Lead an established, high-performing early childhood service with a strong team, strong culture and the support to succeed.
Want to put your communication, leadership and educational skills to the test, challenge yourself to make a real difference, and support those shaping our next generation? Come be part of the future, today!
We’re not your typical childcare centres; we’re a group of innovative thinkers and committed lifelong learners. We’re on a mission to do things a bit differently (and better) than the rest, and we’re looking for a help lead the charge. We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Service Director to lead our Croydon service and continue building on its strong foundations.
We don’t just offer a job; we’re offering a rare opportunity for you to thrive, grow, and make a meaningful impact on the lives of children as part of our incredible team. At Choklits, we’re not just about childcare, we’re about building something truly special in early childhood education. We’re pushing the boundaries of what quality early learning looks and feels like, building careers and creating a brighter future along the way.
If you’re ready to take your coaching and leadership skills to new heights, then read on, we could be redefining what’s possible in early childhood education, together.
Croydon is a large, established service with strong occupancy, an experienced educator team, high family and educator retention, established systems and processes, and a strong reputation within its community.
We are looking for an experienced Director who can confidently lead a large team, understand the operational and commercial side of early childhood education and care, and maintain high standards across people, pedagogy, compliance, family experience and business performance.
You won’t be expected to walk in and figure everything out yourself. A comprehensive onboarding and handover process will be provided with our existing Service Director, alongside ongoing support from our Area Manager and broader leadership team.
As Service Director, you will have overall responsibility for the leadership and performance of the Croydon service.
This is a hands-on leadership role requiring someone who is equally comfortable supporting educators, engaging with families and children, analysing service performance, conducting tours, managing a CRM, reviewing financial and occupancy data, supporting educational quality and ensuring regulatory compliance.
You will be responsible for maintaining the strong culture and performance already established at Croydon while identifying opportunities for continued improvement.
We are looking for an experienced leader who can demonstrate:
Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands that successful service leadership requires balancing children, people, quality, compliance and commercial performance – not prioritising one at the expense of the others.
What Success Looks Like
At Choklits, Service Directors are accountable for measurable outcomes across the whole service, including:
Financial & Operational Performance – occupancy, labour management and responsible budget management.
People & Culture – educator retention, family retention, professional development and building a strong and accountable team.
Quality & Leadership – NQS and continuous improvement, child safety, compliance, pedagogical leadership, reflective practice and leadership development.
Community & Growth – family experience, tour conversion, reputation, community engagement and strong relationships.
You will receive support and systems to help you understand and manage these expectations rather than being left to navigate them independently.
Why Choose Us?
Here’s the truth: opportunities like this don’t come around often.
This is not a corporate machine. You won’t be a cog in a wheel, waiting for decisions to filter down through layers of management. At Choklits, you work directly with the owners. You’ll have real conversations, real influence, and real impact from day one. We’re a private, family-run business that genuinely cares about children, about families, and about the people who show up every day to make it all happen.
We’re not just building a childcare business. We’re building something truly special in early childhood education a place where the focus is on genuine learning outcomes. If you’ve ever wanted to be part of something that matters, this is it.
Being in the early learning sector, we understand the value of nurturing and the difference a great education makes. And that absolutely applies to our team too! This is an opportunity to work directly with our educators and a breadth of knowledgeable managers in our growing organisation.
While we may be family-owned, we pride ourselves on being progressive, innovative, and we invest in the right areas and expertise to ensure we can be nimble, agile and play to win. The person in this role will therefore have the support and the exposure to develop and grow exponentially across the many facets of the role, as we also continue to grow too.
This is an opportunity to take over an established service with strong foundations rather than having to rebuild one.
You Will Receive:
Extensive onboarding and handover with the existing Service Director.
Ongoing support from an experienced Area Manager.
Access to Choklits Academy, our internal learning, onboarding, policy and professional development platform.
Ongoing professional development opportunities.
Established systems, processes and leadership frameworks.
Support from a broader multi-service leadership team.
Opportunities to collaborate and share practice across Choklits services.
An established and experienced educator team.
Strong existing family and community relationships.
An onsite doctor.
Opportunities for continued professional growth within Choklits.
The opportunity to lead a service with strong occupancy, established culture and a reputation you can continue to build upon.
We know we’ve included a lot here, but we wanted to lay it all out, be transparent and seek to find the ideal person for the long-haul. If this job overview resonates with you, we definitely want to hear your story. Yes, you’ll have to wear various hats and probably be prepared to upskill in some areas too, but we wholeheartedly believe in the power of diverse experiences and perspectives. After all, it takes a village to raise a child… and also run a child care centre.
What’s next?
Join us in shaping futures. Be part of our journey in nurturing the next generation while fostering a space of growth, learning, and excellence for all.
To apply, please use the button below to send us your resume and a personalised cover letter. Please mention ‘Chokliteers’ (take that as a creative challenge) and outline your leadership experience and what you would bring to the Choklits Croydon team in your submission.
At Choklits, we actively promote diversity and inclusivity in our workplace. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, communities, and industries. We are committed to building a team that embraces a wide range of skills, experiences, and abilities.
We extend a warm welcome to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We also wholeheartedly encourage applications from people with both visible and non-visible disabilities. Regardless of your age, sex, sexuality, or gender identity, we believe in fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. Your unique perspective and contributions are valued and appreciated here.
Your application will include the following questions:
- How many years’ experience do you have as a Diploma Educator?
- Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?
- Have you completed a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care?
- How many years’ experience do you have in a Childcare Role?
- How many years’ experience do you have as an Assistant Educator?
- Do you have a current Working With Children (WWC) Check?
- Do you have professional child care experience?
- Have you worked in a role which requires a sound understanding of the early years learning framework?
We are an all-inclusive child care and early learning organisation operating in multiple locations across Melbourne’s East. We believe childhood is much more than the first stage of life, we believe it’s the most important. When children come to Choklits they get to learn through play, make new friends, develop skills and habits that will become their advantage in life, and they get to have fun.
Our dedicated team of 140+ work tirelessly to ensure that every child and family has a meaningful early education experience. We’re sure you know that 90% of a child’s brain develops before they are 5 years old? We think that’s a pretty darn important time in your life and we’re looking for a superstar to help us carry this message. We provide early education and care for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, and implement a dynamic play-based learning approach to foster curiosity and a love of learning.
