Current Open Positions

Start date:

We are always accepting applications. Onboarding start dates are mutually agreed upon.

Who we are and what we believe:

Developed by Nancy Burns (Midwest Educational Consultants, Inc.) and Jacki Brickman (Jacki Brickman, Inc.), The Catalyst Approach is a comprehensive implementation model that includes a suite of courses, coaching components, leadership development, and systems support designs at disrupting patterns of confusion, frustration, and inequity for students and staff. Our strategic approach accelerates deep implementation of skills that lead to improved classroom and school leadership, relationships, and culture. The lasting relationships we build with our clients are a unique result of high-quality, everyday work and intentional interactions with the people we support that yield impressive results.

Our Mission:

Empower others to view themselves as leaders with a responsibility to learn and grow, while purposefully contributing to a culture where everyone is a catalyst to developing relationships and disrupting inequity.

Our Vision:

Every student is surrounded by leaders who understand, nurture, inspire, and support them.

Our Core Values:

⟡ Opportunities to lead are everywhere
⟡ Make connections
⟡ Be a champion of equity
⟡ Speak up
⟡ Persevere and problem solve
⟡ Serve and inspire
⟡ Set the bar high for quality services and meet it – every single time

What we offer:

Jacki and Nancy are lucky to have gathered a group of talented, creative, and driven humans who have dedicated their professional lives to helping living our mission and core values everyday as we collaborate with each other and our clients to make our shared vision for education become a reality. Compensation decisions are dependent on a wide range of factors, including but not limited to: experience in schools and education in general, experience implementing The Catalyst Approach, Catalyst Certifications, licensures, unique skill sets, and lived experiences. Most starting salaries align with a typical, mid-career teacher’s salary. Both teams offer retirement benefits, but unfortunately are not able to offer health insurance. A few of the things the team shares they appreciate the most:

⟡ Meaningful, challenging work that directly impacts students and educators
⟡ Personal time to foster a balanced life-style
⟡ Job-embedded professional development
⟡ Support to reach your goals
⟡ Personal connections with their coworkers
⟡ The collaborative nature of our work, with each other and with our clients
⟡ Being a part of the ongoing, applied research of The Catalyst Approach
⟡ Connections with educators
⟡ Supporting others in reaching their goals

What you’ll do:

⟡ Be inspired by the educators we serve.
⟡ Support students by providing the highest quality professional development to the adults who work with them, helping these adults become even better at what they do.
⟡ Provide engaging, high-quality Catalyst training, which includes transporting those large easels and poster bags in and out of schools, even in the snow.
⟡ Provide empowering feedback that supports growth. Yes, you get your own little chair.
⟡ Work year round. Yes, we work in the summer. June and August are some of our busiest times. We also occasionally work in the evening and on weekends.
⟡ Although you are with people all day, you’ll work independently most of the time. Your new team will only be a text away.
⟡ Evaluate implementation. This includes delivering difficult and disappointing information from time to time with compassion and honesty.
⟡ Travel. We go where the clients are… mostly around the midwest.
⟡ Occasionally lift and deliver boxes of books weighing up to 50 pounds.
⟡ Participate in professional development with your team as we push each other to learn and grow. You’ll set high, yet attainable, goals for yourself and meet them.

Who we are looking for:

⟡ You have an unyielding commitment to supporting others. You know one of the best ways to support students is through high-quality support of the adults who surround them. You are compassionate. Teacher bashers need not apply.
⟡ People trust you and you don’t let them down.
⟡ You believe in collaboration and at the same time you can thrive on your own.
⟡ You are a problem solver.
⟡ You embrace the responsibility to make things happen and you have a “go for it” attitude in order to get things done. This means you are willing to try new things, often before you feel ready to do it.
⟡ You appreciate a good plan and at the same time you are comfortable taking risks and thinking on your feet.
⟡ You like to laugh…at yourself and at life.
⟡ You have integrity. You can remain professional and keep information confidential.
⟡ You are kind and understanding. You give grace to those around you. 2 of 3
⟡ You are ambitious. You love to learn new things and are a high implementer. You are always looking for ways to refine your craft and you see feedback as an opportunity to grow.
⟡ You empower others. People feel better when they are around you.
⟡ You are creative. You can take a concept and deliver it in a way that people can understand and own it.
⟡ Our team’s creativity is fueled by curiosity and risk taking. You are comfortable with temporary ambiguity as we look for even more ways to disrupt patterns of confusion, frustration, and inequity.

What you’ve done:

Minimally-
⟡ Gone to college, earned your degree in education or social work, and have a license to use what you know in educational settings.
⟡ Worked in a school with students, for at least seven (7) years.
⟡ Participated in Catalyst training, felt energized by what you learned, and implemented the strategies into your work.
⟡ Worked with a variety of people and those people speak highly of you.
⟡ Helped out your colleagues (formally or informally) become even better at their work.

Even better if you have-
⟡ Implemented so deeply you’ve earned your Catalyst certification.
⟡ Committed to helping others and pushing yourself by becoming a Catalyst Demonstration Teacher.
⟡ Graduated from Catalyst Feedback Lab.
⟡ Worked in a variety of settings (buildings, grade levels, districts, etc.).

The finer details and next steps:

Send your application materials to Jessica Miller at: Jessica@TheCatalystApproach.com.

Along with a resume and cover letter, either separately or embedded, include the following information:
⟡ A bit about yourself that captures who you are, personally and professionally
⟡ Why you want to work with us
⟡ Your experience with The Catalyst Approach
⟡ If you are currently working, what you love about your current job
⟡ If you are interested in working most directly with Nancy’s team, Jacki’s team, or if you are interested in being considered for assignment to either team.

Confirmation of your application materials will be sent to you via email by Jessica within 2 business days. If you apply, and don’t receive a confirmation that means we didn’t get your application –please send it over again. All candidates selected for an interview will be notified via email. Scheduling initial interviews could begin as early as the applications are received. The position(s) remains open until filled.