Position Summary

Are you an instructor who thrives in a collaborative and inventive environment?  Do you emphasize real-world experience and practical knowledge in your teaching?  Are you excited about preparing adults for meaningful careers in a high-demand industry?

Just A Start is seeking a Career Readiness and Exploration Instructor for our new, nine-week Biotechnology Career Accelerator Program.  This is a part-time, contract role for Summer 2025, with approximately 9 hours per week (3-5 hours of instruction, 1-2 hours of meetings, 2-3 hours student support).  The ideal candidate will be a seasoned educator with a commitment to experiential learning and comfort teaching adults from a wide variety of backgrounds.

The Career Readiness and Exploration course equips trainees with essential interpersonal and professional skills to support both career and personal development. It emphasizes key competencies such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, and time management while also offering practical job-readiness training, including resume writing, business communication, and mock interviews. Trainees develop skills in writing professional emails, presenting ideas clearly, and navigating workplace communication effectively. They also explore career pathways aligned with their interests and gain exposure to the industry through field trips and guest speaker panels, gaining valuable insights and networking opportunities to support their long-term career success.

Program Background

Just A Start’s mission is to promote equity by creating access to stable housing and building pathways to economic opportunity.  The Biotechnology Career Accelerator Program, a new nine-week program, provides adult students with education and training to obtain entry level positions in biotechnology and the life sciences.  Students learn workforce skills that are aligned with industry needs, as well as durable (soft) skills that are crucial for success in the workplace.

Classes will run Monday through Wednesday from June 23 to August 20, 2025.  Our students are a diverse group of adults, mostly ages 20-60, who are seeking a stimulating career and financial stability for themselves and their families.  Many are English language learners who completed most or all of their education in their home countries.  Most work at least part-time and care for children and other family members while in the program.

Position Details 

• Teaching dates: June 23-August 20, 2025
• Approximately 10 additional hours will be needed in the 2-3 weeks before classes begin for training on curriculum, scheduled based on availability.  Some of this training can be done online.
• Location: Just A Start, 430 Rindge Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140
• Work Hours: Classes meet Monday-Wednesday, 9:00am-2:00pm.  Exact teaching schedule of 3-5 hours will be determined based on instructor availability and program needs.  Other hours for meetings, prep, student support, etc. may be outside of this timeframe and generally flexible.
• Compensation: The total compensation for the 8.5-week program is $5,500, paid on a bi-weekly basis over the course of the program.

What You’ll Do 

• Teach 3-5 hrs/week Career Readiness course to a cohort of 20 students.
• Maintain appropriate classroom management while utilizing a variety of teaching methods and strategies to meet the needs of diverse adult student learning styles.
• Create lesson plans and assessment tools (exams, quizzes, project/portfolio assignments, etc.) and submit as required.
• Assess students’ learning outcomes and prepare progress reports for all students.   
• Recommend students in need of additional support services and tutoring. 
• Collaborate closely with other teachers and Just A Start staff to ensure that students’ career readiness skills are aligned with program learning objectives.
• Arrange opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and exposure to potential employers (speakers, lab visits, company tours, etc.)
• Participate in teaching staff and Adult Career Training staff meetings as required.

Who You Are and Keys to Success 

To be successful in this job, you will excel in four areas: 

1. Teaching: You have extensive teaching experience and have mastered a wide range of classroom tools and techniques, particularly in guiding students to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.  You have worked successfully with non-native English speakers and students with learning challenges.

2. Collaboration: You have collaborated with other teachers across disciplines to establish a shared vision of student success.  You are a team player who can adjust your curriculum to align class topics with students’ other course work when appropriate. 

3. Adaptability: You tailor your curriculum and lesson planning to the particular needs of your students.  You use various teaching modalities to help students master content.  You creatively use differentiated instruction to keep students at different skill levels engaged and stimulated. 

4. Cultural awareness and building rapport: You have experience working with underrepresented populations, e.g. immigrants, people of color, and/or individuals with low to moderate income.  You recognize systemic barriers related to race, class, gender, income, age, immigration status, and other identities.  You understand how cultural values can shape experiences in the classroom and the workforce.  You are skilled in making connections with students, other faculty, and staff, and you create a classroom environment where students can support and learn from each other.

Application Process

 This position will remain open until filled, but we encourage interested candidates to apply by May 5^th. 

• Step 1: Upload your resume and, in lieu of a cover letter*, please upload a 150–250-word statement responding to the following prompt. (A maximum of 45 minutes is anticipated to complete this requirement.) 
  • Prompt: Describe a time when you designed a curriculum or lesson plan with a specific student population in mind.  Describe the student population and explain how your curriculum or lesson plan addressed the needs and learning styles of that population. 

• Step 2: Interview with the hiring manager (30-45 minutes, via Zoom)
• Step 3: Brief teaching demonstration and interview with Adult Career Training staff (60 minutes, in-person)**
  • 15-minute teaching demonstration on a topic of your choosing related to career readiness (detailed instructions provided to candidates who reach this stage)
  • In the interview, we’ll ask about the choices you made in your demonstration and your experience related to the role.  We will leave time for you to ask questions as well.
• Step 4: Reference check and verification of prior teaching engagements
• Step 5: Background check via Chekr

* Please note that a cover letter is not required, though candidates may include one if they choose.  A response to the above writing prompt is required for a complete application.

**We may reach out to candidates after the interviews if there are any clarifying questions before proceeding with the reference check.

Qualifications

We expect that qualified candidates will have at least three years’ experience teaching adults.  However, we encourage you to apply if you have developed the “Keys to Success” listed above in other ways.  We especially encourage women, LGBTQIIA+, BIPOC, or those with disabilities to consider how they may have developed the skills needed for success in ways other than direct years of experience.

 Adult Career Training Program Values 

1. Student Centered- We center and inform our work with a holistic approach to our students.
   1. Trusting students as the experts in their own lives and supporting students in their version of success
   2. Each program participant is creative, resourceful, and whole
   3. Using a wraparound model of support
   4. Meeting students where they are at in their lives and academically
2. Quality-focused- We develop and continuously adapt our programming, policies and practices using stakeholder input to align with industry needs and standards.
   1. Using economic mobility metrics to set ambitious program outcomes
   2. Industry-aligned curricula
   3. Creating and using internal and external feedback loops
   4. Using data from program participants, industry and community partners to guide program design
3. Relationship-builders- We are committed to fostering meaningful impactful and reciprocal relationships with students, partners, and each other.
   1. Collaborating towards a shared vision of success
   2. Cultivating industry and community relationships that align with our values
   3. Recognizing and elevating the unique contributions of each individual
   4. Using generous assumptions to cultivate trust and connection
4. Learning Community- We view continuous improvement as an essential component of our program model and success.
1. Embracing discomfort and giving/receiving feedback to identify areas of growth in advancing our goals
2. Cultivating a growth mindset to learn new skills and think about things from a different perspective for our program participants and ourselves
3. Advancing team knowledge and skills through trainings, resources, and conversations to sustain best practices

About Just A Start 

Just A Start is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Our staff represents a wide range of ages, races, interests, and backgrounds coming together in pursuit of common goals. Together, we strive to provide an environment that values diversity and promotes an inclusive culture.  Applications from women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.