ABOUT HEALTHY LEARNERS
Healthy Learners is an award-winning non-profit organization working to improve the health and learning of children across Zambia. We do this by making schools a reliable access point for healthcare—bringing essential services closer to where children learn and live. In partnership with the Government of Zambia, we’ve built a nationally scaling, government-led model that aligns with public systems and priorities. Our work strengthens collaboration between the Ministries of Health and Education and serves as a platform for delivering evidence-based programs that link schools to the broader health system.
Health education is at the heart of this model. Translating evidence into practical behaviors that keep children healthy and learning. We now seek a leader who can turn cutting-edge research, policy, and field insights into powerful, scalable content that works for teachers, administrators, Health Captains, and learners.
Today, we operate in 720 schools across all ten provinces, reaching over 1.1 million learners. We are proud recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation, the Duke F.M. Kirby Prize, and the Lipman Family Prize from the University of Pennsylvani —recognition of the impact and promise of our work.
ABOUT YOU
We’re looking for an experienced content systems leader who brings deep technical expertise in curriculum design, understands how to scale content, and thrives in cross-sectoral environments involving government and large-scale implementation. You are someone who blends strategic thinking with practical execution—able to connect the dots across research, policy, and implementation, and translate that into content that works at scale.
You lead with a mindset that is:
Humble – You listen well, ask thoughtful questions, and take feedback seriously. You value the work more than the spotlight and bring a mindset of growth and curiosity. You know how to work across teams, incorporate input, and keep learners at the center.
Hungry – You’re driven, focused, and energized by the chance to build content and solve problems. You raise the bar, look for ways to make our work better and faster, and move ideas from concept to execution. You care about quality, but you also care about getting things done on time.
Smart – You build trust quickly, know how to read a room, and create space for others to contribute. You know how to lead a small team effectively while collaborating across a larger one.
POSITION OVERVIEW
This is a unique opportunity to help build and strengthen a nationally scaling school health program in Zambia—one that already reaches over a million learners and is designed for long-term government ownership, with the potential for adaptation in other countries over time.
As Head of Content Development, you will be the architect and conductor of Healthy Learners’ entire content engine—owning the strategy, creation, and continuous improvement of all scripted health talks, training modules, and digital micro-lessons. You will set and steward a multi-year content roadmap anchored in national priorities and the organization’s growth plan. In parallel, you will design, prototype, and refine high-impact materials that draw on behavior-change science, digital learning, and AI-enabled workflows. Leading a small, high-performing team you will coordinate closely with government partners, M&E, Digital, and Program teams to ensure every lesson is field-tested, policy-aligned, and data-driven.
This role is ideal for a systems thinker who thrives on rapid experimentation and iterative design. It is a remote position based in Africa or Europe, with working hours that provide strong overlap with Zambia’s time zone to enable real-time collaboration with in-country teams. Periodic travel to Zambia is expected for co-creation, piloting, and team integration
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Content Strategy & Alignment
- Own Health Learner’s content strategy – developed in close consultation with cross-functional teams and grounded in evidence, national priorities, and Healthy Learners’ broader goals.
- Ensure content reflects national frameworks and is approved for use in schools and health facilities.
- Ensure coherence across channels (print, peer-led, e-learning, chatbots) through core-message frameworks and quarterly alignment forums.
- Create decision systems that use learner assessments, fidelity data, and research findings to guide what is improved, retired, or scaled.
Content Development & Innovation
- Lead the development, testing, and refinement of learner- and adult-facing materials, overseeing the full content lifecycle from initial design through rollout and iteration, and ensuring materials are effective, accessible, and scalable across user groups and geographies.
- Maintain a pulse on emerging health research and trends that will inform relevant adaptations to the program.
- Apply instructional design, behavior change theory, and evidence-based pedagogy to improve effectiveness.
- Adapt content for different delivery models and geographies in collaboration with internal teams and government partners.
- Partner with the Digital Team to translate priority lessons into low-bandwidth micro-learning modules, gamified quizzes, and chat-based coaching.
- Leverage AI tools (e.g., draft generation, localization, image creation) within a rigorous human-review framework to boost speed and consistency.
Testing, Iteration & Quality Assurance
- Inform content testing sprints: classroom pilots, teacher think-alouds, SMS/WhatsApp polls; feed insights into a live change log
- Define and track leading indicators (e.g; engagement, comprehension) and lagging indicators (e.g: behavior adoption) and in partnership with M&E, commission rapid A/B tests, adopting winning variants.
- Maintain a version-controlled single source of truth for every asset; archive superseded versions but keep them searchable for learning.
Team Leadership & Implementation Support
- Manage a lean, high-performing content team while coordinating across departments and with government partners to align execution with timelines, feedback loops, and national systems.
- Partner with field teams and government stakeholders to align timelines, coordinate rollout, and incorporate insights into content planning.
- Build systems for collaboration, version control, formatting standards, and accessible content libraries.
- Contribute to documentation of content-related innovations—what works, why, and how it can scale—within internal learning and decision-making systems.
SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, Public Health, or a related field.
- 7+ years leading curriculum or content development in education, health, or behavior change communication in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Track record of producing effective, engaging, and policy-aligned content at scale.
- Demonstrated mastery of instructional design, localization, and learner-centered methodologies.
- Hands-on experience with digital or blended-learning formats.
- Comfortable with digital tools for content development, design, and collaboration.
- Experience leveraging AI‑enabled tools to accelerate development while preserving strategic coherence and strong human oversight (preferred).
- Ability to lead teams, manage timelines, and drive multiple projects to completion.
- Commitment to Healthy Learners’ mission and a belief in the power of education to improve lives.
LOCATION: Remote (Europe or Africa)
