At Kido, we believe great schools begin with great people. Guided by our values of Listen, Learn, and Lead, our People Team is dedicated to creating an engaging, supportive, and inclusive workplace where employees can thrive personally and professionally. We're looking for a Recruitment Specialist who is passionate about early childhood education and experienced in identifying, hiring, and supporting exceptional talent.

Ready to make a real impact? Apply now. we’d love to meet you.

Early Childhood Recruitment Manager (Former Illinois Center Directors Encouraged to Apply)

Join the Kïdo People Team

Kïdo International Preschool is seeking an experienced Early Childhood Recruitment Manager to lead full-cycle recruiting, hiring, and onboarding for our growing network of schools.

This role is designed for an experienced Illinois Center Director of Regional Manager who understands what it takes to build exceptional preschool teams. If you've successfully recruited, hired, onboarded, and developed educators while leading a licensed preschool, this is an opportunity to make an even greater impact by helping shape teams across multiple Kïdo schools.

This position is primarily based onsite at one of our Chicago-area schools and partners closely with school leaders across multiple locations. Potential of occasional travel to our schools in Houston and Austin, Texas.

Required Experience

To be considered, applicants must meet all of the following requirements:

• Minimum five (5) years as a Center Director in a licensed preschool or child care center in Illinois
• Director Qualified (DQ) under Illinois DCFS Licensing Standards (407)
• Proven experience recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding teachers and school leaders in licensed Illinois early childhood programs
• Strong knowledge of Illinois DCFS licensing requirements and staffing regulations

Applicants without Center Director experience in a licensed Illinois preschool program will not be considered.

What You'll Do

Talent Acquisition

• Lead full-cycle recruiting for teachers, administrators, and school leaders.
• Source candidates through job boards, referrals, colleges, networking, and community partnerships.
• Screen applicants, conduct interviews, coordinate hiring, and build a strong pipeline of early childhood professionals.
• Represent Kïdo at career fairs and recruiting events.

Hiring & Onboarding

• Manage the hiring process from offer through onboarding.
• Complete onboarding in Rippling and coordinate employment documentation, I-9s, fingerprinting, background checks, and licensing requirements.
• Partner with Center Directors to ensure a smooth onboarding experience.

Leadership & Partnership

• Collaborate with school leaders on staffing strategies and workforce planning.
• Track recruiting metrics and maintain compliance with Illinois licensing requirements.
• Travel to support recruiting initiatives and occasionally provide Director Qualified (DQ) coverage at Illinois schools.
• Support additional People Team initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum five years as an Illinois Center Director in a licensed preschool or child care center
• Director Qualified (DQ) under Illinois DCFS Licensing Standards (407)
• Experience recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and developing early childhood educators
• Strong knowledge of Illinois licensing regulations and preschool operations
• Excellent communication, organization, and relationship-building skills

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent leadership experience
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Experience supporting multiple school locations

Background Screening

Employment is contingent upon successfully completing all required fingerprint-based background checks and pre-employment clearances.

Why Kïdo?

At Kïdo, exceptional schools begin with exceptional people. Your experience as an Illinois preschool leader will directly influence the educators and leaders who shape children's futures every day. If you're ready to use your leadership experience to build outstanding teams across our schools, we'd love to hear from you.

Discover more About Kïdo by visiting our website at : https://kidoschools.com/us/

As part of our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in our care, the successful candidate is expected to undergo an enhanced fingerprint-based background check. Kido is an equal opportunity employer.