Join the ECMS Team: Educational Leader Are you passionate about shaping young minds and making a difference in your community? 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 1000 dedicated people work together to create safe, joyful, and enriching experiences for 7,500 children every week. For us, it’s more than just early learning, it’s about building connections, nurturing growth, and being part of something truly meaningful in our communities. We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Educational Leader to join our team at Newport Gardens Early Years Centre . You will be responsible for creating a workplace with high standards that supports the operations of staff and compliance and supports the education of children. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is looking to take the next step in their career. Newport Gardens Early Years Centre is an architecturally designed early years hub conveniently located next to Newport Gardens Primary School. We deliver high quality and inclusive kindergarten and childcare. Our team of nurturing and experienced educators will partner with you to develop a play-based learning program that helps your child realise their potential. At Newport Gardens, our educators choose to stay because they feel seen, heard, and appreciated. We celebrate the unique qualities each team member brings and create an environment where everyone feels empowered to grow and thrive. This newly introduced Educational Leader role is designed to enhance pedagogical leadership and elevate curriculum quality across the service. You’ll lead with purpose—offering coaching, mentoring, and reflective practice to build educator capacity and strengthen outcomes for children and families. As a key influencer, you’ll support the development of distributed leadership, foster intentional teaching practices, and align the curriculum with the NQS, VEYLDF, and our broader organisational goals. This position is 32 hours per week, with flexibility for the right candidate. This will be on a 12-month contract. We’re looking for someone with a curious mindset, a collaborative spirit, and a bold, positive attitude. If you’re passionate about making a difference, love to laugh, enjoy learning, and are driven by genuine connection—this is the place for you. Our team is large, welcoming, and family-focused. We honour children’s voices, embrace diversity, and believe in flexibility and balance. Our beautiful learning spaces include expansive outdoor play areas and a dedicated bush garden that inspires nature-based exploration. We offer efficient planning time, rich professional learning opportunities—including an all-staff ECMS conference—and close for two weeks at Christmas to help you recharge. (And yes, we’re right across the road from a fabulous coffee shop!) About you You're reflective, curious and purpose-led, with a deep commitment to making a difference. You're open to learning and understanding the unique needs of every child. You're a critical thinker and collaborative team member. You have a drive to grow and improve continually. You value kindness and respect. You have great knowledge of the child safe standards and early childhood regulations. You hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Education or equivalent, a WWCC and a first aid certificate. Experience with CLASS, 3a, or other pedagogical tools. Demonstrated success in leading professional development or service improvement. Familiarity with SRF processes, improvement planning, and quality assurance. Proven ability to coach, mentor, and build the capacity of educators to enhance practice. Highly developed organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively. About the role You’ll develop a high-quality educational program for all ages in consultation with children, families and educators to achieve agreed outcomes for children. You’ll work collaboratively with Educators to implement an educational program driven by children's interests, underpinned by the Early Years Learning Framework, that aims to achieve their holistic development and facilitate a smooth transition to school. You’ll document the delivery of the educational program, children's interests and assessments of their learning and development needs. You’ll critically reflect and inspire staff to critically reflect on their pedagogical practice, share ideas and identify innovative ways of achieving positive outcomes for children. Contribute to a child safe environment ensuring standards are met on a daily basis. Why ECMS? We offer award winning professional development opportunities including unlimited access to online resources, in house practice coaching team and annual conference. We're committed to making a positive impact in our communities – we’re a proud place based, for purpose, not for profit, who put people at the centre of our work. We offer above-award pay. Generous benefits – 50% childcare discount, discounts to hundreds of major retailers, paid parental leave, funded first aid. We have a supportive and inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and appreciated – 87% of our team recommend ECMS as a great place to work! Join us in shaping the future of early education! ECMS promotes the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of all children. Successful applicants are required to adhere to our child safe practices, policies can be located on out 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!
