_{10th September, 2026}

Centre Manager - Craigieburn VIC

Are you the kind of leader who sees potential in a service and gets excited about what you could help it become?

We are recruiting an experienced Centre Director to lead an established early learning service in Melbourne's northern suburbs through its next stage of development.

This is not a role where everything has already been done for you. There is genuine work ahead, and that's exactly what makes this opportunity exciting.

The foundations are there, along with organisational support and a clear commitment to improvement. Now, the service needs a confident and capable leader who can bring people together, strengthen practice, create consistency and build a positive culture that delivers great outcomes for children, families and educators.

Our Client

Our client is an established and growing early childhood provider with a strong commitment to quality, child safety and developing its people. The service has been identified for further investment and improvement, with the incoming Centre Director playing an important role in shaping its next chapter.

You'll have support from experienced operational and educational leaders who understand that meaningful improvement doesn't happen overnight. The focus is on building sustainable change by developing people, strengthening practice and creating clear expectations across the service.

For the right leader, this is an opportunity to look back in 12 months and genuinely see the difference your leadership has made.

The Role

As Centre Director, you'll take ownership of the overall leadership, culture and performance of the service.

A key priority will be continuing the service's quality improvement journey. You'll work closely with your educators and broader support team to identify priorities, strengthen practice and embed improvements across the centre.

You will:

• Lead the overall operations, culture and direction of the service.
• Build a positive, connected and accountable team culture.
• Coach and develop educators and emerging leaders.
• Strengthen consistency and quality across everyday practice.
• Lead continuous improvement and drive the Quality Improvement Plan.
• Maintain a strong focus on compliance, child safety and wellbeing.
• Build genuine relationships with children, families and the community.
• Create clear expectations while supporting your team to achieve them.
• Support occupancy, enrolments and family engagement.
• Work collaboratively with operational and educational support teams.
• Bring fresh ideas, energy and a solutions-focused approach to the service.

What's on Offer

• Up to $140K + Super DOE
• The opportunity to lead meaningful improvement and make a visible impact.
• An established service with genuine potential.
• Support from experienced operational and educational leaders.
• Autonomy to bring your leadership style and ideas to the service.
• The opportunity to build and develop your own high-performing team culture.
• Professional development and ongoing leadership support.
• Career progression opportunities within a growing organisation.
• A provider committed to investing in quality and its people.

About You

This opportunity will suit an experienced leader who enjoys leading change and isn't afraid to roll up their sleeves. You're confident enough to identify what needs to improve, but people-focused enough to bring your team on that journey with you.

You will bring:

• Demonstrated experience leading an early childhood service.
• Strong knowledge of the NQS, National Regulations and EYLF.
• Experience coaching, mentoring and developing teams.
• Confidence leading quality and continuous improvement.
• A strong understanding of compliance and child safety responsibilities.
• The ability to establish expectations, accountability and consistency.
• Strong operational and organisational capability.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• A visible, positive and collaborative leadership style.
• Resilience, energy and the ability to lead through change.
• An ACECQA-approved qualification and relevant checks required for the position.

If you're looking for a Centre Director role where you can genuinely influence the direction of a service, develop its people and see the impact of your leadership, we'd love to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion, please contact:

Selina Stanley
SSR Recruitment
0449 865 003
selina@ss-recruitment.com.au

Let SSR Recruitment help you discover a leadership opportunity that aligns with your experience, aspirations and passion for quality early education.

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