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Senior Instructional Designer

American Psychological Association, Washington, District of Columbia, United States


Note:

APA operates on a 37.5-hour work week with one-hour lunch breaks each day. APA sets salaries based on several considerations, including years of relevant experience, level of education, and previous staff and/or governance experience at APA.

The Senior Instructional Designer has primary responsibility for the successful design, development, and deployment of online textbook alternatives for undergraduate psychology and online open courses. They will participate in product integration activities for the products under development. They will act as the instructional design lead for the product team to which they are assigned, direct other instructional designers on specific projects as appropriate, and assume responsibility for special instructional design projects as needed.

In this role, the Sr. Instructional Designer will develop, manage, and update relevant design standards. The developed learning objects will include video, audio, interactive exercises, labs, assessments and other items in support of delivery of online courses. They will rely on their knowledge of technological capabilities and customer needs to strategically optimize content, features, and functionality for the delivery of digital learning. As a key member of the product management team, the incumbent interacts with vendors and participates on cross‑functional product teams, including content and technology partners, to ensure that all projects meet established content guidelines, functional and business requirements, and release schedules.

Education and Experience Educational Requirements

Bachelor's Degree required, preferably in psychology, social or behavioral science, instructional design, or computer or information.

Master's or master's level equivalent in Instructional Design preferred

Experience Requirements

5-7 years of experience in the creation and/or delivery of instructional content for the higher‑education market.

5-7 years of experience developing and using interactive digital courseware, learning software, and/or online learning management systems.

Experience in working in an Agile environment along with an understanding of methodologies and ceremonies.

Experience with developing products in accordance with accessibility standards, including ADA.

Experience with Articulate, Storyline, Vyond, or equivalent tools required. Experience with CS3, HTML5, and other web standards preferred.

Graphic Design and Video/animation experience preferred

Experience teaching in a higher‑education setting preferred.

Experience authoring instructional content in platforms used in the higher education market preferred

Experience working in open‑upskilling platforms, such as edX and Coursera, preferred

Computer Skills Required Advanced proficiency using the following software/tools:

Microsoft Office Suite

Google Workspace

Learning Management Systems

Animation Tools (Vyond, Synthesia, Camtasia)

Adaptive Learning and Learner‑Designed Systems/Tools

Articulate Suite including Storyline

Adobe Creative Suite

Familiarity with using the following tools

Trello

Jira

Analytic Tools (e.g., Google Analytics)

HTML5, CS3, XML

Responsibilities

The Senior Instructional Designer is the lead Instructional Designer (ID) for a product team and in that role supervises the development and assembly of digital learning objects and other content in support of online course products from inception through release.

The Senior Instructional Designer represents the ID Team in integration activities across vendors.

Working with Content Managers and Product Managers, the Senior Instructional Designer will recommend learning activities and online pedagogy that is consistent with learning science principles and the capabilities of the online learning environment in which the content will be delivered.

During the early development phase, the Senior Instructional Designer will experiment with the flow and delivery of the content. They will review work and plans to determine which learning activities can be built in house using Storyline, Synthesia, Camtasia, Vyond, or other tools and which content must be outsourced for outside development.

The Senior Instructional Designer, in conjunction with the Director of PsycLearn Products, will serve as the principal liaison with outside developers and APA's internal ITS group.

The Senior Instructional Designer will author online content in the authoring environment of the course platform or content delivery mechanisms chosen by APA.

The Senior Instructional Designer will build out learning activities in Storyline, Vyond, Synthesia, Camtasia, and other applications based on plans and work prepared by the Content Managers.

The Senior Instructional Designer will adhere to branding and ADA compliance standards in development process.

The Senior Instructional Designer will participate in daily stand‑ups and other product meetings.

About APA The American Psychological Association (APA) represents 146,000 psychologists, students, and affiliates, primarily in the U.S. and Canada but also in other countries around the world. APA is a scientific and professional organization with about 500 employees and is categorized as a 501(c)(3) along with its 501(c)(6) companion organization, APA Services, Inc.

APA offers a generous employee benefits program, including Remote Work/Flexible Scheduling; a 401(k) option with employer match of up to 4%; medical, dental, and vision insurance options and an outpatient mental health benefit; paid personal/vacation time plus 12 paid holidays; Family/Medical Leave; tuition assistance; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); short‑ and long‑term disability insurance; and more.

Job Location: Remote APA jobs may be considered for remote work eligibility as defined in APA's Flexible Work Policy and are subject to approval. Remote work employees may not work from the following states or U.S. territories: Alaska, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, Wyoming.

The American Psychological Association is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other protected categories covered under local law.

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