Best Staffing is recruiting for an Opening Lead & Kitchen Coordinator for a small early learning service in Coomera. This is a permanent part time role, and you’ll be employed directly by the service, not by an agency. Best Staffing is handling the recruitment and will introduce you to the centre at the phone screen.

This is not just a kitchen role.

The first hour and a half of the day decides how the rest of it runs. Children arrive, staff arrive, things change overnight, and someone has to be across all of it before the Director walks in. Then the kitchen has to deliver, on time, with every room knowing exactly what each child can and can’t have.

We’re looking for the person who holds both of those together. Someone who has the centre’s best interests at heart, takes pride in the morning running properly, and understands that a well-run kitchen keeps the whole centre running smoothly.

What the day looks like

From 6:30am to 8:00am, you run the centre:

- opening the centre and having it ready for families;

- acting as Responsible Person until the Director arrives;

- knowing who’s in, who’s away and what’s changed since yesterday;

- supporting the rooms as children arrive;

- giving the Director a clear handover, so she starts the day knowing how it’s running.

From 8:00am to 12:30pm, the kitchen is yours. Main meals come prepared from a supplier, and you place that order. You add to the meals with your own preparation, using a Coles order you also place. That means:

- placing the prepared meals order and the Coles order, on budget and on time;

- receiving the prepared meals each day;

- preparing the extras, from snacks to the additions that round out each meal;

- meals and snacks out on time, in the right quantities;

- kitchen processes that run the same way every day;

- current allergy and medication information in every room before children eat;

- food safety and kitchen compliance kept up to date, day to day.

Across both halves,



you’re one of the people who knows how the day is going, and you solve problems before they reach the rooms.

Why this role matters

In a centre, the morning and the kitchen touch every room. If the opening is messy, the whole day starts behind. If allergy or medication information doesn’t reach the rooms, it becomes a safety issue. That shouldn’t be left to chance, and here it isn’t. It’s yours.

How we’ll know it’s working

Over time, we’d expect to see:

- the centre open, set up and ready at 6:30am every day;

- the Director arriving to a clear handover covering staffing, absences, changes and anything that needs her;

- every room holding current allergy and medication information;

- meals going out on time, with nothing running short;

- both food orders placed on time and within budget;

- kitchen records complete and food safety checks passed without surprises.

The hours could suit someone looking for something different

Part-time and permanent, 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 12:30pm, on a fixed roster. Start as soon as your notice allows.

That suits an experienced educator who doesn’t want a traditional 38-hour week. Perhaps you want your afternoons. Perhaps you’re balancing family or study. Or perhaps you’ve spent years in early childhood and would prefer a role where you’re trusted to run something rather than being another name on the roster.

Who we’re looking for

- a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, or actively working towards one;

- the experience and judgement to act as Responsible Person after induction;

- experience opening a centre,



and comfort being the one who opens it each morning;

- kitchen experience in an early learning or similar setting;

- a problem solver who stays calm when the morning doesn’t go to plan;

- clear communication with the team, and the ability to engage with families and children;

- reliable and punctual: the day starts with you;

- pride in the part of the centre you look after;

- a current Queensland Blue Card;

- current First Aid, CPR, asthma and anaphylaxis certifications, and child protection training;

- a current driver’s licence.

You don’t need experience in the service’s approach, its room processes or its food ordering process. The service will train you, including in any regulatory gaps you have.

You don’t need to want to become a Centre Director. But you do need to enjoy running something properly.

What you’ll get

- a permanent part-time role with a fixed morning roster and a explicit scope;

- paid annual leave and personal leave;

- trust to run the opening and the kitchen your way, within the centre’s processes;

- training in the service’s approach, room processes and food ordering;

- your afternoons.

One question before you apply

Rather than a generic cover letter, tell us this:

It’s 7:40am and the Director arrives at 8:00. A parent has just told you their child’s medication changed yesterday. One educator has called in sick. The Coles order is due by 10:00. What do you do before 8:00, and what does your handover to the Director cover?

There isn’t a textbook answer. Put your answer in your application note, along with your qualification, your Blue Card status and the days you’re available.

If this ad sounds unusually specific, that’s intentional. We’re not looking for another cook. We’re looking for the person who makes the morning and the kitchen run.

Applications come to Best Staffing. You’ll hear from us within two business days.

📌 Opening Lead & Kitchen Coordinator – Diploma (Coomera)
🏢 Best Staffing
📍 Coomera