ECE Centre Manager

Mō mātou | About us

Sunny Days is a licenced ECE Service within Napier Family Centre, a social services organisation that has been supporting Hawke’s Bay whānau for 40 years. Sunny Days provides high-quality ECE that is responsive to the needs of children and whānau. We strive to strengthen our communities through meaningful, reciprocal relationships with whānau focusing on four learning areas: Whakawhanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, Mana Reo and Whakamana.

Sunny Days is licenced for up to 62 tamariki, employing around 16 staff. With a roll of over 70% Māori we strongly focus on inclusive practices and acknowledgement of the diverse cultures of whānau that are at the heart of our centre.  

“The mana and wairua of children, parents and whānau are prioritised” – ERO Report 2023

Napier Family Centre exists to help children and whānau along life’s journey. We’re a local, community-based organisation with a big heart; our team supports Hawke’s Bay people through social services including counselling, social work, family services, budgeting and early childhood education.  We’re following a new strategic direction and looking to increase diversity across our workforce to improve equitable outcomes for priority populations. Our commitment to Te Tiriti and meeting whānau needs is at the heart of what we do: Te Awhina, Te Aroha – To Help is to Love.  

Mō te tūnga | About the role

The successful candidate will be responsible for full oversight and management of Sunny Days, leading a team of Kaiako and ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of the centre.

This role is responsible for ensuring the team delivers quality care and education, implementing early childhood frameworks and the ECE regulatory requirements, while living into our centre philosophy. At Sunny Days we understand that each child comes with their own mana, story and experiences.  

This role reports to the Napier Family Centre CEO.

Mōu | About you

We are looking for a dynamic person to lead our passionate and experienced team and continue to ensure we put tamariki at the heart of our decisions. To be successful in this role you will have experience as an ECE centre manager and must have a good understanding of the NZ ECE curriculum.

An ideal candidate for our Centre Manager role will have:

• Proven people leadership skills with experience in supporting kaiako, and developing and coaching others
• A current New Zealand ECE practising certificate and a recognised qualification in ECE
• A track record for promoting excellent and equitable outcomes for tamariki
• Experience maintaining a high quality ECE service with a holistic approach, including compliance, programme planning, pedagogy and curriculum, centre presentation and strong community relationships and engagement
• A strong commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• Have experience in the day-to-day management of an ECE centre
• Passion and experience in being an innovator and problem solver.

To be successful in this role you’ll be a compassionate and empathetic person with a good measure of both grit and grace. You’ll be an innovative problem-solver who is known for building genuine relationships. As well as meeting the criteria above, you must embrace the concepts of whakawhanaungatanga, manaakitanga, mana reo and whakamana as part of your daily mahi.

He aha ai mātou? | Why us?

Joining the Sunny Days and Napier Family Centre whānau is an opportunity to give back to your community. Not only will you impact the lives of enrolled tamariki, you’ll be part of a broader social service agency that positively contributes to the lives of over 2,000 whānau across Hawke’s Bay each year.

We offer:

• Lower ratios to support meaningful connection with tamariki and whānau
• Extended pay parity, plus paid professional development opportunities
• An incredible team of kaiako who live and breathe our values
• Staff benefits package including support for your physical and mental wellbeing, and a day off on your birthday
• Extensive professional support and guidance from the Napier Family Centre executive and wider teams

Te tono  | How to apply

If you have the skills, passion and experience we’d love to hear from you. Please apply directly through Seek as soon as possible as we want to find our next superstar as soon as we can to provide a good handover. 

For further information, including a copy of the Job Description, please email [email protected].