Job Title: Education Officer – Children and Young People Team

Manager: Children & Young People Programme Manager

Job Location: Rathmines/hybrid

Contract: Full time, 12 month fixed term contract

About the Irish Heart Foundation

The Irish Heart Foundation is a community of people who fight to protect the cardiovascular health of everyone in Ireland. Together we are working to eliminate preventable death and disability from heart disease and stroke, and to support and care for those living with these life-changing conditions. We work to achieve this by:

• Caring for and speaking out for people in the community living with heart conditions and stroke, and their families.
• Innovating and leading in health promotion and prevention to change health behaviours and reduce cardiovascular risk.
• Building a nation of lifesavers through CPR training.
• Campaigning and advocating for policies that support people to live healthier lives.
• Information provision.

Our team currently is approx. 120 employees and over volunteers working towards the Foundation’s vision of a future where no hearts are broken by preventable heart disease.

The Role

Join the Irish Heart Foundation’s Children and Young People team to lead the development and delivery of impactful health promotion programmes in schools across Ireland. This role is central to scaling our Health Literacy Programme in DEIS schools, empowering children, families, and educators to improve long-term health outcomes and break cycles of disadvantage.

The Children and Young People team develops and runs national health promotion programmes for primary and post-primary schools. We co-design programmes and resources to meet the needs of children in Ireland, protecting their future health and empowering them with life skills. Through our programmes we train teachers to deliver best practice in areas including physical activity, wellbeing, PE and CPR.

This role requires a people-person with practical experience of scaling programmes, translating research and user needs into accessible programmes for teachers and schools.

You will lead the rollout of our Health Literacy Programme to 20 DEIS schools, developing teacher CPD, programme evaluation, and co-design with students and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Children & Young People Programme Manager to provide education expertise across primary and post-primary settings.
• Coordinate the national rollout of the Health Literacy Programme to 20 DEIS schools, including recruitment, onboarding, and support.
• Develop and deliver CPD training for teachers to build their capacity to integrate health education into classroom practice.
• Co-design easy-to-use materials for independent use by schools to support national programmes. Refine resources to support the relevant curriculum.
• Facilitate user testing and feedback loops with students, teachers, and families to refine programme materials and ensure cultural and contextual relevance.
• Apply learnings from school engagement to refine and develop practical resources that support wider programme delivery at scale.
• Collaborate with national stakeholders including health promotion experts, curriculum developers, and community partners.
• Champion student voice and participation as central to all programme development.
• Develop marketing packages for programmes with links to curriculum and teacher needs.
• Manage selected projects and activities as designated by the Programme Manager.
• Develop exemplars and case studies from school projects.
• Review guidelines and research to inform programme development.
• Provide expert guidance on national curriculum consultations.
• Create internal and external reports evaluating programme impact.

Skills and Experience Required

Education

• A relevant third level qualification. This role suits candidates from backgrounds including health, education and training, youth work or social science.
• Minimum 2 years demonstrable relevant practical experience.

Skills

• Experience developing and delivering training, including workshop facilitation.
• Proven experience working in educational settings, ideally with disadvantaged communities.
• Strong understanding of health literacy and health promotion concepts.
• Experience in programme evaluation using qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Creative mindset using iterative, user-centred approaches to programme development.
• Excellent communication skills – verbal and written.
• Strong administration and time management skills.
• Experience working directly with children, young people or families.
• Ability to translate complex health information into accessible educational content.
• Experience with co-design methodologies and participatory approaches.
• Strong skills in CANVA or similar design tools and PowerPoint.
• Digital proficiency including MS Office Suite and experience of digital learning platforms.
• Understanding of health inequalities and community development.
• Experience with curriculum-based programmes and education frameworks.
• Ability to represent the Irish Heart Foundation professionally.
• Full clean driving license and access to a car (desirable).

Details of Role and Application process

This is a fixed-term contract of one year, full-time.

To apply please provide an up-to-date curriculum vitae and cover letter outlining how you suit the post by email to Klara O’Malley, HR Manager. Email: hr@irishheart.ie

The closing date for this position is COB Friday August 1st 2025

The Irish Heart Foundation is an equal opportunities employer.

The Irish Heart Foundation has a strict no smoking policy.