Mathematical Literacy Subject Specialist

The Mathematical Literacy Subject Specialist will play a critical role in executing Huddle’s Maths Literacy strategic vision by developing high-quality resources, assessments, and targeted gap-closing content for FET learners, most of whom have a complicated history with mathematics and need to experience it as something they can actually do.

Mathematical Literacy is not a consolation prize. Done well, it is a rigorous, real-world discipline that equips learners with the quantitative reasoning skills they need for life beyond school. This role is for someone who believes that deeply, and who can bring that conviction to every lesson script, assessment, and intervention they design.

The ideal candidate combines strong subject knowledge with genuine empathy for learners who have disengaged from mathematics and the instructional skill to bring them back. You understand that the barrier is often not ability but accumulated gaps, low confidence, and a lack of relevant context. You design for all three.

The role may evolve as Huddle’s FET programme expands.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Support the implementation and analysis of baseline assessments to identify foundational gaps in numeracy and mathematical reasoning
• Develop bridging content and intervention strategies that close gaps and rebuild learner confidence in working with numbers, data, and real-world contexts
• Design and script engaging, curriculum-aligned video lessons across the FET band (Grades 10–12) that ground abstract concepts in authentic, relevant scenarios
• Set rigorous formal and informal assessments that accurately test applied mathematical reasoning, not rote recall
• Analyse learner performance data and adapt content and interventions accordingly
• Contribute to or run targeted remediation programmes and numeracy bootcamps
• Spend regular time with teachers and in classrooms to stay close to the learner experience, surface real instructional challenges, and ensure content development is grounded in lived classroom reality
• Design and facilitate teacher professional development sessions and training that build capacity around Mathematical Literacy instruction, real-world contextualisation, and effective use of Huddle resources
• Conduct user observation with learners and gather feedback to improve content and delivery
• Review lesson plans and videos from colleagues and contribute to a shared definition of excellence
• Work closely with the broader academic team to align Mathematical Literacy content with Huddle’s pedagogical framework
• Maintain thorough project documentation and learning resources
• Assist in building tools, systems, and processes that improve the quality and reach of Mathematical Literacy education at Huddle
• Complete work on time with clear and regular communication

Education

• A BEd or PGCE with a specialisation in Senior and FET Phase Mathematical Literacy

Experience

• Preference will be given to candidates with 3 or more years’ teaching experience in a low- or no-fee school; all experience levels will be considered
• Demonstrated experience supporting learners with significant foundational gaps in numeracy and mathematical confidence
• Experience in curriculum design, lesson scripting, or instructional content development; experience designing for online or blended environments is advantageous

Knowledge

• Strong subject knowledge across all four Mathematical Literacy contexts in CAPS: Finance, Measurement, Maps/Plans/Other representations, and Data Handling
• Deep understanding of how prior mathematical failure shapes learner identity and motivation and how to interrupt that pattern through instructional design
• Strong grasp of real-world contextualisation as a pedagogical strategy: how to select contexts that are credible, relevant, and accessible to learners from under-resourced communities
• Familiarity with the challenges facing learners in low- and no-fee school contexts, including the social and economic realities that mathematical literacy is meant to address

Skills

• Instructional design: able to take abstract or procedural content and anchor it in real-world scenarios that make sense to a Grade 10-12 learner in a township school
• Gap diagnosis: able to identify not just what learners can’t do, but why, and to design targeted interventions that address root causes, not just surface errors
• Analytical: able to interpret learner performance data and make evidence-based decisions about content sequencing, pacing, and intervention design
• Communication: clear, warm, and precise; able to script in a voice that is accessible and encouraging without being condescending
• Collaboration: comfortable working across a team of educators, designers, and developers
• Project management: able to manage multiple content development workstreams simultaneously; comfortable with digital tools and content platforms
• Adaptability: willing and able to adjust scope, goals, or approach as Huddle’s programme evolves, and to do so without losing momentum

Personal Qualities

• Exceptionally strong mission alignment, genuinely motivated by improving outcomes for learners in under-resourced contexts
• Strong growth mindset; actively seeks feedback and uses it
• Passionate about Mathematical Literacy as a discipline in its own right, not as a fallback, but as a serious and valuable subject
• Deeply empathetic toward learners who have been failed by the mathematics system, without lowering expectations of what they can achieve
• Curious, analytically minded, and creative in the way you approach content and learner challenges
• Solutions-focused and proactive: you identify problems and bring ideas, not just observations
• Comfortable with ambiguity and change; energised rather than unsettled by an evolving scope

• Medical Aid Allowance: R500 per month
• Laptop Allowance: R200 per month, if using a personal laptop for work
• Bonus Leave: 4 additional days per year, subject to hitting targets set by your manager
• Birthday Leave: 1 additional paid day on ones birthday