Pestalozzi International is a family of nonprofit organizations that offers child-centered education to disadvantaged children in the Global South, supporting economic growth and social mobility. Recognizing the uniqueness of every child's fullest potential, we educate beyond the classroom to develop future-oriented vocational skills and nurture emotional, social and mental well-being. Our approach provides for a future generation of compassionate global citizens equipped with the ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ to define their lives according to their potential, not their backgrounds. We see a tomorrow where every child’s innate talent, empathy, and rich diversity of lived experience are nurtured. Where education instils the power to make informed decisions, fuels the fire of ambition, and inspires everyone to shape a brighter tomorrow for all humanity. Our vision is a world where every child has the knowledge, skills, and ambition to develop their nations and to create a better world for us all.
We are pleased to invite applications from suitably qualified and passionate individuals to fill the following positions: Skills Hub Programme Manager, and Future Leaders Programmes Manager and Wellbeing Coordinator
Position Title : Skills Hub Programme Manager
Reporting to : Country Lead
Core Purpose
The Skills Hub Manager is responsible for developing, coordinating, and overseeing a dynamic Skills Hub Programme that equips students with practical, transferable, and career-oriented skills. The role supports holistic education by bridging academic learning with real-world competencies, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Key responsibilities
● Programme leadership and delivery
○ Plan and manage the Skills Hub annual cycle and cohort calendars.
○ Ensure delivery milestones are met (sensitization, selection support where relevant, training start/end points, transitions).
○ Maintain programme quality and learner support, resolving delivery issues quickly.
● Partner and provider management
○ Manage relationships with external training providers (TVET/colleges), including scheduling, coordination, and problem-solving.
○ Maintain agreements and expectations with partners; ensure smooth coordination with procurement/operations when required.
● Employer engagement and outcomes
○ Build and maintain an employer network to support placements, internships, and job outcomes.
○ Develop an “employment pipeline” approach (opportunities identification → placement → follow-up → retention tracking).
● Ensure learning-to-employment alignment by gathering employer feedback and adjusting support accordingly.
● Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting pipeline
○ Implement a routine data collection cycle for inputs, attendance, completion, placements, and employment outcomes.
○ Ensure training records and core datasets are accurate, timely, and audit-ready.
○ Provide regular dashboards/updates to management and structured inputs for donor reporting (including risks, lessons learned, and case studies).
○ Manage budgets, resources, and facilities related to the Skills Hub
● Team leadership
○ Line-manage relevant Skills Hub staff/contractors and clarify role expectations (e.g., outreach, provider liaison, record keeping).
○ Build team confidence, accountability, and a proactive working culture.
○ Lead regular development-focused coaching conversations, using structured frameworks
○ Foster a psychologically safe team environment by modelling reflective practice, constructive feedback and growth-oriented dialogue.
○ Support team members in setting clear goals and development plans, encouraging ownership, agency and continuous improvement.
○ Identify strengths and development needs, facilitating access to appropriate training, mentoring or stretch opportunities.
○ Promote wellbeing and sustainable performance through proactive check-ins and early identification of support requirements.
● Stakeholder representation
○ Represent Skills Hub to key stakeholders where needed (employers, agencies, selected government interfaces) to strengthen partnerships and long-term relevance.
Person specification (essential)
● Demonstrated ability to manage a programme cycle with multiple partners, deadlines, and deliverables.
● Strong relationship-building skills with employers and training providers; confident communicator.
● Evidence of disciplined monitoring & outcomes tracking (KPIs, dashboards, reporting inputs).
● Independent operator with high ownership, low ego, and strong collaboration habits.
● Sound judgement and professionalism; able to keep Skills Hub focused without competing with Future Leaders priorities.
● An understanding of and commitment to child protection and safeguarding
● Evidence of police clearance and background checks
Person specification (desirable)
● Prior experience in TVET/vocational skills, employability programmes, or youth employment initiatives.
● Existing employer networks and stakeholder familiarity in Lusaka or similar context.
● Experience interfacing with government/agency stakeholders on skills, employment, or youth development.
● Comfort using simple data tools (spreadsheets; basic CRM or database concepts).
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) strongly preferred.
● Project management training/certification is an advantage but not required.
● Experience with working within Zambian and multicultural environments.
● Experience in working in vocational training for disadvantaged youths
● Certification or training in the monitoring and/or evaluation of skill development.
Position Title : Future Leaders Programme Manager
Reporting to : Country Lead
Core Purpose
Design and drive a coherent Future Leaders model centered on leadership as the foundation so all other elements (Community Engagement Learning (CEL), community engagement, wellbeing, digital/financial literacy, critical thinking) become structured expressions of leadership development rather than competing activities.
Key responsibilities
● Programme architecture and curriculum design
○ Develop a multi-year leadership pathway (e.g., “8-year leadership programme”) with age-appropriate progression.
○ Translate high-level leadership outcomes into practical, deliverable activities and routines (head/heart/hands).
○ Create a structured programme framework that reduces fragmentation and makes delivery coherent.
● Out-of-school learning and enrichment
○ Design and oversee after-school and weekend programming with strong inclusion (not only sports/church).
○ Ensure activities build leadership competencies over time and are delivered consistently.
● Community Engagement Learning (CEL) strategy and delivery
○ Define the Pestalozzi International approach to CEL (principles, standards, safeguarding, reflection).
○ Establish partnerships and placements that fit student maturity levels and leadership objectives.
○ Integrate CEL into the leadership pathway rather than treating it as a separate “add-on.”
