Instructional Designer (Part-Time Contractor)
Curls & Texture U™ | Remote | Ongoing
About Curls & Texture U
Curls & Texture U (CATU) is a professional education platform built by a 28-year licensed texture specialist and second-generation salon owner. We exist because cosmetology schools failed textured hair. Most working stylists received little to no training in curl science, porosity, shrinkage, or the lived experience of clients with Type 3 and Type 4 hair. CATU closes that gap.
Our audience is licensed beauty professionals who are technically trained but undertrained in curls and texture. They are skeptical of generic online courses and highly responsive to real expertise, real results, and real respect for their time.
What We Are Building
We are developing our foundational signature course: the entry point into the full CATU learning ecosystem. This course establishes the baseline knowledge every stylist needs before advancing into certification, workshops, or specialty modules. It needs to be rigorous enough to earn credibility and accessible enough to serve stylists at multiple experience levels.
Content exists in outlines and notes. The subject matter expertise is deep. What we need is a learning architect who can take that raw material and build a structured, sequenced, and engaging course experience on Thinkific.
What You Will Do
Lead intake sessions with the founder to extract, organize, and pressure-test content
Build a full learning architecture: module structure, lesson sequencing, and learning outcomes
Write clear, measurable objectives for each module and lesson
Design knowledge checks and assessments that reinforce retention, not just completion
Develop a storyboard or course map the founder can review and approve before production begins
Advise on pacing, format variety (video, PDF, quiz, activity), and learner engagement strategy
Ensure the course structure supports a future pathway into CATU certification
What You Will Not Do
Write the subject matter content from scratch (the founder is the expert)
Design graphics or video production (separate scope)
Manage the Thinkific backend (handled internally)
What We Are Looking For
Proven experience designing online courses or workshop curricula for adult professional learners
Portfolio that includes creative industry, beauty, wellness, trades, or vocational education (strongly preferred)
Fluency with Thinkific or comparable LMS platforms
Strong intake and extraction skills: you know how to pull a curriculum out of a subject matter expert’s head
Fluency with the ADDIE framework (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate)
Excellent written communication and ability to work asynchronously
Someone who understands that stylists are busy, skeptical, and smart, and designs accordingly
Compensation and Commitment
Part-time, ongoing contractor engagement
Rate negotiable based on experience and portfolio
Project-based milestones with regular check-ins
Remote, flexible schedule
How to Apply
Submit the following:
1. Portfolio link or samples of online courses or curricula you have designed
1. At least one example that served a professional or vocational audience
1. Brief note (3 to 5 sentences) on your approach to working with a subject matter expert who has deep knowledge but limited time
We are not looking for the most polished proposal. We are looking for the designer who understands that the learner experience is the product.
Curls & Texture U is a platform under Hankerson Holdings LLC, Tampa, FL.
