Curriculum Design Contractor

Reports to: CEO

Engagement: Contract

Location: Remote, with periodic in-person collaboration in Austin, TX

Start Date: ASAP (targeting February 2026)

ABOUT LEAPYEAR

LeapYear is a 12-month leadership accelerator in Austin, Texas for high-achieving 18-20 year olds seeking a structured alternative to the traditional gap year. We integrate three core strands—Career Design, Leadership Development, and Spiritual Formation—into a cohesive experience that emphasizes formation over information. Our inaugural cohort launched in August 2025, and we're building curriculum and infrastructure to scale in the years ahead.

Our program draws on Stanford-inspired career design methodology, proven leadership frameworks, and Christian spiritual formation practices. We believe that Gen Z and Alpha have tremendous potential, but that the current pathway to adulthood leaves students under-formed and under-challenged. LeapYear Exists to change that.

WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT

• Reason 1: LeapYear believes education is less about information and more about practice and formation, so our approach is heavily experiential. We want everything we do to be directly applicable for students, so we prioritize building a curriculum that supports and challenges our students to go out into the world rather than huddle up with a laptop and click through modules.
• Reason 2: LeapYear has no grades. Students have to want to engage. That means every lesson needs to demonstrate its value immediately—through clear purpose, real stories, and quick wins.

If you love the challenge of making learning irresistible (not just compliant), keep reading.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for a Curriculum Design Contractor to transform our version 1 curriculum into a cohesive, polished, student-facing experience for our August 2026 cohort. Our current materials range from fully developed learning modules to loose session outlines—we need someone who can unify these into facilitator-ready guides and decks and a seamless student experience.

Each content area (Career Design, Spiritual Formation, Leadership Development) is led by an expert advisor who shapes learning outcomes and core ideas. Your role is to weave these pieces together—developing structure, flow, and clarity so the final materials reflect a unified learning journey. You'll work closely with our Advisors, CEO and Head of Operations to build something that a new team member could pick up and deliver to students with excellence.

A Unique Design Constraint: Because we don't use grades, every piece of curriculum must demonstrate its value to students quickly. Content has to sell itself through relevance, not compliance. This means baking in the "why" at every turn: stories of people using these tools successfully, quick wins students can get immediately, and clear connection to their actual goals.

The Scalability Vision: As LeapYear grows, curriculum needs to be clear enough that a new cohort director in a new city can pick it up and deliver it with excellence. We're building toward a flipped classroom model where students engage content independently and gather for facilitated design sessions and presentations. The curriculum you create will be the foundation for expansion beyond Austin, starting with a clear and cohesive version for our 2026 cohort.

DELIVERABLES

Phase 1: February–July 2026

• Cohesive curriculum architecture with clear learning progressions, thematic throughlines, and integration points across Career Design, Leadership Development, and Spiritual Formation
• A refined program syllabus that sequences learning effectively across the full 12-month experience, developed in collaboration with content advisors
• Memorable frameworks that distill complex content into sticky mental models students can deploy as decision-making tools for life—acronyms, visual models, and shortcuts that make key concepts stick even when students are "doing more than learning"
• Fully polished Q1 curriculum (August–October) including facilitator guides, presentation decks, student-facing challenges, and retreat content—materials complete enough that a new team member could deliver them without additional context
• Templates and style guide that establish consistent structure for remaining quarters
• LMS content strategy that maps how learning modules, challenges, and resources will be organized within a learning management system
• Simple outcome measurement approaches that track student transformation (growth mindset shifts, network expansion, confidence gains) without relying on traditional grades

Phase 2: August–October 2026

• Polished Q2–Q4 curriculum (November–July), staying ahead of live delivery
• Iteration and refinement based on what's working with the live cohort
• Continued LMS development as content is finalized

