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Professional Development Facilitator - SPARK Centre of Excellence - 2026

SPARK Schools Gauteng 20 days ago
Full-time
Education and Training

Purpose of Role:

SPARK Schools teachers drive scholar achievement by maintaining high expectations for classroom culture, behaviour and academic growth for all scholars. The Professional Development Facilitator is a permanent, Centre of Excellence (CoE)-based specialist with deep, expert-level command of the SPARK blended learning model, instructional practices and school culture standards. This person is responsible for designing and delivering the training pathway that takes educators through the CoE pipeline and certifies them as Tier 3 Educators - fully deployment-ready professionals equipped to be placed into schools across the network.

This is a permanent, network-level role based at the Centre of Excellence (Support Office). The Professional Development Facilitator does not carry a classroom of their own; instead, their classroom is every educator moving through the CoE pipeline. They are the custodian of instructional quality and consistency across all trainee, locum and newly-placed educators.

Owns the design, delivery and continuous improvement of professional development content aligned to the SPARK blended learning model.

Trains, coaches and assesses educators against the Tier 1 → Tier 2 → Tier 3 readiness framework, certifying only those who meet the standard for school placement.

Works closely with the Professional Development Manager, CoE Manager and school Principals to ensure trained educators are placement-ready and aligned to real school needs.

Acts as the network's subject-matter expert on instructional model fidelity, classroom culture and CQ (Character Quotient) delivery.

This is not a once-off training role. The Professional Development Facilitator builds and maintains a living curriculum, tracks each educator's readiness data over time, and is accountable for the quality of every educator who graduates from the CoE pipeline into a school.

Curriculum Design & Facilitation

Design, build and continuously refine the CoE training curriculum covering the SPARK blended learning model, instructional delivery, classroom management and assessment practice.

Facilitate pre-placement training and orientation sessions for all incoming Locum and Generalist Educators before deployment.

Deliver ongoing professional development sessions, workshops and learning sprints during non-deployment periods.

Model exemplary instructional practice, including live-teach demonstrations and co-teaching walkthroughs, so educators can see the standard, not just hear about it.

Develop training materials, facilitator guides, assessment rubrics and readiness checklists used across the CoE pipeline.

Tier 3 Certification & Educator Readiness

Own the Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 progression framework, defining the competencies, observations and evidence required at each stage.

Conduct classroom observations, provide structured feedback and coach educators through targeted improvement plans.

Assess and certify educators as Tier 3-ready: capable of independently managing a classroom, delivering the instructional model with fidelity and upholding scholar culture from day one of deployment.

Maintain accurate, up-to-date readiness records and progress data for every educator in the pipeline, sharing this with the Professional Development Manager and CoE Manager.

Provide input into placement decisions, flagging educators who require further development before being deployed to a school.

Professional Development & Centre of Excellence

Complete all pre-placement trainings and orientation sessions delivered by the Centre of Excellence before deployment

Attend professional development sessions and training on weekdays, weekends or school holidays, if applicable.

Attend scheduled professional development sessions during placement periods as directed • Actively engage with feedback from school leaders and CoE coaches and implement changes promptly

Demonstrate a growth mindset and a willingness to be trained across different school models and grade phases

Be trained progressively across all school contexts in the portfolio — building a deep understanding of each school's culture, instructional model, and scholar population so that each deployment is more effective than the last

Attend all scheduled CoE professional development sessions, workshops, and learning sprints during non-deployment periods

Instructional Model Expertise & Quality Assurance

Maintain deep, current expertise in the SPARK blended learning model, experience labs, online instruction platforms and personalized pathway instruction.

Partner with school leaders and CoE coaches to gather feedback on deployed educators and feed this back into training design.

Keep training content aligned to network-wide updates in curriculum, technology platforms, assessment requirements and child protection, anti-bullying, health and safety policies.

Support the design and administration of formative and termly assessment practice within training, so educators are proficient before they reach a live classroom.

Centre of Excellence Operations

Attend and contribute to CoE and Support Office team meetings, planning sessions and network-wide gatherings.

Communicate professionally with school leadership, the Support Office and educators in the pipeline. • Submit training attendance registers, certification records and readiness data as required.

Support Saturday events, parent community engagements or school open days where CoE representation is required.

Champion a growth mindset culture within the CoE, modelling the self-reflection and feedback orientation expected of every educator moving through the pipeline.

Requirements

Qualifications and experience

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications

Professional proficiency in English

B.Ed or PGCE degree (postgraduate qualification in Education Leadership, Curriculum Development or a related field advantageous)

SACE registration

Clear criminal record

A minimum of 4-5 years' classroom teaching experience, including demonstrated success within the SPARK Schools blended learning model or a comparable model

Prior experience in teacher training, coaching, mentorship or curriculum design is strongly preferred

Qualities:

Expertise: Deep, current mastery of the SPARK blended learning model and instructional best practice

Coaching Mindset: Ability to develop others through observation, feedback and modelling, not just instruction

Excellence: A track record of high personal and professional standards

Mission Alignment: A deep belief in the transformative power of quality education for every scholar

Discernment: Able to make fair, evidence-based judgement calls on educator readiness

Self-Reflection: Ability to receive and implement feedback without defensiveness, and to model this for others

Collaboration: A team-first orientation that places scholar outcomes above personal comfort or preference

Consistent and reliable

Warm, encouraging and approachable

Tech-readiness: Comfort with digital platforms, learning management systems, and educational technology