ABOUT PAISLEY PARK

Paisley Park is a family-owned Australian early learning company with over 30 years of experience in early childhood education and care. We are passionate about creating environments where children feel secure, valued and inspired to thrive, learn and grow.

Our philosophy is grounded in nurturing relationships, educational excellence, team-oriented professional learning, continuous improvement and meaningful partnerships with families and the local community. We believe exceptional early learning outcomes come from strong leadership, consistent professional practices, and a team culture where every Educator feels supported, respected, and empowered to contribute.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced, proactive, and highly capable Second-in-Charge (2IC) to work closely with the Centre Director at our beautiful 120-place, purpose-designed early learning centre in Malvern East. This is an important leadership position for an early childhood professional who combines strong educational knowledge with operational capability, confident decision-making and exceptional interpersonal skills. You will be expected to take ownership of delegated responsibilities, follow tasks through to completion, identify emerging issues and respond with initiative, professionalism and sound judgement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

We are looking for someone who does not simply wait to be directed, but actively contributes to the leadership of the service. The successful candidate will be organised, solutions-focused and comfortable balancing competing priorities while maintaining a calm, professional and supportive presence. We want a leader who can translate knowledge into consistent action, support others to improve, and take genuine responsibility for the service's quality and operation.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Leadership maturity: The confidence, emotional intelligence and professional judgement to guide others, manage challenges and make considered decisions.

Operational ownership: The ability to respond to delegated tasks, prioritise competing demands and follow through without requiring constant direction.

Initiative and accountability: A proactive approach to identifying issues, anticipating needs, implementing solutions and taking responsibility for outcomes.

Educational expertise: A strong understanding of early childhood pedagogy, curriculum implementation, critical reflection and quality improvement.

Regulatory confidence: The ability to understand compliance obligations, recognise risks, and support Educators in implementing requirements consistently.

Effective communication: The ability to communicate clearly, respectfully and confidently with colleagues, families and senior leadership.

Composure under pressure: The ability to remain calm, organised and solutions-focused when responding to operational challenges or unexpected events.

Professional integrity: A demonstrated commitment to ethical conduct, confidentiality, respectful relationships and child safety.





A collaborative mindset: The ability to work in genuine partnership with the Centre Director while contributing independent thinking, initiative and sound recommendations.

You will understand that effective leadership is demonstrated through everyday actions, consistency, follow-through, and the ability to bring out the best in others.

WHY JOIN OUR PAISLEY PARK FAMILY?

At Paisley Park, we recognise that strong leadership is fundamental to creating a high-quality early learning environment. We support our leaders through professional learning, constructive collaboration, and opportunities to build their knowledge and skills and advance their careers.

As our 2IC, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the centre's educational culture, operational effectiveness and team development while working alongside leadership that values initiative, professional integrity and continuous improvement. Our benefits and opportunities include:

- A leadership position within a beautiful, purpose-designed 120-place early learning centre.
- Competitive remuneration commensurate with qualifications, experience and leadership capability.
- Opportunities for professional development, mentoring and career progression.
- Supportive senior leadership and a collaborative management environment.
- Opportunities to influence educational quality, team development and continuous improvement.
- Access to professional learning and opportunities for collaborative practice.
- Employee childcare discounts for eligible team members.
- A custom-designed Paisley Park uniform.
- The opportunity to contribute to an established, family-oriented organisation with over 30 years of experience.
- The satisfaction of helping create an environment where children, families and Educators can thrive.

ESSENTIAL SELECTION CRITERIA To be considered for this position, applicants must demonstrate:

- A completed, verifiable Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, or an appropriate ACECQA-approved early childhood teaching qualification, as required for the position.
- Substantial, relevant experience in an Australian early learning service, with demonstrated capability beyond routine room-based responsibilities.
- Previous experience undertaking leadership responsibilities, such as mentoring Educators, coordinating daily operations, supporting compliance or contributing to educational leadership.
- A sound understanding of the EYLF, National Quality Standard, National Law and Regulations, and applicable Child Safe Standards.




- The ability to confidently assume delegated operational responsibilities and support service operations in the Centre Director's absence.
- Demonstrated experience prioritising tasks, resolving operational challenges and following through on responsibilities with minimal supervision.
- The ability to lead, guide and mentor Educators while maintaining professional standards and constructive working relationships.
- Strong knowledge of educational programming, the planning cycle, critical reflection, documentation and quality improvement.
- A explicit understanding of child protection obligations, mandatory reporting, active supervision, risk management and professional boundaries.
- Current and appropriate child-related screening and clearances, including a valid Working with Children Check, together with satisfactory completion of any other required pre-employment checks.
- Current required training or the ability to meet the applicable requirements for First Aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis management, child protection, child safety and safe sleep.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound organisational skills and strong attention to detail.
- The ability to manage sensitive information confidentially and exercise discretion and professional judgement.
- A positive, proactive and solutions-focused approach, with the flexibility to respond to the changing needs of a busy early learning service.
- A genuine commitment to professional learning, reflective practice, continuous improvement and Paisley Park's philosophy and values.

OUR CHILD-SAFE RECRUITMENT PROCESS Paisley Park is a Child Safe organisation. We take our responsibility to recruit suitable people and will only appoint candidates who demonstrate a genuine commitment to children's safety, wellbeing, rights and protection. Our recruitment process is thorough and includes a comprehensive interview designed to explore your leadership experience, professional judgement, approach to child safety, operational capability and alignment with our philosophy and values.

After the interview, we will conduct detailed reference checks and independently verify qualifications, registrations, and relevant credentials. Candidates must be willing to provide appropriate referee details and supporting documentation and to participate in all required pre-employment screening.

Please note that we cannot offer sponsorship to candidates requiring employer-sponsored visas. We also will not appoint candidates with a graduate diploma but no child care-relevant experience.

READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR LEADERSHIP CAREER?

If you are an experienced early childhood professional ready to take on a meaningful leadership role, enjoy supporting and developing Educators, and have the confidence to contribute to both educational excellence and operational management, we would love to hear from you.

Please apply through the SEEK Quick Apply button and include your current resume, details of your qualifications and relevant referee information.

📌 Seeking a Second in Charge (2IC) at Paisley Park Malvern East
🏢 Paisley Park Early Learning Centres
📍 Malvern East