SPARK Support/Head Office Vacancies – 16 September 2026

To apply, click on the link at the end of the posts and all the best with your applications

Financial Analyst – SPARK Schools Support Office – 2026

About SPARK Schools

SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of accessible private schools. The SPARK Schools network provides transformational education innovation through a personalised learning model approach, tailored to each scholar,  which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively. 

The personalised learning  model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalised education at an accessible price point. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools, 5 high schools and serving 17,000 families in 2026. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

Requirements

Purpose of Role:

The Financial Analyst supports effective financial decision-making across SPARK Schools by providing accurate financial analysis, forecasting, modelling and performance insights. The role partners with Finance and operational stakeholders to understand financial performance, identify risks and opportunities, and support decisions that improve the financial sustainability and operational effectiveness of the organisation.

The Financial Analyst plays a key role in the budgeting and forecasting processes, analyses school and organisational performance against plan, develops financial models and business cases, and translates complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insights for management.

Reports To: Senior Financial Manager

Responsibilities:

• Support the annual budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning processes across SPARK Schools.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial forecasts incorporating actual performance and updated operational assumptions.
• Analyse actual financial performance against budget, forecast and prior periods and clearly explain material variances.
• Assist the Financial Manager with the external audit process, including the preparation of audit working papers, review and preparation of financial statements, and preparation of technical IFRS documentation.
• As and when required, conduct internal financial audits of the Finance Department, its processes and policies, with a focus on corporate governance, compliance, internal controls and risk mitigation.
• Prepare high-quality monthly management reporting and financial analysis for Finance leadership, Executive Committee and other stakeholders.
• Analyse financial performance at school, regional, business unit and organisational level.
• Monitor and analyse key financial drivers including enrolment, revenue, collections, payroll, operating expenditure and capital expenditure.
• Develop and maintain financial models to support strategic and operational decision-making.
• Prepare financial business cases, scenario analyses, sensitivity analyses and investment evaluations.
• Analyse school-level economics and develop benchmarks to identify financial risks, opportunities and performance improvement opportunities.
• Partner with budget owners and operational leaders to strengthen financial planning, accountability and decision-making.
• Conduct cost and efficiency analysis and identify sustainable opportunities to improve financial performance.
• Support short- and medium-term cash flow forecasting and analysis.
• Develop dashboards and analytical tools that improve visibility of organisational financial performance.
• Work collaboratively with Finance, Business Intelligence and Data teams to improve the quality and automation of financial reporting.
• Ensure financial analysis is supported by accurate, complete and reliable data.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and support strategic projects as required by Finance leadership and the Executive Committee.
• Continuously improve financial models, reporting processes, systems and analytical methodologies.

Qualifications:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Management Accounting or a related discipline.
• CA(SA) professional qualification.
• Strong financial accounting and financial analysis capability.

Advantageous:

• Postgraduate qualification in Finance, Accounting or related discipline.

Experience

• 3–5 years’ relevant experience in financial analysis, FP&A, management accounting or commercial finance.
• Demonstrated experience preparing budgets, forecasts and management reporting.
• Strong experience analysing financial performance and explaining variances.
• Demonstrated financial modelling experience.
• Experience working with large and complex financial datasets.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability.
• Experience working with SAGE ERP, financial reporting or planning systems.
• Experience developing dashboards using Power BI or similar tools would be advantageous.
• Experience within a multi-site, education, retail or similarly distributed operating environment would be advantageous.

Skills and Mindset

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Maintains confidentiality and demonstrates high levels of integrity.
• Strong organisational, analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Self-motivated, with a willingness to learn new concepts and participate in new projects.
• Able to manage, guide and lead employees to ensure appropriate financial processes are followed.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Demonstrates resilience, adaptability and strong execution in a fast-paced, high-output environment, consistently maintaining a high standard of delivery despite competing priorities, capacity constraints and evolving systems and processes.
• Displays grit, a high level of excellence, alignment with SPARK’s mission and vision, and a high level of self-reflection (GEMS).

SPARK Values: Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, Kindness

Benefits

SPARK offers:

• fair market linked remuneration
• performance-based annual bonuses and increases
• above average/good annual leave
• life, disability and funeral cover
• employee wellness support
• educational support & study leave
• individualised professional development, support and mentorship
• employee discount on school fees
• opportunities for career growth

Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

Position Type: Full Time

Location: Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

SPARK schools is an equal opportunities employer and preference will be given to candidates from designated groups with due consideration of the company’s Employment Equity goals and targets.

SPARK schools encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

SPARK Schools may expire the posting of this advertisement at their own discretion.

Kindly note that should you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Click here to apply

Senior Software Developer (FTC) – SPARK Schools Support Office – 2026

SPARK stands for: Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, and Kindness. 

