Technical Lead

Horizon Bridge Consulting (HBC) is a consulting and implementation firm delivering education, skills and livelihoods programmes that connect young people to real economic opportunity. HBC is delivering the Digital Skills Programme (YDS), a large-scale digital skills training and internship initiative that equips young Afghan women and men aged 15 to 24 with market-relevant digital skills across six career pathways, alongside life skills and direct links to employment, freelancing and enterprise. The programme is delivered in Kabul, Herat and online, with a strong commitment to reaching young women and underserved communities.

The Technical Lead is the senior technical authority for the programme. The post-holder is accountable for the quality, market relevance and consistent delivery of training across all six pathways, for the calibre and continuous development of the training team, and for embedding practical, hands-on, AI-enabled learning that translates directly into employability. This is a hands-on leadership role for a senior practitioner who can set the technical standard, coach trainers to meet it, and keep the curriculum aligned with what the labour market and clients actually require.

The post-holder will combine deep technical credibility with strong people leadership, working closely with the Project Manager, the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Officer, and the Employment and Partnerships Officer to ensure learners complete the programme job-ready.

Key responsibilities

Curriculum and technical oversight. Lead the technical implementation of all six pathways: Web Development and Coding (P1), Digital Marketing and Content Creation (P2), E-Commerce and Online Freelancing (P3), Data Analytics and Financial Technology (P4), AI Tools and Digital Services (P5), and Impact Sourcing and Diaspora Services (P6). Maintain rigorous quality standards across lesson plans, practical exercises and assessments, and review course materials regularly for relevance, accuracy and impact.

AI integration across the programme. Drive the cross-cutting AI component embedded in every pathway. Ensure that prompt engineering, AI-assisted workflows and practical automation (for example using tools such as Zapier or Make) are taught effectively and applied in real tasks. Maintain current, working knowledge of the latest AI developments and translate them into practical, context-appropriate teaching.

Team leadership and mentorship. Support the recruitment, onboarding and ongoing mentoring of Lead Trainers and Teaching Assistants. Coach instructors to deliver the programme’s practice-heavy model, in which roughly two thirds of contact time is hands-on, so that learners build genuine confidence and competence rather than theory alone.

Technical capacity development. Run regular capacity-building sessions for the training team to keep their skills current, with particular attention to AI literacy, new tools and platform updates.

Market alignment and certification. Align each pathway with recognised industry certifications. Ensure capstone projects and learner portfolios reflect real client needs, including diaspora digital services and e-commerce operations, so graduates leave with demonstrable, employable work.

Standards, value for money and reporting. Guide the efficient use of resources and cost-effective delivery, uphold quality assurance across the programme, and report on technical delivery and quality to the Project Manager.

Reporting line

The Technical Lead reports to the Project Manager and works closely with the MEAL Officer and the Employment and Partnerships Officer. The post-holder provides technical supervision to the Lead Trainers and Teaching Assistants.

Qualifications and experience

Key skills and competencies

–     Strategic decision-making and sound technical judgement.

–     People leadership: the ability to recruit, mentor and raise the performance of a training team.

–     Complex problem-solving under real-world constraints.

–     The ability to translate technical concepts clearly for non-technical stakeholders.

–     A strong commitment to quality, learner outcomes, and inclusion, including the meaningful participation of women and people with disabilities.

Interested and qualified candidates should submit a curriculum vitae and a short cover letter (maximum one page) explaining their suitability for the role, with particular reference to their technical breadth and AI experience. Candidates may also include a link to a portfolio, GitHub profile, or examples of previous work.

Please quote the vacancy number HBC-YDS-2026-TL-01 in the subject line of your email. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early application is encouraged. HBC is an equal-opportunity employer; women and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.