Centres Manager – 2 centres in Upper Hutt

Smiley Faces Educare; Wellington; On-site; NZD 91,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance

Phone

Laptop

Job summary

Bright Start Early Learning Group is seeking a Centres Manager to lead two Upper Hutt centres with confidence, empathy, and strategic clarity. The role spans 2 licensed centres (49 places each) and involves shaping a high-performing group with shared ownership.

You will drive curriculum leadership, enrolments and occupancy, and align systems and policies across the group while ensuring licensing, regulatory, and health and safety requirements are met.

Qualifications

• Experienced ECE leader with proven track record in enrolments, occupancy, staffing, budgets, and centre performance.
• Ability to lead change while preserving culture and trust across two sites.
• Strong communication with whānau, staff, and external agencies.

Responsibilities

• Drive quality teaching, curriculum leadership, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen enrolments, occupancy, and financial performance.
• Lead, coach, and inspire two teams with different cultures and strengths.
• Align systems, policies, and processes across the group.
• Ensure both centres meet licensing, regulatory, and health and safety requirements.

Skills

ECE leadership

Enrollment management

Budgeting

Staffing

Education

Registered teacher

Job description

Centres Manager – 2 centres in Upper Hutt

Full time, Permanent

Lead 2 centres. Shape a group. Build excellence.

Bright Start Early Learning Group brings together Smiley Faces Educare and Children First Early Childhood Centre, 2 well‑established centres just 3.5km apart in Upper Hutt, each with its own identity, strengths, and community. From October, they will operate as a small, high‑performing group with shared ownership, aligned systems, and a commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for children, whānau, and staff.

We are seeking a centre manager who can lead both centres with confidence, empathy, and strategic clarity - someone who can honour each centre’s culture while building the systems, processes, and team capability.

The opportunity

This is a rare leadership role spanning 2 licensed centres (49 places each).

You will:

• drive quality teaching, curriculum leadership, and continuous improvement
• strengthen enrolments, occupancy, and financial performance
• lead, coach, and inspire two teams with different cultures and strengths
• align systems, policies, and processes across the group
• ensure both centres meet every licensing, regulatory, and health and safety requirement.

You will be supported by an engaged supportive owner, strong team leaders (including deputy centre managers at each site), and administrators who understand their centres well.

About you

You are:

• an experienced ECE leader with proven success managing enrolments, occupancy, staffing, budgets, and centre performance
• skilled at leading change in ways that bring people with you - aligning systems and practices without losing culture or trust
• a strong communicator who builds warm, professional relationships with whānau, staff, and external agencies
• a registered teacher with at least 5-year experience working in New Zealand early childhood education.

What’s on offer

• Salary: K3 Full Pay Parity – $106,500 plus potential bonus travel allowance, phone, and laptop.

How to apply

Please send your CV, and direct enquiries to:

Type: Education & Care Service
Maximum licenced places: 49

Physical address:
1 Fraser Crescent, Upper Hutt CBD, Upper Hutt

Get new listings like these in your email

Suggested as they share a similar subject, location or sector. Learn more