Director, Child Development Center: Lead, Grow, and Serve

Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City; Leawood (KS); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City seeks a dynamic Child Development Center (CDC) leader to oversee high-quality education and safe, inclusive programming for children aged 12 months to five years. You will guide the CDC Leadership team, set strategic priorities, and drive enrollment, staffing, and financial performance.

We value collaborative leadership, strong communication, and a commitment to community and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or related field required; master’s preferred.
• Minimum 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in early childhood education or similar program with leadership responsibility.
• Experience supervising and developing managers or experienced staff.
• Strong knowledge of licensing, program quality, and safe care practices.
• Experience with budgeting, enrollment management, staffing, and operations.
• Ability to lead collaboratively with clear accountability and decision-making authority.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build strong relationships with employees, families, colleagues, and community partners.
• Alignment with the mission and community-centered approach of The J.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and accountability for high-quality, safe, inclusive programming.
• Set priorities for the CDC Leadership team and support a collaborative leadership model.
• Supervise, coach, evaluate, and develop the CDC staff.
• Ensure leadership teams supervise and manage performance effectively.
• Own enrollment, retention, family experience, staffing strategy, and financial performance.
• Develop and manage the CDC budget in collaboration with senior leaders; monitor finances and staffing ratios.
• Maintain licensing, regulatory compliance, safety, and program quality; delegate responsibilities accordingly.
• Oversee curriculum implementation, teacher development, and continuous quality improvement.
• Lead recruitment and retention for leadership, teaching, and administrative roles.
• Collaborate with HR, Finance, Facilities, Marketing, and other departments to support operations.
• Use data, feedback, and financial information to identify opportunities for improvement and growth.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Staffing & development

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Budgeting software

HRIS

Job description

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City seeks a dynamic Child Development Center (CDC) leader to oversee high-quality education and safe, inclusive programming for children aged 12 months to five years. You will guide the CDC Leadership team, set strategic priorities, and drive enrollment, staffing, and financial performance.

We value collaborative leadership, strong communication, and a commitment to community and inclusion.