Early Learning Operational Manager The Role The Early Learning Operational Manager is a newly created role within BPA Early Learning. You’ll be the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of sessional kindergartens and long day care centres across western Melbourne. This is a full-time, ongoing position.

Reporting to the General Manager, Early Years, this role plays a key part in supporting service leadership and driving quality outcomes across the portfolio. This is a field-based role built on relationships, operational oversight and people leadership. It suits someone who knows the early childhood sector well and earns trust quickly.

The Early Learning Operational Manager is responsible for:

- Building strong, trusting relationships with service-based leaders across a portfolio of services, with regular on-site check-ins.
- Providing hands-on people leadership — coaching service-based leaders through performance conversations, supporting development plans, and helping teams navigate challenge and change.
- Ensuring services operate in accordance with BPA policies, procedures and regulatory requirements, including the National Quality Framework, Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, and Child Safe Standards.
- Supporting services to maintain strong enrolment levels, working with service-level leaders and the Enrolments and Marketing team to convert enquiries and support families facing barriers.
- Monitoring service budgets, identifying variances proactively and escalating with a recommended response.
- Overseeing QIP updates, mandatory training completion and Assessment and Rating readiness across the portfolio.
- Supporting workforce stability — managing recruitment timelines, reducing agency reliance and partnering with People & Culture on people matters.

Required skills and experience

You bring

- Experience providing leadership and support to sessional kindergartens and childcare centres,



including direct line management of service-based leadership.
- Strong working knowledge of the National Quality Framework, Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, and Child Safe Standards.
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing demands across multiple sites or teams.
- Experience managing performance and development processes, including Performance Improvement Plans.
- Financial and operational management experience, including budget monitoring across multiple cost centres.
- Highly developed relationship management skills, with the ability to maintain productive working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including councils, families and community partners.
- Sound judgement in identifying issues, connecting services to the right support, and knowing when to escalate.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience in complaint management.
- A degree qualification in early childhood education.
- Current First Aid, CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis qualifications (or willingness to obtain).

The successful applicant will be required to undergo relevant child safety screening, including a Working with Children Check and reference checks in line with BPA’s Child Protected policies.

Desirable:

- Experience working across a multi-site early childhood organisation.
- Familiarity with Victorian Government early years funding programs, including School Readiness Funding, Kindergarten Inclusion Support, or similar.
- Experience supporting services through Assessment and Rating visits.
- Understanding of workforce planning and industrial relations in an early childhood context.





Why BPA? This is a newly created role with the opportunity to shape how BPA supports service leadership and drives quality outcomes across a portfolio of services. BPA has a proud history of providing truly excellent early education and care to the diverse communities of Melbourne’s West and is dedicated to child safety and safeguarding.

For us, the bottom line is safe, inclusive and equitable early learning. A non-profit organisation led by a skills-based board, our purpose is to support every child to flourish in safe, accessible, equitable and culturally responsive early education and care, regardless of their family background or circumstances.

We pride ourselves on the quality of the early learning we provide: 70% of our centres are rated “Exceeding”, the highest level obtainable under the National Quality Standard.

What BPA can offer you:

- Non-profit sector salary packaging benefits.
- Hybrid workplace options.
- We invest in your growth and development with support, tools, training and experiences that will truly enhance the progress and outcomes for children in their earliest years.
- A commitment to work-life balance — we offer flexible work arrangements, giving you choice about when and how work will be done to better manage your work and non-work needs (as arranged with your manager).
- Access to discounted childcare.

CHILD SAFETY We are committed to child safety. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered and have zero tolerance of child abuse. We understand our legal and moral obligations to treat all concerns seriously and to report allegations and concerns about a child/ren’s safety and wellbeing to authorities.

We are committed to the cultural safety of all children including Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

📌 Early Learning Operational Manager (Ravenhall)
🏢 BPA Children's Services
📍 Ravenhall