We are a high-growth, mission and values-driven entrepreneurial network of private schools, operating 21 primary schools, 5 high schools and serving over 16,000 families. Our model pioneers an accessible, future-focused approach that challenges the traditional one-size-fits-all schooling model. In a world of AI and rapid technological advancement, we focus on our scholars’ social-emotional development, creating better, more capable humans, not just academic performance. Our academics are underpinned by a blended tech-enabled and project-based curriculum, giving teachers the tools and data-backed insight to be responsive to individual scholars’ needs.

In the future of work, it’s those who can adapt quickly, think critically, work creatively, and handle conflict diplomatically who will succeed, whether in academia, employment, or entrepreneurship.

What SPARK Offers you:

At SPARK, we invest in the people who invest in us. When you join our team you can expect Recognition & Fair Reward, valued today, rewarded fairly over time; Growth & Learning, the chance to learn, stretch and grow as SPARK grows; Leadership You Trust, an environment where you are led well and heard; a Culture of Belonging where people truly matter; Purpose with Impact, work that shapes futures that matter; the energy of High Performance Teams where ambition meets pace; and Pride in Product & Innovation, the chance to build something exceptional.

Purpose of the role:

SPARK’s technology ecosystem, spanning a scholar information system, CRM, ERP, and multiple integrated platforms, is the operational backbone of a 26-school network. That ecosystem must be scalable, secure, and reliable. The Senior Software Developer exists to ensure it is architecting solutions that meet SPARK’s current needs, designing for future growth, and building a development team that can sustain and extend that infrastructure.

SPARK believes that software excellence is a multiplier, well-built systems reduce administrative burden, enable data-driven decisions, and free teachers to focus on scholars. This role makes software excellence a consistent standard through architectural rigor, quality code practices, and a team culture where every developer grows.

Reports To: Head of IT

Requirements

Responsibilities:

• High-quality, scalable software solutions are designed and delivered on time meeting both technical standards and SPARK’s operational requirements across core systems.
• SPARK’s software architecture is robust, secure, and capable of supporting the growth of a 26-school network with technical debt tracked and addressed each sprint.
• Junior developers grow in capability and confidence through structured mentorship, constructive code reviews, and consistent technical guidance.
• Code quality standards are set, enforced, and continuously improved with defect rates and production incidents trending downward quarter-on-quarter.
• Technical documentation for all major systems, APIs, and architectural decisions is current, complete, and accessible to the full development team.

What we are looking for:

SPARK is high-expectations, high-support, and high-pace. You will thrive here if you are:

• SPARK is high-expectations, high-support, and high-pace. You will thrive here if you are:
• Architecturally minded, you design for scalability and maintainability, not just immediate function.
• A natural mentor: you find genuine satisfaction in a junior developer’s growth, not just in your own technical achievement.
• Quality-obsessed: you hold the whole team to the same standard you hold yourself, and you do it through coaching, not criticism.
• Stakeholder-fluent, you translate complex business requirements into technical solutions without condescension.
• Proactive about technical debt: you track it, prioritise it, and resolve it per sprint, you do not let it accumulate.
• Mission-connected: you understand that the systems you build directly shape how 16,000 scholars experience their education.

Qualifications and Criteria:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and criteria:

• Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field; or equivalent demonstrated professional experience
• Registration: Not applicable
• Experience: Minimum 7–10 years in software development with at least 2 years in a senior or technical lead role; multiple languages and frameworks required
• Language: Strong command of English (written and spoken)
• Criminal Record: Clear criminal record, SAPS clearance certificate required

Ready to work at SPARK?

If you are the developer who gets more satisfaction from a junior developer’s breakthrough than from a personal technical win and you also architect systems that last, SPARK wants you leading our development team.

Apply now and help us build the future of Africa’s education landscape.

Values: Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, Kindness

Benefits

SPARK offers:

• fair market linked remuneration
• performance-based annual bonuses and increases
• above average/good annual leave
• life, disability and funeral cover
• employee wellness support
• educational support & study leave
• individualised professional development, support and mentorship
• employee discount on school fees
• opportunities for career growth

Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

Position Type: FTC – 1 Year

Location: Randburg, South Africa

SPARK schools is an equal opportunities employer and preference will be given to candidates from designated groups with due consideration of the company’s Employment Equity goals and targets.

SPARK schools encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

SPARK Schools may expire the posting of this advertisement at their own discretion.

Kindly note that should you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Click here to apply

Professional Development Facilitator – SPARK Centre of Excellence – 2026

SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provides transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their scholars effectively. 

The personalized model, which combines direct, peer collaboration and online instruction, allows educators to evaluate the needs of scholars and equips schools to provide personalized pathway instruction at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all. 

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools and 5 high schools and serving over 17, 000 families in 2026. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

Reports To: CoE Manager / Head of Professional Development 

On-site reporting: Centre of Excellence (Support Office) – permanent placement, not deployed to schools

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

Values: Service, Persistence, Achievement, Responsibility, Kindness

Benefits

SPARK offers:

• fair market linked remuneration
• performance-based annual bonuses and increases
• above average/good annual leave
• life, disability and funeral cover
• employee wellness support
• educational support & study leave
• individualised professional development, support and mentorship
• employee discount on school fees
• opportunities for career growth

Compensation: Market Related

Locations: Gauteng

• SPARK Support Office

Position Type: Full Time

SPARK schools is an equal opportunities employer and preference will be given to candidates from designated groups with due consideration of the company’s Employment Equity goals and targets.

