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Title: Area Manager
Location: Nashville Area
Travel: approximately 50–75% travel throughout the assigned area, including occasional overnight travel
Reports To: Regional Director
Position Summary
The Area Manager oversees the operations and performance of multiple The Gardner School locations within an assigned area. This role leads and supports Executive School Directors to ensure each school fulfills The Gardner School Promise to provide a community that is safe, purposeful, and enriching.
The Area Manager is accountable for operational excellence, educational quality, regulatory compliance, financial performance, enrollment, family experience, and team-member engagement across assigned schools.
The anticipated salary range for this position is $80,000 – $90,000 per year, which represents what The Gardner School reasonably expects to pay for this role based on the position location, experience, education, internal equity, and other job-related factors.
Actual compensation may vary depending on these factors and geographic market conditions.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership and Team Development
- Recruit, onboard, lead, coach, and develop Executive School Directors.
- Establish clear expectations, evaluate performance, and provide ongoing feedback and support.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and accountable culture aligned with The Gardner School Values: Children First, Trust, Innovation, and Make a Difference.
- Conduct regular school visits to assess results, reinforce expectations, and support school leadership teams.
Operational and Educational Excellence
- Ensure consistent execution of company programs, policies, processes, and operational standards.
- Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and licensing requirements.
- Identify operational risks or performance gaps and develop appropriate action plans with school leadership.
- Ensure academic programming supports children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive growth and meets applicable quality, certification, and accreditation standards.
- Support the successful opening, transition, and stabilization of schools within the assigned area.
Financial and Enrollment Performance
- Develop and manage school and area budgets in partnership with Executive School Directors and the Regional Director.
- Analyze financial and operational results and implement strategies to achieve revenue, profitability, and expense targets.
- Coach school leaders on staffing models, scheduling, productivity, and proactive labor management.
- Oversee enrollment, occupancy, and retention strategies, partnering with Marketing and school leadership as appropriate.
Family and Community Experience
- Ensure schools consistently deliver a high-quality experience for children and families.
- Support the timely and professional resolution of escalated family or community concerns.
- Promote and model The Gardner School Vision, Promise, and Values within the schools and surrounding communities.
Strategic Partnership and Growth
- Partner with the Regional Director to develop and execute plans for the assigned area.
- Collaborate with organizational leaders to identify and support growth opportunities.
- Remain informed about industry trends, regulatory changes, and best practices affecting school operations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.
- Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience within early childhood education.
- Experience leading multiple locations, schools, or operational teams.
- Strong knowledge of early childhood education regulations and licensing requirements.
- Experience with budgeting, financial analysis, labor management, enrollment, and performance accountability.
- Strong leadership, coaching, communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to analyze data, establish priorities, and translate organizational goals into action.
- Ability to meet applicable state-specific director qualification requirements.
- Experience developing multi-site leaders, supporting school openings or transitions, and working with NAEYC standards or accreditation processes, preferred
Work Environment and Physical Requirements
This position works across multiple early childhood education and remote-work environments. The role requires regularly moving throughout school facilities, using a computer and other technology, and communicating in person and through telephone and virtual platforms. The position may occasionally require bending, reaching, kneeling, using stairs, and lifting or carrying materials weighing up to 25 pounds. The environment may include moderate noise, frequent interruptions, and conditions commonly present in early childhood education settings.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.