosophy of Complete Achievement.

Reporting to the Principal, the Head of Early Years is responsible for the educational leadership, strategic direction and effective operation of the Early Learning Centre. The role leads a team of educators and co-educators, drives teaching and learning excellence, oversees compliance and operational performance, and ensures outstanding outcomes in learning, wellbeing and development. Working closely with the McGregor Campus Leadership Team and wider College leaders, the position will strengthen alignment between the Early Learning Centre and Junior Years, build educational continuity for families and continue the Centre's evolution as a high-quality, contemporary early learning environment. A key feature of the role is maintaining a visible presence within learning spaces, coaching and mentoring educators and supporting continuous improvement in practice.

The successful candidate will be a qualified and registered teacher with substantial leadership experience in an Early Years setting and a demonstrated ability to build strong, trusting relationships with staff, families and colleagues. Seymour College is seeking a highly relational, visible and authentic leader who combines educational expertise with strong operational capability.

You will bring experience leading change, building culture, managing compliance and developing high-performing teams, together with a genuine passion for mentoring educators and enhancing learning outcomes. Commercial awareness, sound judgement, resilience and a collaborative approach will be important, as will the ability to navigate complexity with confidence while fostering a strong sense of community and belonging. Above all, you will be committed to ensuring the Early Learning Centre continues to thrive as an integral part of the Seymour College community.

This is a non-teaching leadership role within the Early Learning Centre and, while it does not attract school teaching holidays, the successful candidate will receive six weeks' annual leave, with the Early Years program operating year-round except for a two-week closure from late December to early January.

The Organisation

Founded in 1922, Seymour College is one of South Australia's leading independent day and boarding schools for girls, with Early Years co-education, located on a single 25-acre campus in Glen Osmond. Guided by the ethos Crescam Ministrando, I grow by serving, the College is values driven and identity rich, with an educational philosophy of Complete Achievement that balances academic excellence, wellbeing, co-curricular engagement and service. Seymour is committed to developing women of strength, optimism and justice, confident for the future.

The McGregor Campus, home to the Early Years and Junior School from Prep to Year 6, provides a vibrant, nurturing and innovative learning environment shaped by contemporary primary pedagogy and research into how girls learn best. With a strong focus on explicit teaching, targeted support, wellbeing and belonging, the Junior Years establish the academic foundations, confidence and curiosity that underpin a Seymour education and support successful transition into the next stages of schooling.