Calibre Catalysts bring independent Positive Value Leadership learning to life through challenge, questioning, reflection and application. Every pathway a Catalyst is authorised to deliver must first be personally completed and passed.
Apply for current vacancy See the person specification How approval works Calibre Catalyst™ definitionIOWL learners complete substantial structured independent learning before live sessions. The Calibre Catalyst does not stand in front of the cohort and reteach the course. The role is to make the learning live.
A Calibre Catalyst™ uses approved IOWL activities to surface assumptions, compare perspectives, test judgement, explore consequences and help learners distinguish Capability, Competency and Calibre. The live session should deepen reflection and application without becoming a generic leadership-skills workshop, therapy, management consultancy or examination-coaching session.
When a learner says, “I learned to listen to my team better”, the Calibre Catalyst does not immediately teach a listening technique.
The Catalyst probes what changed in the learner's assumptions, judgement, values, conduct and use of existing competency - then helps the learner locate the Calibre dimension.
The role is active and intellectually demanding. It requires warmth and openness, but also the discipline to challenge assumptions and keep the learning connected to IOWL's controlled framework.
Use questions, comparison and dialogue to help learners examine what they noticed, why they interpreted it that way and what values or assumptions shaped their response.
Help learners distinguish what they know, what they can do and what has changed in the judgement, values, integrity and conduct governing how they use both.
Move from interesting discussion to future behaviour: what will the learner notice, judge, question or do differently when a similar situation occurs?
Use IOWL terminology and approved materials accurately. Do not replace PVL with a personal leadership model or create unauthorised derivative course content.
Explain assessment arrangements without coaching learners towards answers, disclosing examination content or turning tutorial activity into a model-answer exercise.
Communicate clearly across cultures, manage live online interaction confidently and maintain intellectual depth while adapting pace where concepts or language require it.
Calibre Catalyst™ is not a generic synonym for tutor or facilitator. It is an IOWL approval designation linked to the live-delivery scope for which the practitioner has been assessed.
| Approval | Meaning | Current delivery context |
|---|---|---|
| Core live-delivery approval | Approval to deliver shared sessions serving more than one professional pathway. | Induction & Orientation and shared Tutorial 1. |
| Calibre Catalyst™ (Foundation) | Approved to catalyse the dedicated Foundation live-learning experience. The practitioner must first successfully complete and pass Foundation. | Foundation FAC300 pathway-specific live delivery, subject to the current delivery architecture. |
| Calibre Catalyst™ (Keystone) | Approved to catalyse the dedicated Keystone live-learning experience. The practitioner must first successfully complete and pass Keystone. | Keystone KMC400 Tutorials 2 and 3, subject to the current delivery architecture. |
| Calibre Catalyst™ (Capstone) | Approved to catalyse the dedicated Capstone live-learning experience. The practitioner must first successfully complete and pass Capstone. | Capstone CFC500 Tutorials 2 and 3, subject to the current delivery architecture. |
| Calibre Catalyst™ | Unqualified designation reserved for a practitioner approved across all applicable pathways. The practitioner must have successfully completed and passed every pathway within that approved scope. | Full applicable IOWL live-delivery portfolio. |
Approval at one pathway does not imply approval at another. Associate, Senior and Lead may be used as appointment or responsibility descriptors; the protected core designation remains Calibre Catalyst™.
The strongest candidate is likely to be a reflective leadership practitioner who can catalyse adult learning. A career lecturer may fit the role, but academic status alone is not the qualification IOWL is looking for.
| Criterion | Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership practice | Substantial practical experience involving real responsibility for people, judgement, decisions and consequences. Holding a senior title alone is insufficient. | Cross-functional, international, public-service, higher-education, professional or system-level leadership experience. |
| Adult learning | Demonstrable ability to develop thinking through questioning, discussion, reflection and application rather than extended lecture. | Experience with leadership, ethics, professional-development, executive or postgraduate groups. |
| Judgement and values | Able to work credibly with values, integrity, judgement, responsibility, power, influence and consequence without becoming moralistic or simplistic. | Experience in governance, organisational culture, professional standards, ethics, integrity or complex decision-making. |
| Conceptual agility | Able to distinguish knowledge, practical competency and Calibre; comfortable with ambiguity and competing perspectives. | Familiarity with reflective practice, systems thinking, adult learning or values-led leadership approaches. |
| Communication | Excellent spoken English; able to explain abstract concepts clearly, listen closely and adapt pace for an international cohort. | Experience working across cultures and with learners using English as an additional language. |
| Digital delivery | Confident delivering live online sessions, including screen sharing, chat, breakout rooms and basic troubleshooting. | Advanced Zoom/Teams or online-learning experience. |
| Academic/professional standing | Degree-level education, substantial professional qualification or equivalent senior practice sufficient to command credibility with professional learners. Academic credentials do not substitute for leadership practice. | Relevant postgraduate qualification, teaching/facilitation qualification, doctorate or recognised professional fellowship. |
| IOWL pathway completion | Before authorisation, successfully complete and pass every IOWL pathway the practitioner will be approved to deliver. The course must be undertaken through the normal learner and assessment process so the Catalyst knows the content, activities, demands and learner journey from experience. | Relevant pathway already completed and passed at the point of application. |
| Integrity and discipline | Able to work within controlled content, confidentiality, assessment-integrity and IP boundaries; willing to be observed and calibrated. | Experience in regulated, professional, academic or quality-assured environments. |
| Availability | Able to deliver scheduled live sessions across international time zones, including occasional weekend delivery where required. | Capacity to support more than one annual intake. |
Appointment does not by itself confer Calibre Catalyst status. Authorisation is earned through pathway completion, IOWL orientation, calibration and observed practice.
When a Calibre Catalyst vacancy is advertised, selection begins with a vacancy-specific application: a professional profile or CV link where available, plus concise evidence addressing leadership responsibility, adult-learning approach, a judgement/integrity example and the advertised delivery scope.
IOWL reviews the evidence against the advertised requirements. Applicants IOWL wants to talk to further will be contacted directly about the next stage; submission itself does not guarantee progression to a selection conversation.
A structured conversation and a short learner scenario in which the applicant must catalyse reflection rather than deliver a mini-lecture.
Before pathway-specific authorisation, personally undertake the normal IOWL learning and assessment journey and successfully pass the pathway to be delivered. Approval across multiple pathways requires successful completion of each relevant pathway.
Institutional purpose, PVL architecture, Capability / Competency / Calibre distinction, policies, assessment-integrity boundaries and digital delivery environment.
Review approved delivery packs and current session materials, and observe current live or recorded delivery where authorised. Before each intake, remain current with substantive course revisions.
Co-delivery or an observed first session, with feedback against the IOWL Calibre Catalyst standard.
Formal approval for the relevant route(s), followed by periodic observation and recalibration. Passing the course does not itself create Catalyst status; the pathway qualifier reflects the scope actually approved.
1. The leadership contexts in which you have carried real responsibility.
2. How you develop adult learning without turning a live session into a lecture.
3. An example where sound judgement or integrity mattered as much as technical competence.
4. The IOWL delivery scope you believe your experience equips you to support.
Prospective Calibre Catalysts should understand the purpose and level of the IOWL pathways they may be approved to support. Before authorisation they must also successfully complete and pass each pathway within their intended delivery scope.
Review this role profile and the advertised vacancy requirements before submitting the vacancy-specific application. IOWL will contact applicants it wants to talk to further about the role.
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