If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Professional 309

Pay Range: $80,300.00 – $120,400.00

Job Description

Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) and mentor to instructional designers (IDs), functioning as a senior instructional designer while leading the integration of innovative course features and learning design practices. This role ensures the timely and effective incorporation of emerging instructional technologies and methodologies, including user experience, into course design and content development. Is the primary point of contact for “how-to” inquiries and is responsible for documenting and disseminating best practices. This role also plays a key leadership position in exploring, innovating, and establishing best practices in the Generative AI space and relevant technologies to enhance instructional design and content development.

This role is critical in bridging the gap between instructional design expertise and the adoption of cutting-edge educational technologies, ensuring instructional designers are well-equipped to create engaging, effective, and forward-thinking learning experiences. This role is also responsible for leading cross-functional collaboration with assessment designers, visual designers, and other university stakeholders to ensure cohesive, high-quality, and aligned learning experiences.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serves as the primary SME for instructional designers, providing guidance and expertise in instructional design and content development.
• Leads the integration of innovative instructional design features into course and program development.
• Ensures the timely implementation of new instructional design strategies and tools, monitoring their effectiveness and impact.
• Acts as the primary point of contact for instructional designers and stakeholders on best practices and “how-to” inquiries related to course and program design and development.
• Mentors new instructional designers, providing training and development opportunities to scale resources, including contractors.
• Leads the exploration and implementation of emerging technologies, including Generative AI, in instructional design and content development, documenting best practices and innovation strategies.
• Develops and maintains best practice documentation for instructional design roles, ensuring consistency and effectiveness across the team.
• Collaborates with internal stakeholders to enhance instructional strategies, maintain academic quality standards, and calibrate quality standards across roles and departments.
• Serves as a key contributor to the course development process, ensuring alignment with WGU’s mission and academic quality standards.
• Facilitates training and ensures the Content Management System (CMS) aligns with Content Design and Development practices.
• Leads cross-functional projects, recommending and implementing process improvements to enhance instructional design and content development effectiveness.
• Provides training sessions, workshops, and resources to instructional designers and related roles to enhance professional development.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Expert knowledge of instructional design, curriculum development, and user experience.
• Advanced understanding of emerging instructional technologies, including Generative AI applications in education.
• Strong ability to integrate innovative instructional strategies into course and program design.
• Advanced technical writing and documentation skills to support best practice development.
• Strong mentoring and training abilities to develop new and existing instructional designers.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and collaborate effectively with various stakeholders.
• Advanced project management skills, including risk assessment and process improvement.
• Proven track record of innovation in instructional design, course and program development, and process enhancements.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills to assess instructional effectiveness and recommend improvements.
• Excellent organizational and self-management skills to handle multiple projects and priorities effectively.
• Commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation within instructional design and content development.

Education

• Master’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, User Experience Design, or a related field.

Experience

• 7+ years of relevant experience
• Advanced experience in instructional design and content development for competency-based education.
• Project leadership in multiple areas (e.g., multiple programs, maintenance, QA).
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in job-relevant content or practice area.

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education, and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• UI/UX Certification
• Quality Matters Certification
• AI Certification, including prompt engineering
• Terminal degree and all applicable licenses or certifications.
• Advanced experience with systems and procedures for course and program development.

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

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Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.