Remuneration $115,000–$125,000 base + superannuation + up to $15,000 p.a. performance bonus

About Montessori Milestones

Montessori Milestones is a purpose-built early learning service in Westmead,
designed to provide children with a high-quality educational workplace that
encourages independence, curiosity, confidence and a lifelong love of learning.

Our approach combines the principles of Montessori education with contemporary
early childhood practice and the requirements of the National Quality Framework.
We are building a centre where quality extends beyond the physical environment:
an exceptional team, solid family relationships and a culture where children are safe, respected and supported to thrive.

The Role

The Centre Director & Nominated Supervisor is the senior operational leader
of Montessori Milestones Westmead and is responsible for the effective day-to-day
management of the service.

Reporting directly to the Approved Provider, the Director will lead a 154-place
service supported by a 2IC, Educational Leader, Room Leaders and an Administration/Enrolment Officer. This is a leadership position with significant autonomy and accountability.

The Director will be responsible for regulatory compliance, people leadership, child safety, educational quality, family experience and contributing to the sustainable commercial performance of the service. The Director and 2IC will ordinarily operate supernumerary and will not be routinely relied upon to meet educator-to-child ratios.

- Provide confident, visible and accountable leadership across the service.
- Take ownership of the effective day-to-day operation of the centre.
- Lead the 2IC, Educational Leader, Room Leaders, educators and administration team.
- Establish clear expectations, communication and accountability across the centre.
- Maintain a calm, professional and solutions-focused environment.
- Remain visible and accessible to educators, children and families.
- Identify operational issues early, resolve them effectively and elevate significant regulatory, financial or reputational risks to the Approved Provider.
- Build effective systems so routine operations do not depend unnecessarily on the Director.

2. Nominated Supervisor & Regulatory Compliance

- Act as the service’s Nominated Supervisor and ensure the service operates in accordance with applicable Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations, the National Quality Framework, National Quality Standard and approved service policies.
- Maintain compliant educator-to-child ratios, qualification requirements, responsible-person arrangements and adequate supervision.
- Oversee required records, documentation, authorisations, health and safety procedures, medication and medical-condition processes, sleep and rest, excursions and transportation where applicable.
- Coordinate required regulatory notifications and reporting with the Approved Provider.
- Maintain ongoing regulatory readiness rather than preparing for compliance only when a visit or Assessment and Rating is anticipated.

3. Child Safety & Safeguarding

- Ensure children’s safety, rights and best interests remain paramount in decisions and actions.
- Lead a strong child-safe culture and ensure staff understand child protection, mandatory reporting, professional boundaries and expected standards of conduct.
- Maintain effective active-supervision practices across indoor and outdoor environments.
- Ensure allegations, incidents, concerns and disclosures are responded to appropriately and escalated immediately.
- Oversee appropriate controls for visitors, contractors, volunteers and students, and safe practices relating to digital technologies, photography and video.
- Ensure hazards and risks to children are identified, documented and appropriately controlled.
- Lead recruitment and selection of centre employees, with final operational input into appointments while involving the Approved Provider in the recruitment process.
- Lead onboarding, induction, probation and performance reviews.
- Coach and develop employees, Room Leaders and emerging leaders.
- Manage underperformance, misconduct, workplace issues and formal performance-management processes promptly, fairly and professionally.
- Manage staff attendance, leave, reliability, training and professional-development requirements.
- Develop the capability of the 2IC and Room Leaders so leadership is distributed effectively throughout the centre.
- Handle difficult conversations with empathy, clarity and accountability.

5. Rostering & Workforce Management

- Maintain compliant ratios and qualification requirements at all times.
- Prepare and oversee efficient staff rosters with the 2IC.
- Manage leave, absences and relief coverage while minimising unnecessary overtime and agency expenditure.




- Balance staffing efficiency with children’s safety and quality of care.
- Monitor workforce requirements as occupancy changes and recruit proactively ahead of anticipated needs.
- Keep the Director and 2IC supernumerary as the normal operating model rather than routinely using them to satisfy minimum ratios.

6. Educational Quality & Montessori Practice

- Work closely with the Educational Leader and Room Leaders to maintain high-quality educational practice.
- Support implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standard.
- Ensure educational programs are meaningful, child-centred and appropriately documented.
- Promote prepared, purposeful and engaging learning environments.
- Support consistent Montessori principles that encourage independence, concentration, confidence and respect.
- Monitor practice through regular engagement with rooms and educators.
- Ensure Montessori philosophy complements, and never replaces, the service’s regulatory and educational obligations.

7. Families, Enrolments & Community

- Build strong, respectful relationships with current and prospective families.
- Remain accessible to parents and carers and support tours, orientation and onboarding.
- Work with the Administration/Enrolment Officer to contribute to enquiry-to-enrolment conversion, family retention and effective waitlist management.
- Manage complaints professionally and resolve concerns promptly.
- Use family feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
- Develop positive relationships with the surrounding Westmead community.
- Share responsibility with the Approved Provider for the sustainable commercial performance of Montessori Milestones.
- Contribute to occupancy growth, family retention and enquiry/enrolment conversion.
- Manage workforce efficiency, agency and casual usage, controllable expenditure and responsible purchasing.
- Understand how operational decisions affect centre performance and identify practical efficiencies.
- Ensure commercial considerations never override regulatory requirements or the safety, rights and best interests of children.