● School partnership systems
○ Build and maintain working relationships with key school counterparts (coordinators, relevant leadership).
○ Establish escalation and liaison systems between mentors, village, and school for issues that require coordination.
○ Support an environment of trust, clarity, and role separation (so school stakeholders know who does what).
○ Explore opportunities for the support of community engagement learning through curriculum implementation
● Mentor-system leadership
○ Define mentor standards, routines, training needs, and tools to ensure consistent frontline delivery.
○ Set expectations for mentor practice and ensure feedback loops exist to increase quality and capacity to deliver on FLP outcomes
● Monitoring, learning culture, and improvement loops
○ Ensure timely digital data collection by mentors and house parents by implementing programme monitoring routines (participation, attendance, engagement, progress markers).
○ Lead review cycles and improvements both to feedback progress to the UK fundraising and impact team as well as to adapt and improve the delivery in Zambia
● Leadership and management
○ Serve as senior leadership for Future Leaders; coordinate across functions and ensure delivery discipline.
○ Maintain strategic focus so the programme does not drift into reactive firefighting.
○ Build team confidence, accountability, and a proactive working culture.
○ Lead regular development-focused coaching conversations, using structured frameworks
○ Foster a psychologically safe team environment by modelling reflective practice, constructive feedback and growth-oriented dialogue.
○ Identify strengths and development needs, facilitating access to appropriate training, mentoring or stretch opportunities.
Person specification (essential)
● Demonstrated experience designing and delivering youth leadership or youth development programming.
● Strong systems-thinking: able to build structures and routines that make programmes sustainable (“people fall to systems”).
● Education fluency and credibility with students and school stakeholders (study habits, exam pressures, adolescent learning).
● High emotional intelligence with authority: able to galvanize teenagers and manage adults with diplomacy.
● Ability to move abstract concepts → concrete activities → timetables → delivery.
● An understanding of and commitment to child protection and safeguarding
● Evidence of police clearance and background checks
Person specification (desirable)
● Experience implementing CEL, CAS-like programmes, or structured volunteering with reflection.
● Experience in boarding/residential education contexts or high-support youth environments.
● Formal coaching qualification or leadership development credential.
● Prior multi-stakeholder partnerships (schools + community + youth support ecosystem).
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree required (education, youth development, leadership, psychology etc)
● Postgraduate qualification in education/leadership/youth development is an advantage.
Position Title : Well Being Coordinator
Reporting to : Future Leaders Programme Manager
Core purpose
Provide the day-to-day backbone of student support: line-manage mentors, build mentor capability, triage wellbeing concerns, and strengthen academic/pastoral support and referral pathways so the Future Leaders Programme Manager can remain focused on programme build-out and strategic leadership.
Key responsibilities
● Line management of mentors
○ Supervise mentors through regular 1:1s, team meetings, and performance support.
○ Clarify role expectations, standardize mentor practice, and build mentor confidence.
○ Implement mentor routines (case reviews, planning, documentation standards, escalation discipline).
● Mentor capability building
○ Train mentors in coaching fundamentals, boundaries, safeguarding basics, and difficult conversations.
○ Create practical tools and resources (conversation guides, referral steps, academic support checklists).
○ Support mentors to provide consistent, age-appropriate guidance and follow-through.
● Student support triage (mental health awareness and referral)
○ Provide accessible first/second-line wellbeing support (not clinical therapy).
○ Identify concerns early, document appropriately, and refer/escalate to professionals or partners when needed.
○ Maintain a clear referral directory and ensure safe handling of sensitive information.
● Academic and pastoral support
○ Support students’ study routines, sleep discipline, exam preparation behaviours, and general school-life coping.
○ Work closely with house parents (pastoral care) and mentors (frontline support/coaching) so students don’t fall through gaps.
○ Flag patterns (attendance dips, repeated behaviour issues, academic drops) and coordinate early interventions.
● Operational interface with the school
○ Coordinate with school coordinators/teachers on student issues within agreed escalation pathways.
○ Keep the Future Leaders Programme Manager informed of trends and high-risk cases without overloading them with day-to-day detail.
● Wellbeing systems and prevention
○ Establish preventative wellbeing activities (group sessions, stress management, peer support structures).
○ Support safeguarding reporting lines and ensure the mentor team acts in line with safeguarding standards.
○ Contribute to a culture of wellbeing and psychology safety
Person specification (essential)
● Strong experience working with adolescents/young people in education or youth support settings.
● Proven people management capability (supervision, coaching, accountability, confidence-building).
● Practical mental health awareness and referral competence (recognize, support, escalate appropriately).
● Safeguarding-literate: understands confidentiality boundaries and escalation routes.
● Calm, trusted communicator with strong judgement and cultural sensitivity.
● Ability to create structure and consistency in a team that is still developing its professional confidence.
Person specification (desirable)
● Prior pastoral/wellbeing role in a school, residential programme, or youth organization.
● Mental Health First Aid or equivalent training.
● Coaching qualification or demonstrated mentoring leadership experience.
● Experience supporting Community Engagement Learning reflection and managing pastoral risk across activities.
Qualifications
● Bachelor’s degree preferred (education, youth work, psychology, social work, counselling-related fields).
Applicants who meet the required qualifications and criteria are invited to submit their CV and a cover letter to pestalozzizambia@pestalozzi.international. Please clearly indicate the position you are applying for in the subject line of your email. Kindly note that supporting qualification documents are not required at this stage.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 3rd April, 2026.