RESPONSIBILITIES

Curriculum Architecture & Framework

• Develop consistent structure and format for curriculum materials across all three focus areas (lesson templates, facilitator guides, participant materials, slide decks)
• Establish clear learning progression across sessions, ensuring key ideas build on one another and connect across disciplines
• Distill complex content into memorable, deployable frameworks students can use as decision-making tools for life—visual models, acronyms, or mental shortcuts that make key concepts stick
• Refine and improve the overall program syllabus in collaboration with content advisors
• Plan how curriculum content maps to an LMS structure, including module organization, student pathways, and resource accessibility

Instructional Design & Writing

• Translate advisor-developed content (outlines, notes, presentations, readings) into structured, learner-centered lessons
• Craft clear learning objectives, key takeaways, reflection prompts, discussion questions, and exercises that reinforce outcomes
• Build the "why" into every lesson—stories of real application, quick wins, and clear connection to student goals—so content demonstrates its value immediately
• Write or edit materials to ensure clarity, tone consistency, and pedagogical effectiveness
• Apply adult learning and experiential education principles to create interactive, engaging experiences

Outcome Measurement

• Help design simple approaches to measure student transformation that don't rely on traditional grades but demonstrate real impact
• Identify meaningful indicators (growth mindset shifts, network expansion, confidence gains, career clarity) and how to track them

Collaboration & Process Management

• Work closely with each content advisor (Career Design, Leadership Development, Spiritual Formation) to understand their material, voice, and goals
• Partner with the CEO and Head of Operations to ensure materials align with organizational goals
• Develop project plans and timelines to keep content production on track
• Facilitate feedback loops to review and iterate on materials before final delivery

Production & Quality Control

• Deliver final materials that are polished, proofread, and consistent in structure and style
• Ensure all learning experiences connect to stated learning outcomes
• Prepare materials for various formats (print, digital, presentation, LMS) as needed

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• 3 years of experience in curriculum design, instructional design, or educational program development
• Proven ability to take subject matter expert input and translate it into engaging, learner-ready materials
• Strong writing, editing, and organization skills
• Experience with adult learning principles, experiential learning, workshop design, or cohort-based learning environments
• Strong project management and communication skills; comfortable managing multiple stakeholders and timelines
• Deep familiarity with Christian spiritual formation traditions and the ability to write authentically within that framework
• Familiarity with LMS platforms and how curriculum content translates to digital learning environments

Strongly Preferred

• Experience in faith-based education, ministry, spiritual direction, or vocational discernment programs
• Experience in higher education, coaching, or professional development programs
• Hands-on experience building out courses in an LMS
• Design or layout experience (Canva, Figma, Google Slides, Notion, or similar)

WORKING STYLE

We're a collaborative and purpose-driven team that values clarity, creativity, and follow-through. You'll work independently but in close partnership with our content advisors and program staff. Regular check-ins and feedback sessions will guide the process while allowing creative autonomy.

We treat curriculum like a product that serves users (students), not a precious artifact. If something isn't landing with students, we cut it. Student feedback drives iteration. We're looking for someone who shares this mindset—curious about what's actually working, not attached to what "should" work. We strive not to have any darlings we can't kill.

We care deeply about mission alignment. You don't need to share our faith personally, but you do need genuine appreciation for spiritual formation work and the ability to represent it authentically in curriculum materials.

PROJECT SCOPE & COMPENSATION

Contract Period: February 2026 through October 2026

Estimated Hours: 20–25 hours/week (~700–875 hours total)

Contract Compensation: $50–85/hour based on experience

Phase 1: Feb-Jul 2026

• Architecture, syllabus refinement, Q1 polish, frameworks, LMS strategy, templates, outcome measurement design

Phase 2: Aug–Oct 2026

• Q2–Q4 polish, live iteration, continued LMS development

HOW TO APPLY

Please send the following to mackenzie@startleapyear.com:

• Resume
• A short cover letter introducing yourself and your experience with curriculum or instructional design
• Samples of relevant work (curriculum outlines, lesson plans, facilitator guides, or similar projects)
• A few sentences on your familiarity with faith-based or spiritual formation content
• Any questions you have about the role