1. Curriculum Specialist

Location: Lusaka

Travel:  30% travel to regions and schools to support and supervise the school
network. Periodic travel to other locations locally, e.g., Ndola.
Reporting to: Senior Education Manager

Role Purpose:
Ensure the effective implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement of both the national and co-curricular curricula across PEAS Zambia schools, contributing to high-quality educational outcomes in a low-resource environment.

About PEAS (Promoting Equality in African Schools)

PEAS is a fast-growing charity with a mission to ‘expand access to sustainably delivered quality secondary education across Africa’. PEAS runs the fastest-growing network of sustainably financed secondary schools in Africa. The organization works closely with the Zambian Ministry of Education (MOE) to help achieve national goals and has built an exemplary network of secondary schools in Zambia. PEAS Zambia aims to grow its impact in its secondary school network and beyond, striving to be exemplars of quality education and to drive improvements across the Zambian education system.

Role Summary

The Curriculum Specialist will be responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the curriculum in PEAS Zambia schools. This includes both national curricula and co-curricular programs such as Life Skills and digital skills, so that PEAS students receive a high quality and relevant education that prepares them for the future. The role will involve developing tools to support curriculum implementation, training key stakeholders, and ensuring the quality and relevance of all curriculum-related content delivered within the network. The Curriculum Specialist will work closely with School Support Officers to cascade training into schools, and coordinate the development and quality assurance of schemes of work, assessments, and other curriculum-related materials.

Measuring Impact

The impact of the School Support Specialist will be measured against key results in Access, Quality, Sustainability, including metrics like enrolment growth, exam performance, and school sustainability.

Roles and Responsibilities 

1. Curriculum Development, Oversight and Continuous Improvement (30%)

• Oversee and support the implementation of both national curricula and co-curricular programs across PEAS Zambia schools. This will include bringing together the new national curriculum in Zambia alongside PEAS education approach to ensure schools are able to provide a relevant, high-quality education to all students.
• Coordinate with team members across PEAS Zambia to ensure curricula are relevant, up-to-date, and effectively delivered in all schools.
• Develop effective systems to monitor curriculum implementation and drive improvement in areas where further strengthening is needed
• Stay informed about the latest developments in curriculum and education to ensure PEAS remains at the forefront of educational innovation through engaging with external stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, to align PEAS curriculum initiatives with national standards and goals.

2.Training and Capacity Building (25%) 

• Identify curriculum-related training needs and develop training on components of the new curriculum and to strengthen curriculum implementation based on evidence
• Build the capacity of key team members involved in directly supporting schools, such as the School Support Officers, through training and coaching to ensure they can effectively support schools
• Support key team members to coordinate professional development initiatives for school staff related to curriculum and instruction

3.Tool Development (30%) 

• Lead the development and refinement of tools and resources to improve curriculum implementation, monitoring, and continuous improvement related to curriculum implementation
• Specifically, coordinate the development and quality assurance of schemes of work (SOW), aligned to the national curriculum
• Ensure that all curriculum-related materials meet the highest standards of quality and relevance.
• Develop and quality assure common assessments and support team members to interpret and using assessment data to drive improvement in curriculum implementation
• Regularly review and update curriculum-related tools and resources based on feedback and new research.
• Use data to inform ongoing curriculum development and implementation strategies.

4.Innovation and piloting (15%) 

• Stay informed about latest approaches to strengthen curriculum implementation in low-resource secondary schools, including technology enabled innovations
• Support the design and piloting of new approaches where needed to strengthen gaps in curriculum implementation

Who we are looking for 

The candidate..

Has

• Extensive experience in curriculum development and implementation, particularly in low-resource environments.
• Proven expertise in primary and/or secondary education.
• Experience working in Zambia or a similar context.
• Strong understanding of the Zambian education system and its curriculum requirements.
• Excellent training and capacity-building skills, with experience cascading training in school settings.
• Minimum of a degree from a recognised university in a relevant discipline

Can 

• Design and lead professional development activities (e.g. training sessions, mentorship and coaching) for school staff and staff who support schools
  Engage with, interpret and understand school/education performance data
• Confidently communicate clearly and concisely verbally and in written form in English
• Successfully influence, motivate and get the best out of people both within and outside of a line management relationships
• Confidently use workplace technology and able to help others adopt new technology solutions
  Should be
• Passionate about improving the life chances of all children through educational opportunity.
• Champion of PEAS’ values
• Entrepreneurial, challenging the status quo of ‘this is how things are done’ and be open to trying new ideas to deliver impact
• Adaptable, approaching uncertainty with positivity and resilience
• Collaborative not competitive, working with peers in different teams across the organisation and externally to achieve shared objectives
• Data-driven, using data to inform decisions
• Embrace constant improvement, taking ownership for your own development and empowering others to do the same

Desirable criteria

• School classroom teaching experience
• Experience working for/with international NGOs