• Raleigh Street Community Children's Centre — Thornbury, Victoria
• Permanent, Full-Time
• Reports to Centre Director
• PCS 2025 + WRP, 5 weeks ALV

ABOUT THE CENTRE

Raleigh Street Community Children's Centre is a not-for-profit, community-governed early learning service caring for up to 60 children per day across two Thornbury sites. We've been part of this community since 1985.

We're Exceeding the National Quality Standard across all 7 Quality Areas and remain genuinely committed to ongoing quality improvement - not as a compliance exercise, but as how we work. Our educators and teachers deliver long day care and 3- and 4-year-old Kindergarten programs guided by the EYLF, VEYLDF, and the rights and voices of children and families.

We celebrate cultural and social diversity, and we are committed to culturally safe practice for Aboriginal children and families, with Aboriginal perspectives embedded in everyday program design - not added on the side.

Child safety is central to everything we do.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an Educational Leader who wants to do the work properly - a curriculum thinker, a generous mentor, and a trusted guide for teachers and educators across our 28 Raleigh Street site (long day care and 3-year-old Kindergarten). You'll work alongside the Educational Leader at our 2A Raleigh Street site (4-year-old Kindergarten) to keep our pedagogy coherent across both locations.

This is a full-time role centred on educational leadership, with Assistant Director responsibilities sharing the week. The Assistant Director side keeps the service running well so the educational work can flourish - it's the smaller share of the week, but no less important.

We want someone who reads, thinks, questions practice (their own included), and knows how to help an educator see something in their work they hadn't seen before. We want you to be the person on the floor who lifts the team's thinking.

ROLE STRUCTURE

The role is structured across two areas of responsibility:

• Educational Leader Pedagogical leadership of the 28 Raleigh Street team - mentoring, curriculum development, reflective practice, professional learning, and quality improvement.
• Assistant Director Operational support to the Director - rostering, administration, compliance, and second-in-charge responsibilities.

Day allocation will be agreed with you and the Centre Director, with flexibility across the week based on team needs. We expect the educational leadership work to take the larger share of your time.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As Educational Leader

• Lead the development and continuous improvement of the centre's educational program and practice across our 28 Raleigh Street rooms (Kirrip, Buladu, and Murrup), in close collaboration with the Educational Leader at our 2A site
• Mentor and coach educators at every experience level, building confidence and pedagogical capability through regular observation, feedback, and conversation
• Lead Quality Improvement Planning and support the self-assessment process as a live, meaningful practice
• Embed evidence-based pedagogy into daily practice, drawing on established early childhood research
• Support educators to write meaningful documentation and plan intentional, curriculum-rich experiences
• Foster a culture where reflective practice is the ordinary way of working, not a one-off exercise
• Translate NQF, EYLF v2.0, and VEYLDF requirements into practical, accessible guidance educators can actually use
• Stay current with research and shape team professional development
• Hold the educational vision of the service alongside the Director

As Assistant Director

• Support the Director with day-to-day operational management as required
• Lead staff rostering, ensuring ratios and continuity of care
• Administer Xap (childcare management software) and other operational systems
• Facilitate and minute team meetings; follow up on actions
• Step into the Director role during planned and unplanned absences
• Support compliance with the National Quality Framework and relevant regulations
• Liaise with families, staff, and the Committee of Management with care and professionalism

THE QUALITIES THAT MATTER MOST

• A natural mentor - you find genuine satisfaction in helping other educators grow, and you know how to do it without taking over
• Research-grounded - you read, you think, you can name why you teach the way you do
• Reflective by habit - you question your own practice as readily as anyone else's
• A clear communicator - you can have a hard conversation kindly, and you can write a learning story or a policy paragraph with equal care
• Proactive and self-directed - you bring ideas, follow through, and don't wait to be asked
• Honest and accountable - you own mistakes, name what's not working, and stay constructive
• A team player - you build the team up, not yourself
• Eager to keep growing - you see professional development as ongoing, not optional

REQUIREMENTS

• Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care or higher, as recognised under the Education and Care Services National Law (essential). A Bachelor qualification is valued but not required; demonstrated educational leadership experience will be given significant weight.
• Demonstrated experience in an educational leadership capacity - mentoring and coaching other educators, leading curriculum work, embedding reflective practice
• Working knowledge of the NQF, NQS, EYLF v2.0, and VEYLDF, and the ability to translate them for educators at any career stage
• Ability to articulate the research and theoretical basis for the practices you champion
• Experience in a senior educator, room leader, or assistant director role within an ECEC service
• Comfort with operational responsibilities - rostering, scheduling, record-keeping, childcare management software (we use Xap; willingness to learn is fine if you haven't used it)
• Commitment to Child Safety in all aspects of practice

SELECTION CRITERIA

Please include a written response to the following in your application.

1. Qualifications and ECEC career experience Outline your qualifications and your career history in ECEC, particularly any educational leadership, room leadership, or senior educator roles. Describe the size and structure of the services you have worked in and the teams you have led or supported.
2. Educational leadership and mentoring Describe a specific example of supporting an educator to meaningfully improve their practice. What did you observe, how did you approach the conversation or support process, and what changed as a result?
3. Pedagogy, research, and reflective practice Describe an approach or practice you have championed in a previous role. What is the research or theoretical basis for it, how did you introduce it to your team, and how is reflective practice woven into your day-to-day work?
4. Operational leadership, regulatory knowledge, and team culture Describe a situation in which your knowledge of the NQF or relevant regulations made a practical difference to your service - or, if you'd prefer, a time you managed a complex operational challenge (a staffing issue, a compliance concern, a significant change). What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the outcome?

WHAT WE OFFER

• Above-award wages (Pay as per the PCS 2025), plus Workforce Retention Payment while available
• An additional week of leave per year
• 3-week shutdown over Christmas
• All rooms staffed over ratio, with extra planning time built into the roster for programming, reflection, study, and research
• All professional development, leadership programs, and certifications (first aid, asthma, anaphylaxis, annual flu shot) paid for
• A supportive Director and Committee of Management who back the educational vision
• High-quality facilities and resources across both sites
• Close to High Street Thornbury cafés and shopping, near public transport, free on-street parking

HOW TO APPLY

Send your resume and a written response to the selection criteria to [email protected] using the subject line: Educational Leader & Assistant Director enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Raleigh Street Community Children's Centre is an equal opportunity employer and committed to child safety. All appointments are subject to satisfactory background checks.