Compliance Specialist

Cadence Education•Richmond, VA

24d•$50,109 - $65,142•Onsite

About The Position

Cadence Education is seeking a temporary (12-week role) Licensing & Safety Specialist for its VA Region, requiring the candidate to reside in Virginia. This role is crucial for ensuring operational compliance with Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) licensing regulations, company policies, and health and safety standards across assigned schools. The Specialist will act as a key operational partner to school leadership, conducting compliance monitoring, coaching on licensing standards, identifying risks, and supporting corrective action plans to maintain safe and high-quality learning environments. The position emphasizes maintaining compliance readiness, promoting strong child supervision, supporting positive classroom environments, and ensuring alignment with state regulations and company expectations. This is a full-time, salaried, field-based position requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week onsite within assigned schools, with a strong focus on the Richmond, VA area. The role demands a consistent in-person presence for monitoring compliance, supporting leadership, conducting observations, and upholding licensing, safety, and quality standards. Cadence Education is a leading early childhood educator with over 340 schools across 30 states, dedicated to preparing students for future success through passionate childcare professionals, a research-based curriculum, and supportive work environments.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of Virginia child care licensing regulations and operational compliance standards preferred.
Minimum of 3–5 years of leadership experience in early childhood education, child care operations, licensing, or compliance oversight preferred.
Strong understanding of child supervision, health and safety standards, classroom quality, and licensing documentation requirements.
Excellent organizational, communication, coaching, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, conduct detailed audits, and maintain confidentiality.
Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify operational and compliance risks proactively.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and operational reporting systems.
Ability to travel regularly between assigned schools/regions.

Responsibilities

Maintain strong working knowledge of all Virginia child care licensing regulations, standards, and compliance requirements for licensed child day centers.
Conduct routine licensing and operational audits across assigned schools to ensure compliance with state regulations, company policies, and health and safety standards.
Review and monitor staff files, child files, licensing documentation, training records, background checks, medication documentation, emergency preparedness plans, and required postings for accuracy and compliance.
Support schools during licensing visits, investigations, corrective action plans, and follow-up monitoring.
Identify compliance risks proactively and partner with school leadership teams to implement timely corrective action plans and sustainable operational improvements.
Ensure schools maintain compliance readiness for announced and unannounced licensing inspections.
Monitor and coach schools on active child supervision practices, ensuring children remain within sight and sound supervision as required by Virginia licensing standards.
Conduct classroom observations focused on supervision, classroom ratios, transitions, playground monitoring, bathroom procedures, and overall child safety practices.
Support incident investigations and ensure proper documentation, communication, and follow-up procedures are completed thoroughly and timely.
Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and risk prevention throughout all assigned schools.
Ensure compliance with emergency preparedness procedures, evacuation plans, playground safety, sanitation standards, and overall health and safety requirements.
Partner with school leadership teams to strengthen operational execution, classroom quality, cleanliness standards, organization, and overall school presentation.
Provide coaching and guidance to leaders and staff regarding licensing expectations, operational best practices, and quality improvement opportunities.
Support onboarding and training of new leaders and staff related to licensing, supervision, compliance, and operational standards.
Ensure classrooms and common areas maintain clean, organized, safe, and developmentally appropriate learning environments.
Promote positive staff-child interactions and ensure practices align with company expectations and developmentally appropriate standards.
Build strong relationships with licensing agencies, school leaders, regional leadership teams, and support partners.
Communicate licensing concerns, trends, and operational risks clearly and professionally to leadership teams.
Assist in developing and implementing compliance trainings, operational tools, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Support schools with crisis management, operational concerns, and high-priority compliance matters as needed.