SPARK schools encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

SPARK Schools may expire the posting of this advertisement at their own discretion.

Kindly note that should you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Click here to apply

Sales and Credit Control – Operations Manager – SPARK Schools Support Office

SPARK Schools is a social impact disruptor and is leading change in the education space through its network of affordable private schools. The SPARK Schools network provides transformational education innovation through Africa’s first blended learning model, which elevates student achievement and provides the tools teachers need to serve their students effectively.

The blended learning model, which combines classroom teaching and online instruction, allows teachers to anticipate student needs and equips schools to provide personalized education at an affordable cost. SPARK Schools is pioneering this transformative education model to ensure the accessibility of university and careers for all.

SPARK Schools has a culture of collaboration, because getting South Africa to lead global education takes a team effort. We are innovators who strive for excellence through persistence and a sense of urgency to achieve SPARK Schools’ vision, mission and social transformational objectives. Our work environment is vibrant/cheerful, fast-paced/dynamic, engaging/stimulating, tech-enabled and data driven.

SPARK Schools is a high growth, mission and values-driven, entrepreneurial organisation, operating 21 primary schools and 5 high schools and serving over 18,000 families in 2025. We are looking for dynamic people to join our team.

SPARK values: Service, Persistence, Achievement,  Responsibility, Kindness

ABOUT THE ROLE

Purpose of the role:

The Operations Manager – Sales & Credit Control is responsible for optimizing the full enrollment pipeline and school fee collections process. This role ensures operational efficiency, enhances the customer experience, and supports financial sustainability. Leading cross-functional teams, the incumbent will drive scholar enrolment growth and ensure timely and effective collections, contributing directly to cash flow improvement and the broader strategic objectives of SPARK Schools.

Reports to: Head of Sales & Credit Control

Responsibilities:

• Own and drive the achievement of Sales, Collections, customer service, and operational performance targets.
• Develop and implement monthly operational plans and recovery strategies where performance falls below agreed targets.
• Analyse operational data, identify trends, performance gaps, and root causes, and translate insights into actionable business improvement initiatives.
• Monitor and optimise the end-to-end enrolment pipeline, ensuring effective lead management, pipeline health, conversion performance, and resource utilisation.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve collections performance, reduce arrears, and maximise cash flow through proactive engagement and structured interventions.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of sales and collections campaigns, measure return on investment, and use performance insights to optimise future initiatives.
• Identify operational risks that may impact enrolment, revenue, customer experience, or service delivery, and implement appropriate mitigation plans.
• Drive continuous improvement by reviewing business processes, identifying inefficiencies, and implementing sustainable operational enhancements.
• Ensure operational decisions are supported by accurate reporting, performance analysis, forecasting, and business intelligence.
• Present operational performance reviews, business insights, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership to support informed decision-making.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Finance, Schools, Customer Experience, and other business functions to improve operational outcomes and achieve organisational objectives.
• Champion a culture of accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making across the Sales and Credit Control teams.
• Ensure team leaders are effectively coached, performance-managed, and held accountable for achieving individual and team performance objectives through regular one-on-one engagements and structured performance reviews.
• Foster innovation by identifying opportunities for automation, digital adoption, and process optimisation to improve efficiency, scalability, and the customer experience. 

Requirements

Qualifications and Criteria:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications and criteria:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Education Management or equivalent.
• Certification in project management, leadership, or financial operations is advantageous.
• 5+ years in operations, sales, credit control, or revenue management (preferably in education or services sector).
• Minimum 3 years call centre management experience.
• Proven success in enrolment/sales pipelines, improving collections performance and meeting and exceeding targets

Key Attributes:

• Results-driven and process-oriented.
• Excellent communicator and team motivator.
• High integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
• Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Commercially minded and customer-focused
• Highly organised and proactive
• Calm under pressure with strong problem-solving ability
• Integrity and discretion in handling sensitive information

Benefits

SPARK offers:

• fair market linked remuneration
• performance-based annual bonuses and increases
• above average/good annual leave
• life, disability and funeral cover
• employee wellness support
• educational support & study leave
• individualised professional development, support and mentorship
• employee discount on school fees
• opportunities for career growth

Remuneration: Market Related.

Position Type: Permanent/Full Time

Location: Randburg, Gauteng

SPARK schools is an equal opportunities employer and preference will be given to candidates from designated groups with due consideration of the company’s Employment Equity goals and targets.

SPARK schools encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

SPARK Schools may expire the posting of this advertisement at their own discretion.

Kindly note that should you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Click here to apply

We wish you all the best with your applications