Center Director

Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 104,250 - 126,630; Full time

Job summary

A community-focused education provider in Hershey, Pennsylvania is seeking a CHS Center Director to lead operations of a state-of-the-art Early Childhood Education Center. The ideal candidate will oversee a team of up to 80 individuals while ensuring the delivery of high-quality education and family support programs. This role requires a commitment to integrating care and education for children aged six weeks to five years from under-resourced backgrounds. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in early childhood education and a passion for community impact.

Qualifications

• 8 years of experience as an ECE teacher and leader.
• Experience overseeing operations and leading teams.
• Commitment to the mission and values of CHS.

Responsibilities

• Supervise center departments to ensure high-quality education.
• Establish an inclusive and welcoming environment.
• Recruit, train, and retain staff effectively.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or related field

Master’s Degree preferred

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

The CHS Center Director is passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of children ages six weeks to 5 years old from under resourced and overburdened backgrounds by providing high-quality early childhood education and care. This individual oversees operations of a state-of-the‑art Early Childhood Education Center.

Responsibilities of the CHS Center Director include providing leadership and guidance to a team of up to 80 individuals in line with CHS policies, guidelines, and curriculum. They are accountable for ensuring the delivery of a top‑tier early childhood and family support program that delivers results for up to 150 CHS children and families. The CHS Center Director manages the day‑to‑day operations, implementation, and administration of the center, leading scholastic, family success, health services, and operations teams to deliver the CHS mission, vision and values.

As the leader of the CHS Center, the Center Director reports to the CHS Central Office's Senior Director of Programs. They are expected to exemplify leadership for administrators, teachers, children, and families, setting a national standard for quality early childhood education and guiding staff towards achieving this standard. The salary range for this position is $104,250 to $126,630 per year, based on expertise.

Responsibilities

• Supervising and guiding the center departments to deliver high quality, child‑centered education to children. Department staff include Teachers, Family Success, Health & Safety, Facilities, and additional operations support roles.
• Establishing an inclusive, welcoming environment and Center culture through value‑inspired leadership for all employees
• Collaboratively spearheading staff recruitment, hiring, training, benefit, and retention efforts.
• Implementing policies and procedures to safeguard health and safety of families and employees in compliance with the state requirements (DHS/OCDEL) and NAEYC standards
• Ensuring adherence to all CHS policies, procedures, and governance standards
• Creating an effective system of reporting and progress tracking
• Maintaining clear and transparent communications with children, parents, and caregivers and formulating public communications to this audience on major events and issues
• Obtaining necessary approvals, licenses, and accreditations for the Center’s operations alongside the Operations Director

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Early Childhood Education, Family Relations/Child development, or related field. Master’s Degree preferred
• 8 years of experience as an ECE teacher and leader
• Significant experience overseeing several operations/departments and workstreams, including leading teams with a successful record of spearheading initiatives
• Experience in creating, analyzing, and presenting outcome‑related reporting to leaders
• Exceptional interpersonal skills including the ability to influence, lead, and educate larger teams
• Demonstrated understanding of and ability to effectively work with low-income families
• Ability to proactively identify problems and implement solutions
• Willingness to be held accountable and receive feedback
• Responsible, enthusiastic, and cares about working in a mission‑focused organization
• Comfortability with technology including MS Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and/or willingness to learn
• Commitment to the mission and values of CHS and MHS and demonstrated high degree of integrity as all
• CHS and MHS staff are considered to be role models for children
• US work authorization and successful completion of pre‑employment background checks and clearances