9. Quality Improvement & Assessment and Rating

- Lead the centre’s ongoing Quality Improvement Plan with the Educational Leader and leadership team.
- Maintain evidence of continuous improvement and conduct regular internal compliance and quality reviews.
- Identify gaps, implement corrective actions and maintain readiness for regulatory visits and Assessment and Rating.
- Engage educators in continuous improvement rather than treating quality improvement as an administrative exercise.
- Communicate significant compliance risks and corrective actions to the Approved Provider.

10. Health, Safety & Risk Management

- Oversee effective systems for work health and safety; incidents, injuries, trauma and illness; medical conditions and medication; emergency and evacuation procedures; food safety and hygiene; infection control; building and equipment safety; maintenance; security; contractors and visitors.
- Escalate significant safety or compliance issues immediately to the Approved Provider.

Pre-Opening Responsibilities

As a new service, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to help
establish Montessori Milestones before opening. Depending on the agreed
commencement date, responsibilities will include:

- Recruiting and helping select the foundation team, including the 2IC, Educational Leader, Room Leaders and educators.
- Developing the initial staffing structure and rosters.
- Supporting service-approval and operational-readiness activities.
- Reviewing policies, procedures, compliance systems and centre routines.
- Supporting preparation of learning environments and rooms.
- Coordinating staff induction and pre-opening training.
- Establishing leadership expectations and centre culture.
- Supporting family tours, orientations and enrolments.
- Undertaking pre-opening risk and compliance checks.
- Ensuring the centre is operationally ready to welcome children from its first day.

The objective is not simply to open the centre, but to establish the systems,
standards and culture required for sustainable high-quality operation from
commencement.

Leadership Structure

Approved Provider
Centre Director & Nominated Supervisor
2IC / Assistant Director | Educational Leader | Administration & Enrolment Officer
Room Leaders




Educators | Early Childhood Teachers | Trainees

Qualifications & Experience

- An ACECQA-approved qualification appropriate to the position and eligibility/suitability to act as Nominated Supervisor.
- At least 4 years’ demonstrated experience as a Centre Director within an early childhood education and care environment.
- Substantial knowledge of the National Quality Framework, National Quality Standard and relevant National Law and Regulations.
- Demonstrated experience leading and developing sizeable early childhood teams.
- Strong understanding of staffing ratios, rostering and workforce planning.
- Demonstrated experience managing staff performance and difficult workplace matters.
- Strong knowledge of child protection and safeguarding requirements.
- Current Working With Children Check and required child protection, first aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis qualifications/training, as applicable.
- Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.

Highly Desirable

- Experience leading a large early learning service.
- Experience opening or mobilising a new childcare service.
- Previous experience achieving strong Assessment and Rating outcomes.n

The Person We Are Looking For

Resourceful – You investigate, think practically, use the people and resources around you and bring forward solutions.

Emotionally intelligent – You understand people, build trust and adapt your approach without avoiding accountability.

Robust interpersonal skills – You communicate clearly, respectfully and confidently while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

Quick thinker & problem solver – You assess situations quickly, determine priorities and make sound decisions under pressure.

Accountable – You take ownership. Problems are identified, communicated and addressed rather than passed between people.

Calm & decisive – You can manage incidents, staffing challenges, difficult conversations and competing priorities without creating unnecessary stress around you.

Performance & Success Measures

Performance will be assessed using a balanced set of measures rather than any
single commercial target. Achievement against agreed measures may form part of an annual KPI-based performance incentive of up to $15,000 p.a.

- Child Safety & Compliance – regulatory compliance, supervision, incidents, training completion, audit outcomes and timely corrective actions.
- Quality – progress against the QIP, educational practice, Assessment and Rating readiness and continuous improvement.
- People – employee retention, absenteeism, successful probation outcomes, leadership development, culture and management of underperformance.
- Families – family satisfaction, complaint resolution, retention and quality of engagement.
- Occupancy & Enrolments – contribution to occupancy growth, family retention and enquiry/enrolment conversion.
- Operational & Financial Performance – roster efficiency, labour management, agency usage, controllable expenditure and responsible use of resources.
- Leadership – effectiveness of the 2IC and Room Leader structure, communication with the Approved Provider, initiative, problem solving and overall centre performance.

Specific targets and weightings will be agreed separately and reviewed
periodically to remain appropriate for the centre’s stage of operation.

Relationship with the Approved Provider

The Approved Provider will remain actively engaged in the strategic and commercial development of Montessori Milestones and will support the Director in achieving the centre’s objectives.

The Director will have substantial responsibility for day-to-day operations and people leadership. Major strategic, financial, regulatory or reputational matters will be managed collaboratively with the Approved Provider.

The relationship is intended to operate on trust, transparency, accountability and early communication – the Director is empowered to lead the centre while ensuring the Approved Provider has appropriate visibility of significant matters.

We are looking for more than someone who can keep a childcare centre operating. We want a leader who can build a high-performing team, create an environment families trust, maintain uncompromising standards around child safety and quality, solve problems before they become bigger problems, and take genuine ownership of Montessori Milestones Westmead.

For the right person, this is an opportunity to help shape a new service from the beginning and have a meaningful influence on the culture, team and standard of care that Montessori Milestones becomes known for.

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Application closes

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📌 Centre Director & Nominated Supervisor (Sydney)
🏢 Montessori Australia Group
📍 Sydney