Center Director

Child Development Schools North Carolina LLC; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Child Development Schools North Carolina LLC seeks a School Director to drive overall school performance, enrollment growth, and family engagement. You will manage the center’s operations, ensure program quality, and lead a cohesive leadership team dedicated to excellence in early childhood education.

The role requires strategic oversight of budgeting, staffing, and regulatory compliance, with a focus on sustainable revenue and community partnerships.

Qualifications

• Must have a Bachelor's degree or equivalent years of experience in early childhood education (ECE).
• Experience leading a center or school and driving enrollment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the school’s P&L and overall performance.
• Lead enrollment strategies to achieve occupancy goals.
• Foster an exceptional family experience and high retention.
• Ensure quality, licensing, accreditation, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead the School Leadership Team and develop staff to high performance.

Skills

People Leadership

Enrollment & Family Experience

Community Relations & Branding

Operational Excellence

Program Delivery & Curriculum

Education

Bachelor's degree in ECE or related field

Job description

The School Director is responsible for the overall success and performance of the school, with a primary focus on family experience, enrollment growth, program quality, and financial performance. This role serves as the face of the center within the community, building strong relationships with families and external partners while ensuring operational excellence and sustainable revenue growth.

Key Responsibilities

Family Experience & Retention

• Owns P&L of the school.
• Create an exceptional family experience that promotes trust, engagement, and long-term retention.
• Build strong relationships with prospective and current families through consistent, effective communication and responsive service
• Foster a welcoming, inclusive, and engaging environment that promotes strong family relationships.
• Lead, coach, and support all school staff to ensure high performance and engagement.
• Lead strategies to increase family retention through consistent communication, satisfaction monitoring, and proactive issue resolution.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for escalated family concerns and ensure timely, thoughtful resolution.

Enrollment & Commercial Excellence

• Own the school's enrollment strategy and overall occupancy performance.
• Utilize business data and performance metrics to make informed decisions that support sustainable growth
• Partner with marketing and local outreach efforts to increase visibility and demand within the community.
• Monitor enrollment trends and implement action plans to meet or exceed occupancy goals.

Community Leadership

• Build and strengthen the school's reputation through active community involvement and local brand awareness initiatives.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Shared Services to increase visibility and awareness in the local market.

Quality & Program Excellence

• Ensure the school consistently meets and exceeds licensing requirements, accreditation standards, company and brand standards, and regulatory expectations.
• Monitor school performance using program and educational metrics to maintain high quality and to drive continuous improvement.

Financial Management (P&L Ownership)

• Maintain accountability for the school’s financial performance, including revenue growth, labor management and expense control
• Analyze financial reports and key performance indicators to identify trends and implement improvement strategies
• Balance educational quality with responsible fiscal management to ensure long-term sustainability
• Develop action plans that improve profitability while maintaining exceptional serve and program quality

Leadership & School Culture

• Lead the School Leadership Team by establishing clear priorities, expectations and accountability.
• Develop a positive, collaborative, and high performing culture where employees feel valued, supported and empowered.
• Coach, mentor and develop leadership team members to strengthen individual performance and prepare future leaders
• Foster collaboration among the School Director, Assistant Director, and Education Coordinator to ensure alignment across business, operations, and educational quality.
• Lead organizational change initiatives with consistency, transparency, and professionalism.

Accountable for

• Overall school performance and achievement of key business and operational goals.
• Enrollment growth, occupancy, family retention, and community partnerships.
• Financial stewardship, including profit and loss performance, labor optimization, and budget accountability.
• Leadership, coaching, and development of the School Leadership Team.
• Execution of company initiatives while maintaining high standards of educational quality, safety, and compliance.
• Creating a positive school culture that supports children, families, and employees.
• Own state and facility quality

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• People Leadership & Team Development
• Enrollment & Family Experience
• Community Relations and Branding
• Operational Execution including Safety, Compliance, Facilities and Risk Mitigation
• Program Delivery & Curriculum

School Director Competencies

Must have Bachelors or equivalent years of experience in ECE

The successful School Director demonstrates strength in

• Business Acumen
• Understands financial reports, labor management, budgeting, enrollment forecasting, and operational performance metrics.
• Makes informed business decisions that support sustainable school growth.
• Strategic Leadership
• Thinks beyond daily operations by aligning school performance with organizational goals and long-term success.
• People Leadership
• Coaches and develops leaders while fostering accountability, collaboration, and employee engagement.
• Family & Community Engagement
• Builds lasting relationships with families and community partners that strengthen school reputation and enrollment.
• Operational Excellence
• Maintains high standards of safety, compliance, quality, and organizational effectiveness.
• Data-Informed Decision Making
• Uses key performance indicators and operational data to identify trends, solve problems, and drive continuous improvement