Centre Director

Wattle & Wonder Early Learning Centre | Winthrop, WA

Wattle & Wonder Early Learning Centre is looking for an experienced, confident and hands-on Centre Director to lead our boutique, family-owned early learning service in Winthrop.

We are a small childcare centre with a close-knit team and community feel, and we are looking for someone who genuinely enjoys being involved in all aspects of centre operations — from leading a team and managing compliance to supporting educators on the floor and building strong relationships with families.

This is a role for someone with a can-do attitude, strong leadership skills and the confidence to take ownership of the day-to-day running of a service.

Permanent part time minimum 30 hours with full time hours available for the right candidate.

About the Role

As Centre Director, you will be responsible for the overall leadership and smooth operation of the centre, ensuring we provide a safe, high-quality and engaging environment for children, families and educators.

You will be responsible for:

• Leading, mentoring and supporting our team of educators
• Recruitment, hiring and onboarding of staff
• Performance management and addressing staff performance issues
• Managing staff conduct, expectations and team culture
• Creating and managing staff rosters
• Ensuring appropriate staffing levels and ratios are maintained
• Acting as a Responsible Person for the service as required
• Overseeing day-to-day centre operations
• Maintaining compliance with the NQF, National Regulations, EYLF and relevant regulatory requirements
• Ensuring policies, procedures and compliance requirements are consistently followed
• Supporting programming, curriculum and quality improvement
• Building strong and respectful relationships with children and families
• Managing parent enquiries and concerns professionally
• Supporting enrolments, administration and centre organisation
• Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness, presentation, safety and organisation
• Supporting educators to provide engaging, play-based and child-led learning experiences
• Working collaboratively with the owners and management team
• Being hands-on and stepping onto the floor when required, including covering staff lunches and breaks

A Hands-On Leadership Role

As we are a small service, this is not a purely office-based Director position.

You will need to be comfortable being visible and involved in the day-to-day life of the centre, supporting educators, children and families and stepping in where needed.

You must also be flexible to work rotating early, middle and late shifts across our operating hours.

Our centre is open Monday–Friday, 7:00am–6:00pm.

The successful applicant will need to have the flexibility to work across these hours, including occasional early starts, late finishes and floor coverage when required.

About You

We are looking for someone who:

• Has previous experience as a Centre Director or in a senior early childhood leadership role
• Has strong knowledge of the NQF, National Regulations, EYLF and compliance requirements
• Has experience with staff recruitment, hiring and performance management
• Has experience creating and managing staff rosters
• Is confident managing challenging staff situations and having difficult conversations when necessary
• Has excellent organisational and time-management skills
• Is confident making decisions and taking ownership
• Has a strong can-do, problem-solving attitude
• Is reliable, proactive and adaptable
• Can work independently while also being a supportive team player
• Has strong written and verbal communication skills
• Can build genuine relationships with families, educators and children
• Is confident managing compliance and documentation
• Is willing to be hands-on and work alongside educators on the floor
• Has a genuine passion for providing high-quality early childhood education and care
• Holds the relevant approved qualification and experience required for the position

Why Join Wattle & Wonder?

🌿 Small, boutique early learning service
🌿 Family-owned and operated
🌿 Supportive and hands-on owners
🌿 Close-knit team and community environment
🌿 Your ideas and leadership will genuinely be valued
🌿 Opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the centre
🌿 Less corporate bureaucracy and more opportunity to make a difference
🌿 Professional development and opportunities for growth
🌿 A beautiful, welcoming environment focused on children, relationships and quality learning

We are looking for a strong leader who is not afraid to roll up their sleeves, lead from the front and take ownership.

If you are an experienced Centre Director who thrives in a small, hands-on environment and wants to be part of a service where your leadership genuinely matters, we would love to hear from you.

📍 Wattle & Wonder Early Learning Centre – Winthrop, WA