Education Recruitment Consultant - Newport

Location: Newport

Salary: £35,000–£44,000 OTE

Type: Full-time

What We’re Building And Why

UK schools spend over £2 billion a year on temporary staff. But £600 million of that goes straight into the pockets of recruitment agencies, money that should be going back into classrooms and teachers’ pay. Zen Educate is an online platform that gives schools instant access to fully vetted teachers and support staff. Since launching in 2017, we’ve already saved schools over £30 million, that’s gone straight back to where it matters most. We’ve just closed a $37 m Series B, the biggest EdTech round in Europe last year, and we’re scaling fast in the UK and the US.

What This Role Looks Like In Practice

• Owning relationships with key schools helping them hire smarter and faster.
• Leading school leaders through recruitment processes with a consultative approach.
• Picking up the phone and building genuine relationships (yes, there’s outbound calling, but it’s about helping, not just selling).
• Collaborating closely with Sales, Ops, and our Tech team to make sure schools get the best possible experience.
• Rolling up your sleeves and diving into whatever’s needed.

Typical snapshot of what you might do in a week:

• Chat to a Headteacher about how they can save £10k this term by switching to Zen.
• Source a teacher who is a perfect match for your school.
• Follow up with a school already using Zen and find ways to expand their usage.
• Share feedback with our product team about what schools really need in the platform.
• Work with our Ops team to make sure a tricky booking gets sorted.
• Jump into a quick brainstorm with the team to improve how we build pipeline.

Who You Are

• Naturally enthusiastic and curious (we’ll train you on everything else!).
• Confident picking up the phone, handling objections, and building trust fast.
• Someone with a proven track record of hitting sales targets (or smashing similar KPIs).
• A team player who loves being part of a close-knit group.
• Passionate about having a positive social impact (bonus points if you care deeply about education).
• Someone with a growth mindset who always looks to learn and improve.

What You Might Like Or Dislike

You might love it if:

• You want a role where your work has a tangible social impact.
• You like fast‑paced environments where things are always evolving.
• You’re excited about the idea of working in a mission‑driven startup that’s scaling rapidly.

You might find it tricky if:

• You prefer highly structured corporate environments with fixed processes.
• You don’t like ambiguity.
• Sometimes we’re building the plane while flying it.
• Picking up the phone and having conversations with decision‑makers feels uncomfortable.

What’s in it for you

• Meaningful work – this isn’t just another SaaS tool; you’re literally helping schools save money and pay teachers more.
• Competitive salary and ownership in the company.
• 25 days holiday plus all UK public holidays.
• 1‑1 coaching to keep you growing personally and professionally.
• Life & Health Insurance, Cycle to Work Scheme, Electric Car Scheme.

How We Hire

• Quick chat with our recruiter – to get to know you and cover the basics.
• Role‑focused conversation – we’ll talk about how you approach account management, building relationships, and hitting targets.
• Commercial skills and culture interview with the team.
• We’re direct and transparent. If it’s a yes, great! If it’s a no, we let you know quickly.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion, where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated for their unique traits, experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and equitable environment where our team can thrive, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio‑economic status, disability, religion or beliefs. We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and different experiences and perspectives. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest pool and creating an inclusive culture where people’s voices are heard and all our team can look forward to coming to work.

This role is based full‑time at our Newport office and requires onsite attendance five days per week during term time. We encourage applications from candidates who live in or near the local area of this office, or plan on relocating.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analysing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgement. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.