Senior Fellow, State Strategy

Catalyst Exchange seeks a strategic, results-driven, and entrepreneurial leader to serve as Senior Fellow, State Strategy. This is a pivotal moment for Catalyst Exchange: with significant philanthropic investment and established partnerships with multiple states, we are poised to deliver and scale a groundbreaking technical assistance (TA) initiative that helps executive-branch leaders strengthen systems for economic mobility and workforce development.

Reporting to the Vice President, Strategy & Services, the Senior Fellow will lead execution and scaling of Catalyst Exchange’s state partnerships, ensuring successful delivery, learning, and impact across states. This role will guide implementation of an existing multi-state initiative supported by philanthropy, while shaping cross-state insights, systems, and sustainability strategies to inform future phases of work.

This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of state government, philanthropy, and technical assistance and ensure Catalyst Exchange’s initiatives translate to measurable and lasting impact. The Senior Fellow will build on an existing foundation of funding, relationships, and early projects, translating momentum into measurable impact. The ideal candidate will bring a deep understanding of how states function, from budget cycle and procurement systems to implementation challenges and a strong grasp of economic mobility levers, especially those related to education and workforce alignment. They will use this sector expertise, along with deep experience in strategic planning, and strong customer engagement and communication skills to strengthen Catalyst’s work with and value proposition for state-level partners.

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE ROLE

State Engagement

• Serve as the trusted advisor to the state agency staff, particularly in scoping high-leverage technical assistance (TA) projects.
• Support the development of project pipelines and scopes aligned with each state’s policy priorities, budget constraints, and implementation timelines.
• Ensure smaller “satellite” projects are connected to broader strategies, sequenced thoughtfully, and scoped for success.

TA Infrastructure Design and Oversight

• Ensure states can deploy TA dollars efficiently, with clear systems for oversight, deliverables tracking, and milestone-based payments.
• Identify opportunities to braid philanthropic and public funding, enabling flexible and sustainable deployment of technical assistance dollars.
• Support provider vetting in partnership with Catalyst Exchange’s marketplace and services teams, with a focus on strengthening the pool of TA providers that serve state agencies.
• Monitor quality of matches and ensure strong project outcomes across diverse initiatives.

Strategic Thought Partnership

• Oversee data collection and synthesis of feedback from state leaders and TA providers at project midpoint and conclusion.
• Identify cross-state trends, challenges, and bright spots to inform strategy and enable peer learning across participating states.
• Work closely with internal and external colleagues to ensure coherence across state-level engagements, and broader Catalyst Exchange service strategy.
• Contribute thought partnership to strengthen internal systems and evolve Catalyst’s state-serving infrastructure beyond the BMP portfolio.
  

 Manage and Develop Direct Reports

• Coach and support direct reports, fostering a communicative, inclusive, results-driven culture that emphasizes learning and customer service.
• Support professional growth by aligning daily responsibilities with their job descriptions, growth goals, and the organizational strategy.
• Establish systems, structures, and recurring meetings to facilitate open communication, feedback, and coaching.
• Identify training and development opportunities aligned with individual growth areas.
• Set clear priorities and timelines, and proactively secure additional resources as needed to meet objectives.

By the end of your first three months, you will:

• Build trusted relationships with key stakeholders internal and external to Catalyst Exchange.
• Lead introductory briefings with at least 3 states to walk through the capacity advising model and project matching process.
• Finalize scope and support initial implementation of at least 4-6 early projects across states.

By the end of your first six months, you will:

• Drive early insight synthesis from Phase I midpoint feedback loops, sharing trends with BMP and key stakeholders.
• Partner on evolving TA wallet infrastructure and aligning satellite projects with broader state goals.
• Oversee the finalization of dashboards and systems that track satisfaction, wallet usage, and project milestones.
  

By the end of your first twelve months, you will:

• Oversee and support implementation across a portfolio of 10+ state-level projects.
• Contribute to design and launch of a sustainability strategy that enables wallet-based TA to continue to expand.
• Shape cross-state insight products that inform funders, state leaders, and the field.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

1. 10+ years of professional experience, including leadership roles in or advising state government, public sector innovation, education systems, or cross-sector partnerships.
2. Deep knowledge of state-level levers for economic mobility (e.g., workforce alignment, place-based strategies, cradle-to-career pipelines).
3. Consulting experience with state/federal bodies and knowledge of how contracts are structured.
4. Strong advisory and facilitation skills, especially with senior public-sector leaders and funders.
5. Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives involving contracts and data collection.
6. Comfort operating in ambiguity and building systems in start-up or pilot contexts.
7. Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with a learning orientation and commitment to equity.

SALARY, BENEFITS, AND LOCATION

• Compensation: This is a full-time, fixed-term position ending June 30, 2027 position with full benefits and retirement. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Salary range: $170,000 - $180,000.  Benefits include medical and dental insurance coverage, 403(b) with up to 5% match on base salary, and a generous leave policy.
• Preferred Start Date: ASAP
  Location: Catalyst Exchange works nationally. Team members can work from a U.S.-based location of their choosing. This position will interface with multiple stakeholders on the east coast and will need to be available to start work at 9 AM EST on occasion.
• Travel Requirements: Occasional travel, approximately 2-4 times per quarter, is required for attendance at in-person team meetings, convenings, and events.
• Physical Demands and Working Environment: The bullet points below are representative of the physical demands and working environment that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
  • Standard/remote office setting; proximity to office equipment that includes electronic devices.
  • Multiple people-facing meetings and interactions a day using Zoom or other video call software
  • Must remain at a workstation for at least 50% of the time; will need to use equipment that includes electronic devices.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit a resume and written responses to the following questions using this link:

1. What draws you to this role and how does it align with your career journey?
2. Tell us about a time you worked directly with senior-level public sector leaders. How did you build credibility, influence decisions, or navigate complex stakeholder dynamics?
3. Share an example of a moment when you had to balance diplomacy and assertiveness to "hold the room" with senior stakeholders during a critical moment. What did you learn from the experience?