Vice President, Company Center Operations

Are by the prospect of joining a dynamic Early Childhood Education company dedicated to providing high-quality educational and care experiences that better the lives of the children and families they serve?

Are you passionate about team building and operational optimization?

Would you like to join a high-growth company in a leadership position where your impact will be significant?

If so, then please read on!

Lightbridge Academy is a leading provider of early childhood education in the U.S. founded in 1997. Through a combination of company-owned and franchise locations, Lightbridge serves over 8,000 children across more than 60 schools, which are concentrated on the East Coast. Lightbridge offers premium childcare to students from six weeks to six years old, targeting affluent working parents who acknowledge the benefit of education earlier in life.

As an entrepreneurial and nimble company, Lightbridge is utilizing capital and support from investors to grow the business and invest in market-leading technology, while preserving the culture that has led to success over the last 25 years.

In June of 2021, Westerly Group acquired a majority interest in Lightbridge and is scaling the business into a top-10 nationwide childcare brand.

About the Role:

We are actively seeking a dynamic Vice President of Company Center Operations to provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for Lightbridge-owned centers within our expansive network. As the VP, you will take charge of all operational facets and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to achieve operational excellence and sustainable center growth. This role embodies a positive image and serves as a role model for Lightbridge Academy, upholding our Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Circle of Care philosophy.

What you’ll do:

In this role, you will have a wide range of responsibilities tailored to the growth and strategic direction of the company that include, but are not limited to:

• Economic Improvement: Drive the development and implementation of programs and processes that enhance unit-level economics while upholding brand standards. Manage individual location performance, Net Promoter Score (NPS), and KPIs.
• Performance and Growth: Foster a culture of high performance, emphasizing commitment to revenue and EBITDA growth. Be responsible for developing and achieving Revenue and NOI Budgets, along with all Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Communication Excellence: Ensure effective and consistent communication and delivery of programs and materials to the field, promoting their success.
• Franchisee Relations: Establish trust, credibility, and effective collaborative relationships with franchisees while maintaining brand standards and operational excellence. Collaborate with the Vice President team to promote corporate initiatives and encourage franchisee engagement.
• Operations Management: Provide direct oversight and management of company-owned locations and their staff. Utilize these centers as testing grounds for new business developments and program initiatives.
• Leadership Development: Build a leadership team of Regional Managers using a supportive and collaborative approach. This includes setting objectives, establishing priorities, and continuously monitoring and evaluating results. Prioritize training, development, and succession planning.
• Strategic Planning: Develop and execute a strategic plan for the Lightbridge program, ensuring the profitability, productivity, and efficiency of all company-owned locations.
• Market Expansion: When entering new markets, collaborate with the Development team to achieve center opening schedules and established performance goals for potential new market centers.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills, effectively presenting information to varying levels of constituents including field personnel, senior management, and franchisees.
• Excellent organization, management, administrative, and leadership skills exhibiting creativity, collaboration, and teamwork.
• Innovative and embraces new ideas and technology.
• Strong analytical skills, good judgment, and proactive problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills. Effectively manages multiple priorities and workflow.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% of time.
• Strong degree of initiative, professionalism, integrity, and confidentiality.
• 5+ years in operations leadership and multi-unit management.
• Organized and attention-to-detail approach, including strong analytical and tactical execution.
• Demonstrated ability to use persuasion and negotiation and other communication principles to influence results.
• Proven ability to drive, lead, and communicate change and company-wide strategic initiatives effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated experience and acumen in financial accountability and P&L responsibility.

Core Competencies:

• Project management abilities
• Organizational development
• Creativity and resourcefulness
• Technical expertise
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Analytical
• Strong Business and financial acumen