Overview

Make an Impact!  

At McGraw Hill we create best-in-class, next-generation learning platforms that are used by millions of students and educators worldwide from kindergarten through graduate school. Our goal is to accelerate student success through intuitive and effective learning tools and content that maximize a teacher’s time and a student’s learning experience. We do all of this in a supportive, collaborative environment where you can grow your career in a way that fits into your life. 

How can you make an impact? 

McGraw Hill, the leading provider of digital and print educational resources, is looking for a Senior Instructional Designer, K-5 ELA for our K-12 division literacy programs. As a Senior Instructional Designer for Grades K-5 ELA, you will be a pivotal contributor in designing high-quality digital learning experiences used by millions of students and educators. Working within a collaborative and cross-functional team of content experts, product managers, UX designers, and creative technologists, you will lead and support the creation of engaging, standards-aligned, and accessible literacy products for middle and high school learners. Your expertise will help shape robust curriculum and digital tools that drive learning, equity, and innovation. You will balance hands-on design work with process improvement, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration across the product development lifecycle. 

This is a remote position open to applicants authorized to work for any employer within the United States. This is a Project Status Worker (PSW) role with an end date of 08/31/2026.

What you will be doing:   

• Design and storyboard digital-first curriculum using Understanding by Design (UbD), backward design, and design thinking principles.
• Develop prototypes, proof-of-concepts (POCs), and digital content tools in collaboration with subject matter experts (SMEs) and technical support.
• Contribute to and lead build rounds, manuscript reviews, user testing, and storyboarding.
• Write and maintain clear and user-centered product requirement documents.
• Apply accessibility best practices and proactively design accessible content and tools.
• Partner with content, UX, technology, engineering, and product teams to design learning experiences that are engaging and instructionally sound.
• Support Agile product development workflows through iterative feedback, sprint planning, and testing.
• Collaborate on tool enhancements and feature development, translating instructional needs into technical requirements.
• Contribute to cross-functional teams to ensure that product requirements, project schedules, and product goals are met  and completed on time.
• Lead workflows across multiple components of the product, ensuring that timelines and quality benchmarks are met.
• Provide informal training and mentorship to Instructional Designers and Associate Instructional Designers, and new team members.
• Act as a point of contact for vendors, providing clear guidance, feedback, and decision-making support.
• Create and maintain documentation for digital workflows, best practices, and instructional guidelines.
• Identify, pilot, and scale novel approaches to digital learning that add measurable value for educators and learners.
• Support user testing studies by interpreting results and making strategic recommendations.
• Support digital product tasks such as metadata tagging, concept mapping, and digital editing.
• Troubleshoot complex technical and instructional challenges through root cause analysis.
• Develop and refine best practices for using digital tools and for creating engaging content within technical constraints.

We’re looking for someone with: 

• 5–10 years of experience in digital instructional design, curriculum development, or eLearning development.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Curriculum & Instruction, or related field.
• Expertise in designing for digital platforms using authoring tools, learning management systems, and content management systems.
• Strong knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and universal design for learning (UDL).
• Proficiency in Agile workflows, sprint-based iteration, and collaborative team environments.
• Ability to lead cross-functional problem-solving with product, UX, and engineering teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to stakeholders and partners.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple priorities and make data-informed decisions.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and skilled at influencing trade-offs across scope, quality, time, and resources.
• Deep knowledge of curriculum development for grades K–5, particularly in ELA; classroom teaching experience is a plus.
• Experience managing freelancers and vendors.
• Familiarity with K–12 educational publishing, edtech platforms, and literacy curriculum design.
• Active participation in professional learning networks or thought leadership communities.

Why work for us? 

The work you do at McGraw Hill will be work that matters. We are collectively designing content that will build the future of education. Play your part and experience a sense of fulfilment that will inspire you to even greater heights.

The pay range for this position is between $62,000 – $80,000 annually, however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. Additionally, a full range of medical and/or other benefits may be provided depending on the position offered. Click here to learn more about our benefit offerings. 

McGraw Hill recruiters always use a “@mheducation.com” or “@careers.mheducation.com” email addresses and/or from our Applicant Tracking System, iCIMS. Any variation of this email domain should be considered suspicious. Additionally, McGraw Hill recruiters and authorized representatives will never request sensitive information in email. 

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McGraw Hill uses an automated employment decision tool (AEDT) to assist in the screening process by recommending candidates with “like skills” based on resume and job data. To request an alternative screening process, please select “Opt-Out” when asked to “Consent to use of Automated Employment Decision Tools” during the application.

McGraw Hill is committed to celebrating and supporting the differences that make us each unique and will not discriminate based on a person’s gender, gender identity or expression, nationality, color, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, appearance or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and we will also provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities.