Early Childhood Area Manager

Lead with purpose, make
an impact and shape the future with ECMS

At ECMS, we're proud to be a
not-for-profit community organisation that's all about making a difference in
the lives of children and families. With 75 kindergartens and early learning
services across Melbourne, our team of 1100+ dedicated people work together to
create joyful and enriching learning experiences with the safeguarding of
children at the centre of everything we do.

We know that
strong leadership creates strong futures for children. We're looking for an
inspiring and capable Area Manager to guide, develop and empower our service leaders
across a portfolio of early learning services around south-east Melbourne (City
of Casey and City of Cardinia). If you're driven by high-quality education,
continuous improvement and creating thriving team cultures, this is an exciting
opportunity to make a meaningful difference across multiple established and brand-new
kindergartens
In this
influential role, you'll work as part of a passionate multi-disciplinary team,
ensuring our services deliver exceptional early childhood programs aligned with
our organisational pedagogy and meet — or exceed — the National Quality
Standards. You'll bring strong people leadership, operational insight and a
collaborative mindset to create sustainable, high-performing services where
educators feel supported and children flourish.

If you're a
values-led leader who thrives on coaching others, building relationships and
driving positive outcomes for children, families and communities, we'd love to
hear from you.

This position is a full-time and comes with flexible
working hours and work from home options. Our team of Area Managers understand
the importance of relationship building and are out-and-about interacting at
services and with their teams weekly.

What will you do?

• Lead, coach and develop Service Leaders to build their capability, strengthen team culture, and drive high-quality educational practice across all services.
  
• Oversee operational, cultural and financial sustainability across a portfolio of sessional kindergartens, using data and insights to guide decision-making and continuous improvement.
  
• Ensure services meet and exceed the National Quality Standards (NQS), partnering with Practice Coaches and the Risk and Compliance Team to support quality, safety and regulatory compliance.
  
• Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders, including families, Local Government Authorities, and the
• Department of Education, contributing to regional planning and community engagement.
  
• Drive reflective practice and professional growth, fostering a culture of learning, curiosity and continuous improvement within service teams.
  
• Support service planning, enrolment growth and workforce development, including annual service planning, effective staffing, and place-based strategies tailored to each community.

More about you

• You are a born leadership and people developer You inspire, mentor and empower Service Leaders and their teams to continue providing the highest quality care to children in our care.
  
• You are a strategic and operational thinker. You have strong commercial acumen and experience managing multiple services. You are able to use data, evidence, and insights to drive operational, cultural, and financial sustainability.
  
• You have great relationship building skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships with staff, families, stakeholders, and community partners.
  
• You hold significant educational and pedagogical expertise. You have a deep understanding of early childhood education, curriculum frameworks, and National Quality Standards.
  
• You take initiative and have problem solving skills. You are comfortable with change, challenging the status quo respectfully, and solving complex problems.
  
• A qualification in Early Childhood Education, WWCC/VIT registration, Victorian driver's license, mandatory reporting certificate, police check (or willing to obtain)

Why ECMS?

• 50% childcare discount
  
• 6 weeks paid parental leave.
  
• Discounts to hundreds of retail and recreational activities such as
  Coles, JB-Hi-Fi and
  
• A chance to work in a highly flexible and outcome-focused
  organisation.
  
• Flexible working hours and work from home opportunities.
  
• Opportunity to accelerate your career due to high level of
  responsibility, opportunities and a 2% professional development budget
  catered just to you.

ECMS
is committed to the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children. Successful
applicants are required to adhere to our child safe practices and policies
located on our website. Applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples and people from diverse communities and backgrounds are encouraged. 

If
you're passionate about early childhood education and care, and you're looking
for a rewarding career with a supportive and inclusive organisation, we
encourage you to apply today Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
For more information contact Stephanie