Assistant Director / 2IC

Lead People. Support Practice. Stay Connected to What Matters Most.

We're looking for passionate Assistant Directors / 2ICs to join our teams at Perfect Start Birkdale and Smarttots Early Education Alex Hills.

This is a unique opportunity for someone who enjoys the best of both worlds—a leadership role that allows you to remain connected to children and educational practice while also stepping into centre leadership. You'll spend part of your week working directly with children and educators, while also having dedicated non-contact leadership time to support the Centre Director with operations, mentoring, continuous improvement and creating a positive team culture.

If your idea of leadership is building capability, nurturing relationships and creating an environment where both children and educators can thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

About the Role

As our Assistant Director / 2IC, you will:

• Work alongside the Centre Director to support the day-to-day leadership and operations of the service.
• Spend time working directly with children and educators, building meaningful relationships and supporting high-quality practice.
• Use your dedicated non-contact leadership time to support administration, compliance, team development and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and support educators to build confidence, capability and reflective practice.
• Support educators to notice, wonder alongside children, and create learning experiences that are responsive to children's ideas, questions and theories.
• Foster a positive, collaborative and inclusive team culture where everyone feels valued.
• Build strong partnerships with families and the wider community.
• Contribute to the centre's Quality Improvement Plan and ongoing journey towards excellence.
• Step confidently into the Centre Director role when required.

About You

You are someone who:

• Leads with kindness, integrity and authenticity.
• Loves supporting others to grow and celebrating their successes.
• Understands that great leadership starts with strong relationships.
• Enjoys being present with children while also developing your leadership skills.
• Is organised, proactive and solutions-focused.
• Can confidently balance the needs of children, families, educators and the service.
• Embraces feedback, reflection and continuous learning.
• Believes every child and every educator deserves someone who believes in them.

We're not looking for perfection. We're looking for someone who is reflective, willing to learn, and committed to continually growing alongside children, families and colleagues. Someone who leads with humility, embraces challenge and understands that the best leaders never stop learning themselves.

Essential Requirements

• Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care (or higher).
• Previous leadership experience within an early childhood setting.
• Strong knowledge of the Early Years Learning Framework, National Quality Standard and relevant legislation.
• A genuine passion for mentoring and developing educators.
• Strong communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Current Blue Card.
• Current First Aid, CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis qualifications (or willingness to obtain).