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Instructional Design Specialist (Remote)

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ABOUT US 

CollegeSpring is a nonprofit organization that equips schools and teachers with the tools to help students confidently prepare for the SAT, TSIA2 and ACT. These tests are a critical part of college admissions, and every student deserves a chance to prepare. Yet test prep courses and private tutoring are often costly or hard to access. Our programs reduce this inequity by bringing high quality test preparation into schools. We build Test Confidence by training, supporting, and providing ongoing coaching to teachers at our partner schools to deliver the CollegeSpring curriculum to their students. Since 2008, CollegeSpring has helped provide school-day test prep to over 40,000 students across the country, and we have an ambitious goal to serve 62,000 more from FY23-FY25. 

ABOUT THE ROLE 

The Instructional Design Specialist (IDS) will work under the supervision of the Instructional Design Manager to design and develop engaging and effective learning materials for CollegeSpring products. Collaborating across and within the team, the IDS will execute product build in the LMS, support prototyping and product testing, and design product enhancements. This role is a key member of the Programs & Impact team and supports the Partner Success Team. 

You’ll succeed in this role if you’ve produced engaging content using proven and repeatable instructional design practices and customized a process for designing appropriate content based on learner needs. The IDS builds scripted content, helps develop wireframes for unwritten content, and collaborates with cross-functional teams to best understand the design and delivery of our products. Using various instructional design models, the IDS creates responsive learning experiences, and conducts in-depth quality assurance to ensure the delivery of high-quality products. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

Course Design:

  • Collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) to analyze training needs and design effective learning solutions that align with strategic goals
  • Build instructional materials, such as facilitator guides, e-learning modules, instructor resources, and other supporting materials, to CollegeSpring technical specifications
  • Build assessments and evaluations to measure the effectiveness of CollegeSpring programs in the LMS
  • Review and evaluate existing learning materials to identify opportunities for improvement and update content and assessments to increase the level of usability
  • Participate in the selection of appropriate instructional methods, materials, and technologies based on learner characteristics and learning objectives
  • Ensure all learning materials comply with applicable accessibility guidelines and regulations
  • Stay up-to-date with trends and developments in instructional design, learning technologies, and adult learning principles
  • Collaborate with Product and Curriculum teams to ensure courses and reporting are developed in accordance with product vision, timeline, and within budget.
  • Create working models, including wireframes, functional samples, and LMS testing, that visually presents content design, showcases and evaluates the user experience 
  • Perform other duties as assigned

Quality Assurance:

  • Support the overarching quality assurance process for all content, including executing established CollegeSpring guiding principles and processes, meeting project deadlines
  • Review all content both before building it into the learning management system and after to ensure content meets our quality standards and is functioning as intended

Training:

  • Support high-quality training for internal stakeholders so that each understands new products and program design, specifically focused on course design, test specifications, and user experience.

HOW YOU’LL DO IT

  • Mission and values-driven: You hold a passionate commitment to and a sense of urgency for the support of partners and teachers, along with the belief that all students can achieve at high levels. You are motivated by working in an environment where we live out our core values daily.
  • Communication: You are adept and creative in all forms of communication and able to apply the right communication mode and style to the situation. You leverage emotional intelligence and the knowledge of people to tailor communication to audiences, both internally and externally, at varying levels of seniority. You have strong awareness and command of non-verbal communication and self-presentation. You have strong listening skills.
  • Problem-Solving: You are open to different and new ways of tackling challenges and willing to modify one’s preferred way of doing things. You are calm under pressure and able to think analytically and logically through stressful situations. You are adept at including stakeholders in the problem-solving process. You demonstrate flexibility and openness to failure, and willingness to try multiple solutions. You have the ability to bring critical thinking and informed assessment to all aspects of work.  You have the ability to build from the ground up and also make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.
  • Relationships: You are able to anticipate the needs of people and proactively act. You have the ability to respond to stakeholders in an empathetic and compassionate way that values the relationship. You build strong internal relationships. You have the ability to empathize and see others’ perspectives.
  • Data Analysis:  You have the ability to interpret numbers, reports, data, and trends and use that to inform decisions, program improvements, and communication. You have the ability to find trends in data and translate those trends into strategic recommendations. 
  • Collaboration: You have a strong respect for different thoughts and opinions when approaching a project. You have the ability to fill in the gaps and highlight areas that others may have missed. You have the ability to communicate with different people and teams and manage communication from others – all while committed to a shared outcome
  • Project Management: You take the initiative to move forward on projects; proactively seek guidance rather than waiting for direction. You have the ability to tackle large complex projects by breaking them down into project plans and managing diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders to achieve timely success. You have the ability to manage up.

Qualifications and Skills 

  • Bachelor’s Degree required; Master’s degree preferred in Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, Education, or a related field
  • 3+ years of experience in instructional design or a related field
  • Demonstrated proficiency in instructional design methodologies, and various learning principles for diverse audiences, including K-12 students and adults 
  • Experience with developing and/or delivering SAT/ACT preparation and college readiness curriculum is strongly preferred
  • Experience working in an educational environment serving BIPOC or first-generation students
  • Comfortable working in a flexible, fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
  • Proficiency in educational technology and creating digital learning content that aligns with 1 EdTech Standards through HTML, CSS, SCORM, and other digital learning software
  • Experience working in multiple LMSs and ability to learn new applications
  • Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Ability to collaborate effectively with subject matter experts and cross-functional teams
  • Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality

DETAILS ABOUT THE ROLE 

  • This role is remote within the United States; travel up to 10% of the time may be required. 
  • Must be able to stand or sit for prolonged periods.  
  • Must be able to lift/ carry/ transport educational or promotional materials and/or equipment weighing up to 50lbs. 
  • The salary range for this position is $59,000 – $78,000. New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between $59,000 and $72,000 depending on qualifications and internal equity. In addition to salary, total compensation includes a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurances, medical and dependent care reimbursement accounts, a 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, 21 paid days of holidays/office closures/recharge days, 15 days paid time off (in year 1), 2 paid volunteer days, paid family leave, and a monthly work from home stipend. 
  • We are actively working to build a diverse team; people of color, people from working class backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ folks, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based upon gender, race, national origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or gender expression. 
  • This is not necessarily an all-inclusive list of job-related responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions. While this is intended to be an accurate
  • reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. 

HOW TO APPLY 

Please visit this link to apply.