Childcare Center Director Bilingual EnglishSpanish

About Tierra Encantada

Tierra Encantada headquartered in Minneapolis MN is the leader in Spanish immersion early education and pr ovides high-quality language immersion education and care to children 6 weeks through 6 years of age. At Tierra Encantada we believe the earliest years should open a world of possibilities. As the Leader in Spanish Immersion Early Education we nurture the whole child through joyful play-based learning and a globally inspired culinary program featuring wholesome meals prepared from scratch each day. By fostering curiosity confidence cultural understanding and healthy habits we prepare children for a lifetime of learning while creating warm engaging environments that families trust. Join us and be part of a mission-driven team that is committed to making a lasting impact-one child one family and one community at a time.

Position Overview

The Center Director is the business leader of the center responsible for delivering strong enrollment and financial performance operational excellence regulatory compliance and a high-quality educational and family experience. This role leads all aspects of center performance including staffing retention onboarding coaching family satisfaction compliance educational quality and facility readiness.

The Center Director is accountable for achieving key performance targets related to staffing family retention enrollment growth labor management and overall center quality. This role must meet state licensing requirements and be capable of stepping into classrooms when needed while primarily serving as a strategic and operational leader.

Pay and Schedule

This is an onsite full-time salaried and exempt position that works Monday-Friday with some weekends required occasionally.

Base salary range is $60000 to $68000 depending on qualifications education and experience.

This position is eligible for additional compensation in the form of a monthly performance bonus.

Key Responsibilities

As the Center Director your responsibilities at Tierra Encantada are extensive and crucial to our success. Below is a detailed description of the various aspects of the role:

Business & Financial Management

• Lead the overall performance of the center including center growth and expense management
• Track and respond to key metrics including enrollment labor and withdrawals
• Achieve center FTE targets and improve tour-to-enrollment conversion performance.
• Oversee inventory management for supplies and food to ensure accurate reporting
• Execute local marketing community partnership referral and reputation-building opportunities to support enrollment growth including community outreach and Google review engagement.

Leadership & Team Management

• Build develop and retain a high-performing fully staffed team aligned with Tierra Encantadas values.
• Maintain staffing levels that support ratio requirements and labor targets at all times.
• Drive strong retention outcomes for both new hires and tenured team members.
• Ensure all team members complete onboarding and required training within expected timelines including licensing-related annual requirements.
• Conduct regular coaching conversations onboarding check-ins and annual performance evaluations.
• Address performance concerns consistently including drafting and maintaining corrective action documentation when needed.
• Manage staffing roles schedules time-off requests workforce planning and accurate timekeeping.

Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Maintain full compliance with all licensing health safety food program and company policies.
• Achieve strong results on inspections audits and accreditation reviews.
• Oversee completion of required safety drills reporting and documentation
• Maintain complete accurate and current child and staff records.
• Ensure incident reports are completed accurately resolved promptly and communicated professionally.

Educational Leadership

• Ensure curriculum is implemented with fidelity across all classrooms.
• Conduct regular classroom observations and provide timely actionable coaching to improve teaching quality.
• Ensure lesson plans classroom environments and instructional practices meet company standards.
• Partner with staff and families to support behavior plans and child development needs.

Family Experience

• Deliver a responsive relationship-driven family experience that builds trust satisfaction and long-term retention.
• Address family questions concerns and feedback in a timely and professional manner
• Create a welcoming inclusive and high-quality center experience for all families
• Ensure each child and family experiences a strong onboarding and transitions experiences

Facility & Environment

• Maintain a clean safe and organized center environment at all times
• Ensure classrooms and common areas are fully prepared and operational each day
• Oversee maintenance needs and ensure timely resolution of facility issues

Position Requirements

• Minimum of 2 years of leadership experience ideally in an educational setting demonstrating the ability to develop engage and inspire teams.
• Bachelors degree in Management Business Marketing Early Childhood Education Child Development Education or a related field or equivalent combination of relevant experience and education.
• Must meet director qualification defined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 9503.0031 & 9503.0032
• Fluent in both English and Spanish proficient in oral and written communication.
• Familiarity with business functions such as human resources marketing and budget management; experience in revenue generation preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional maturity strong work ethic attention to detail and proactive attitude.
• Proven track record of building a supportive team culture focused on professional development and continuous improvement.
• Organized adept at multitasking and skilled in strategic problem-solving.
• Strong customer service orientation capable of collaborating effectively across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• CPR First Aid and Food Protection Manager certification required (or willingness to complete within 90 days of hire).
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel Word) and G-Suite (Gmail Google Docs Sheets Drive Calendar); ability to learn new technologies as needed.

Physical Requirements

• Requires the ability to frequently walk stand climb stairs crawl sit squat stoop bend reach kneel rise from the floor and twist.
• Requires the ability to carry and lift 25 pounds or less use repetitive or fine hand movements and occasionally push pull run short distances and carry and lift 25-50 pounds.
• Requires excellent long distance and near vision to monitor childrens activities both indoors and outdoors in various light conditions as well as hearing capabilities to respond to childrens needs and maintain safety in a moderately noisy environment.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 12 paid holidays
• Generous PTO package
• 401(k) with employer match
• Performance bonus
• Discounted childcare and waitlist priority for enrollment
• Company paid professional development.

Additional Information About the Position

• Once a job offer has been accepted the candidate must pass a background check and fingerprinting.
• Tierra Encantada is an E-verify employer.
• Tierra Encantada is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity gender expression national origin ancestry age physical or mental disability medical condition pregnancy military status veteran status genetic information citizenship disability status marital status family status or any other basis prohibited by law.
• Tierra Encantada is committed to making accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process please contact Tierra Encantada Talent Acquisition at This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Required Experience:

Director