Senior BSLA Educator (Auckland/Wellington)

Te Kāhui Pā Harakeke| UC Child Well-being Research Institute
Te Kaupeka Ako | Faculty of Education
Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand 

• Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
• Fixed-term position until December 2026

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki te mahi a te Senior BSLA Educator? Nāia te pōwhiri nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai i te tūranga nei.

Āu Mahi | What You Will Do
We are inviting applications for an experienced educator to join the Child Wellbeing Research Institute (CWRI) as a Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) Educator. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a nationally impactful initiative that supports tamariki across Aotearoa through the implementation of the Better Start Literacy Approach -  a structured literacy programme grounded in the Science of Reading.

Based in Auckland or Wellington, you will work closely with schools across the North Island to support effective BSLA delivery. This includes modelling classroom practice, promoting and delivering professional learning workshops, and helping build teacher and school capability in structured literacy. You will also contribute to new BSLA initiatives and research projects, helping ensure teaching practices are responsive, and evidence based.

As part of this role, you will be expected to travel regularly each term to schools and regions across the North Island to support in-person engagement, coaching, and professional learning.

Mōu | Who You Are
You are an experienced primary teacher or literacy specialist with practical knowledge of BSLA and a passion for structured literacy. You're ready to hit the ground running, ideally having completed the BSLA micro-credential programme and worked in a school or cluster-level leadership role supporting literacy practice. You thrive in collaborative environments, have excellent communication skills, and are committed to equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive education for all tamariki.

You Will Bring:

• Completion of the BSLA teacher or facilitator micro-credential, with deep understanding of the BSLA framework in theory and practice
• Experience supporting teachers or schools to implement change in literacy pedagogy, ideally through coaching or leadership roles (e.g. Resource Teacher Literacy B, school speech specialist)
• Two years' experience in workshop facilitation skills
• Strong knowledge of structured literacy and evidence-based teaching practices aligned with the Science of Reading
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and manage travel between schools and regions
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with confidence in both face-to-face and online engagement

Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With
You will be working closely with a dynamic, interdisciplinary group of researchers as part of the CWRI team. The institute is where 'nurturing research excellence to support children's holistic well-being' takes place. You will be working closely with a dynamic, interdisciplinary group of researchers, teachers, speech-language therapists and other professionals as part of the Child Well-being Research Institute team.

For more information about our team, please visit us at Child Well-being Research Institute.

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC
Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can, and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

We offer a range of fantastic benefits including flexible work practices, study opportunities and generous superannuation and leave provisions. For more information, please visit us: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/work-at-uc/benefits-working-uc . For more information about Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/

The closing date for this position is: 20 July 2025 (midnight, NZ time)
Please note, applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may take place before the close date.

The salary for this position sits within the General Staff Collective Agreement and is - Band 5 ranging from $93,906 to $114,619.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply
Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to [email protected]

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency or hold a valid NZ work visa to be considered for this role.