Center Director - New Brighton

Fueling Brains & Academies; Calgary; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Fueling Brains Academy is seeking an experienced Center Director to lead our New Brighton campus in SE Calgary. You will oversee daily operations, coach educators, and ensure safety, compliance and a high-quality learning environment.

This hands-on leadership role covers people, programming, budgets and enrolment, while partnering with senior leadership to elevate educational standards and family engagement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in licensed childcare or early learning, with director-level experience.
• Proven responsibility for overall center operations and licensing compliance.
• Strong experience leading, coaching and managing teams of early childhood educators.
• Hands-on with performance management and employee relations.
• Knowledge of childcare licensing, health and safety standards, inspections.
• Experience managing staffing, enrolment, occupancy and day-to-day operations.
• Experience with budgets, payroll, labour planning and financial management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the overall daily operations of the center and ensure a safe, high-quality environment.
• Coach and develop a team of early childhood educators and foster a collaborative culture.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, payroll, enrolment and resource planning.
• Maintain compliance with Alberta Child Care Licensing requirements and safety standards.
• Engage with families, conduct meetings and center events professionally.
• Partner with senior leadership to strengthen educational and operational standards.

Skills

Leadership

Team development

Performance management

Budgeting & payroll

Regulatory compliance

Communication with families

Decision making

Organizational skills

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Bachelor's degree in Education / Early Childhood Development

Tools

None

Job description

Lead a center. Develop a team. Make an impact.

Fueling Brains Academy is looking for an experienced Center Director to lead our New Brighton campus in SE Calgary.

We are looking for an established childcare leader who has already successfully managed a licensed childcare center and is ready to bring that experience to a growing organization.

At Fueling Brains, we bring together educational science, technology and childcare expertise through a holistic, whole-brain approach to early learning. As Center Director, you will have overall responsibility for creating a high-performing campus where children thrive, families feel connected, and educators are supported to do their best work.

This is a hands‑on leadership role with meaningful ownership across people, programming, compliance, operations and business performance.

What You'll Lead

As Center Director, you will take ownership of the day-to-day success of the New Brighton campus. You will:

• Lead the overall daily operations of the center, ensuring a safe, organized and high-quality environment.
• Lead, coach and develop a team of early childhood educators, building a collaborative and accountable team culture.
• Manage employee performance, provide ongoing feedback and support professional development.
• Maintain compliance with Alberta Child Care Licensing requirements, health and safety standards, ratios and required documentation.
• Work directly with licensing authorities, government agencies and inspectors as required.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, payroll administration and resource planning.
• Monitor enrolment and occupancy and support initiatives that attract and retain families.
• Manage and monitor the center budget while balancing educational quality and operational efficiency.
• Act as a trusted point of contact for families, handling parent concerns, meetings, tours and center events professionally.
• Ensure classrooms deliver engaging, inclusive and developmentally appropriate programming aligned with Fueling Brains' educational philosophy and whole‑brain approach.
• Maintain strong safety and emergency‑preparedness practices across the campus.
• Partner with senior leadership and other campus leaders to continuously strengthen educational and operational standards.

Who We're Looking For

This opportunity is designed for an established childcare leader who has already held responsibility for running a center - not someone taking their first step into center leadership.

Ideally, You Bring

• 5+ years of progressive experience within licensed childcare or early learning, including demonstrated experience as a Center Director or equivalent senior childcare leader.
• Proven responsibility for the overall operations of a licensed childcare center.
• Strong experience leading, coaching and managing teams of early childhood educators.
• Hands‑on experience with performance management, employee relations and difficult workplace conversations.
• Strong knowledge of childcare licensing, regulatory compliance, health and safety requirements and inspections.
• Experience managing staffing levels, scheduling, enrolment, occupancy and day‑to‑day operational challenges.
• Demonstrated experience with budgets, payroll, labour planning and/or financial management.
• Confidence communicating with families, employees, licensing authorities and senior organizational leadership.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to make sound decisions in a busy childcare environment.
• Experience working with diverse communities and supporting inclusive programming.
• A Bachelor's degree in Education, Early Childhood Development or a related field from a recognized institution.
• Current Child Care First Aid & CPR, or willingness to obtain within the required timeframe.

Alberta Early Childhood Educator certification and additional training or certification in childcare management or leadership are strong assets.

WHY FUELING BRAINS?

We're not looking for someone simply to maintain a center. We're looking for a leader who wants to strengthen it.

Fueling Brains is a growing organization with multiple campuses and an established educational model that combines research, data and early childhood expertise. You'll have the opportunity to lead your own campus while working alongside an experienced senior leadership team and a broader network of childcare professionals.

For an accomplished Center Director looking for greater scale, organizational support and continued professional growth, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact while building the next stage of your leadership career. If you have successfully led a childcare center and are ready to bring your experience, judgement and leadership to a growing organization, we'd love to hear from you!!

Fueling Brains Academy is an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to creating an environment where employees feel included, valued and heard. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, gender and sexually diverse communities, and individuals with intersectional identities.