Senior Centre Coordinator

at; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 121,095 - 136,286; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Up to 20 weeks parental leave

Career progression

Flexible hours

Job summary

The City of Melbourne is seeking an experienced Senior Children's Services Coordinator to lead a 106-place early childhood service, guiding high-quality education and care while ensuring compliance and strong financial management. You will mentor educators and shape learning outcomes for children and families.

This role offers a significant leadership opportunity within a celebrated, community-focused council, with hybrid working options and a commitment to diversity and excellence.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Early Childhood Education.
• Strong knowledge of the National Quality Framework and relevant legislation.
• Experience leading a large-scale early childhood service, including workforce planning, compliance and operational performance.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop diverse teams while fostering a positive and inclusive culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a large-scale early childhood service, ensuring compliance with the National Quality Framework and all relevant legislation.
• Provide strong leadership, coaching and support to a multidisciplinary team of educators, teachers and centre leaders.
• Drive continuous improvement through quality initiatives, service planning and implementation of the Quality Improvement Plan.
• Build strong relationships with families, community stakeholders, government agencies and internal partners.
• Manage centre budgets, occupancy targets, staffing requirements and operational performance.
• Champion a culture of safety, inclusion, learning and excellence aligned with City of Melbourne values.
• Ensure children receive engaging, high-quality education and care experiences that support their learning, wellbeing and development.

Skills

Leadership in ECE

NQF knowledge

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Tertiary qualifications in ECE

Job description

$121,095 to $136,286 (Dep on skills Exp) 12% Superanuation

Inspire and develop a large, passionate team of early childhood professionals

About the role

Are you an experienced Early Childhood leader ready to take the next step in your career?

We're seeking a passionate and highly skilled Senior Children's Services Coordinator to lead the delivery of high-quality education and care services at one of the City of Melbourne's largest children's centres. This is a significant leadership opportunity overseeing a 106-place long day care and integrated kindergarten service that supports more than 100 children and families every week.

As a key member of the Children's Services leadership team, you'll play a critical role in shaping positive outcomes for children, families and educators while ensuring excellence across service delivery, compliance, financial management and people leadership.

Your sector experience and commitment to a high-quality practice will play a critical role in helping you shape educational outcomes, mentoring educators and ensuring the service delivers best-practice early learning programs, to the exceptional standard that Council and our parents expect.

A little more about the role

• Lead the day-to-day operations of a large-scale early childhood service, ensuring compliance with the National Quality Framework and all relevant legislation.
• Provide strong leadership, coaching and support to a multidisciplinary team of educators, teachers and centre leaders.
• Drive continuous improvement through quality initiatives, service planning and implementation of the Quality Improvement Plan.
• Build strong relationships with families, community stakeholders, government agencies and internal partners.
• Manage centre budgets, occupancy targets, staffing requirements and operational performance.
• Champion a culture of safety, inclusion, learning and excellence aligned with City of Melbourne values.
• Ensure children receive engaging, high-quality education and care experiences that support their learning, wellbeing and development.

Located on the traditional lands of the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation, Melbourne is globally recognised as one of the most liveable, diverse, and dynamic cities.

At the heart of it all is the City of Melbourne – a passionate, purpose-driven organisation where your work truly matters. As part of Team Melbourne, you’ll help deliver what’s most important to the people who live, work, study, visit and invest in our great city.

We’re proud champions of diversity, committed to continuous improvement, and driven by a shared vision for a vibrant and sustainable future.

This is more than just a role – it’s your chance to make a real impact, contribute to something bigger, and shape Melbourne’s future alongside a collaborative and forward-thinking team.

About you

You're a collaborative and inspiring leader who is passionate about delivering exceptional outcomes for children, families and educators. You thrive in complex service environments, enjoy leading teams through continuous improvement, and bring a strong understanding of both quality early childhood practice and business operations.

What your experience might look like - Key Selection Criteria

• Tertiary qualifications and significant experience within the Early Childhood Education sector, including leadership of early childhood services.
• Strong knowledge of the National Quality Framework, National Quality Standards and relevant Children's Services legislation.
• Demonstrated experience managing a large-scale early childhood service, including workforce planning, compliance and operational performance.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop diverse teams while fostering a positive and inclusive culture.
• Strong financial management, budgeting and business administration capability, including experience with Quickkids software program.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build trusted relationships with families, staff, government agencies and community partners.
• Demonstrated Experience working in partnerhsip with diverse families.
• Commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and high-quality education and care outcomes.
• Experience driving continuous improvement, quality initiatives and service innovation.

Benefits of working with us

• Attractive remuneration & benefits: Excellent pay package with a range of exciting benefits. Flexible working, study assistance & other great corporate discounts.
• Excellent leave entitlements: Enjoy up to 20 weeks of fully paid parental leave for primary carers, in addition to the government-funded parental leave, with no waiting period to access. Part-time equivalents are also available for added flexibility.
• Career progression: Career development support and opportunities to learn new skills within a creative and exciting environment.
• Work-life balance and hybrid working: We support flexible hours, alternative work arrangements (like ADOs), and hybrid work-from-home options.

Perks and benefits Creative organisation, making a difference Learning & Development Discounts Excellent leave entitlements Flexible work

We are a child safe organisation. The City of Melbourne has a zero tolerance for child abuse. All employees undergo thorough safety screening, including a Police Check and, for most roles, a Working with Children Check.

We strongly encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people with disabilities, LGBTIQA+ individuals, and people of all ages and faith backgrounds.

We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to support all applicants. If you require any adjustments, please let us know via the application prompts or inform our Careers team if you’re contacted for an interview.