Director Early Childhood Education (Fixed Term Or Secondment Until 30 Jun 2026)

Te Tari Arotake Matauranga | Education Review Office (ERO) are dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, health, and wellbeing.

We welcome every gender, ethnicity, ability, religion, age, and background and encourage all our people to be their authentic selves.

• Flexible by default, balance life and work commitments
• Develop and grow your career
• Contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference to all children and young adults in New Zealand

Mo tenei turanga | About this role

This role is a fixed term position based in Wellington.

Reporting to the DCE Review and Improvement Services your focus is delivering ERO's review and improvement strategy, functions and service delivery relating to the early childhood workstream You will have both a passion for and an understanding of the ECE sector, with the drive to achieve results across Aotearoa through a 'collaboration and partnership' approach.

You will have a well-developed understanding of Te Ao Maori and tikanga as it relates to education or public sector practice, and an ability to be able to engage effectively with people at all levels.

You will be a trusted senior leader with sound experience of working in a complex, changing environment and of building high performing teams, confident when working with ambiguity and known for your ability to build trusting relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

The key focus for the next 6-12 months are :

Mohou ake | About you

We want to hear about any of the following in your cover letter and CV :

Ko matou | About Us

Te Tari Arotake Matauranga | Education Review Office (ERO) is the government's education evaluation agency - we inform and facilitate improvement in early learning services, schools and kura.

We promote a stronger, more equitable education system.

We believe equity and excellence in outcomes is possible for all learners when the mahi centres on the child, the heart of the matter – Ko te tamaiti te putake o te kaupapa.

Me pehea te tuku tono | How to apply

If this role interests you, click on the "Apply" button to be re-directed to our site where you will be able to apply and view the Position Description.

We encourage you to be your authentic self in your application.

We are truly committed to diversity, inclusion and lifting our cultural capability.

You don't need to be knowledgeable in these areas; we are looking for people who are willing to learn.

Note : We will be screening applications as we receive them to move swiftly to interview shortly after the advert closes (depending on application numbers this date may change).

You may be asked to complete a pre-interview screen via phone or video.

Please let us know in your application if you require any assistance from us during the process.

Applications close Monday 29th September 2025.

Check out our careers site to learn more about working at ERO.

Note to Recruitment Agencies : unsolicited CVs will not be accepted, do not contact the Hiring Manager directly, instead reach out to

You must have the right to live and work in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Background and various pre-employment checks are part of our recruitment process.