Instructional Coach | Curriculum Coordinator Leadership Role

Job overview

Instructional Coach | Curriculum Coordinator Leadership Role

Location: Hypha International School, Sintra, Portugal

Type: Full-time

About Hypha

Hypha International School is a nature-immersive school nestled in the heart of the Sintra Natural Park. Through a holistic approach we empower children to become innovative thinkers and compassionate leaders who shape a better future.

We are expanding, and looking for a pioneering educator and leader to join our team as an Instructional Coach and Curriculum Coordinator with deep understanding of mastery approach to learning, PBL best practices, and core academic excellence. This leadership role is critical to building teaching capacity and ensuring that Hypha’s curriculum is both innovative and rigorous across years.

Who You Are

You are an experienced educator, coach and leader with a strong command of core subjects (English, Math, Science), and a belief in education that prepares children not only to succeed, but to lead. You are a systems thinker who can zoom in to support individual teacher growth, and zoom out to coordinate a curriculum that connects deeply with the real world.

This role is well suited to early-career school leaders, vice principals, assistant heads, or instructional leaders who are ready to deepen their impact while continuing to grow into whole-school leadership.

At Hypha, the Instructional Coach and Curriculum Coordinator works closely with the leadership team, gaining hands-on experience in school building, not just classroom improvement. You will have meaningful exposure to:

·       School-wide curriculum design and strategic decision-making, including accreditation alignment and long-term program development

·       Teacher leadership and adult learning, building coaching capacity, trust, and instructional excellence across the school

·       Systems-level thinking, balancing innovation with rigor, structure, and sustainability in a growing school

·       Educational change leadership, contributing to the evolution of an expanding international school from an early stage

This role allows you to lead through pedagogy, shaping excellence in teaching and learning.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Instructional Coaching and Teacher Mentoring

• Provide 1:1 and team-based coaching to teachers to strengthen their instructional practices.

• Offer actionable, non-evaluative feedback aligned with PBLWorks’ Gold Standard PBL and Hypha’s educational philosophy.

• Model or co-teach lessons as needed and support classroom-based professional learning.

• Support subject-specific pedagogy in English, Math, and Science to ensure conceptual depth and academic rigor and real-life application.

2. Project-Based Learning and Pedagogical Leadership

• Co-plan interdisciplinary PBL units that are standards-aligned, child-centered, and grounded in real-world inquiry.

• Lead tuning protocols, feedback sessions, and planning cycles with teaching teams.

• Guide implementation of PBL teaching practices across all year levels, including scaffolding inquiry, reflection, critique, and collaboration.

• Ensure outdoor learning is meaningfully integrated into PBL units, core subject instruction, and assessment practices rather than treated as an “add-on.”

• Guide the development of sustainability-focused learning experiences aligned with real-world environmental, social, and ethical challenges.

3. Curriculum Coordination and Alignment

• Oversee the development, coherence, and vertical alignment of Hypha’s curriculum across pre-primary and primary.

• Ensure a balanced, integrated program of study that meets accreditation requirements and internal standards while allowing for authentic, experiential, and project-based exploration.

• Maintain and evolve scope and sequence documents, curriculum maps, and assessment plans.

• Facilitate regular reviews of student work and learning data to drive continuous improvement.

• Stay abreast of curriculum innovations, research, and PBL trends to inform school-wide strategy.

4. Professional Learning and School Culture

• Design and lead high-impact professional development sessions and PLCs.

• Foster a culture of inquiry, equity, and collaboration among staff.

• Support onboarding and mentoring of new teachers.

• Contribute to school-wide strategic planning and innovation initiatives.

5. Champion a Culture of Inquiry, Wellbeing and Equity

• Advocate for learner-centered, inclusive practices that prioritize student voice, wellbeing, and agency.

• Help teachers use data to drive instruction, reflection, and responsive support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Education and qualified teacher status (or equivalent certification)

• Minimum 5 years teaching experience in primary education (Year 1–6)

• Deep expertise in at least two core subjects (English, Math, Science); ability to support all three

• Demonstrated success designing and leading PBL units

• Prior experience as an instructional coach, mentor, team leader, or curriculum coordinator

• Deep understanding of child development, formative assessment, differentiation and personalized instruction

• Training with PBLWorks or other high-quality PBL organizations is highly desirable

• Strong interpersonal skills; excellent written and verbal communication

• Experience managing curriculum documents, standards alignment, and instructional planning tools

What We Offer

• A collaborative, mission-driven team of educators

• Professional development tailored to your growth as a coach and leader

• Daily immersion in one of Europe’s most stunning natural environments

• Competitive salary, relocation support, and benefits