Senior Instructional Designer

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: Faculty 507

Pay Range: $78,300.00 - $117,500.00

Job Description

Job Profile Summary

The Senior Instructional Designer is a faculty learning design expert who develops high-quality, engaging educational experiences that align with program outcomes, instructional best practices, and each course's intended scope and sequence. In conjunction with key stakeholders, this role manages the course development process and evaluates curricular materials, providing expertise in instructional design and learning science. Incorporates proven and emerging learning strategies into curriculum design and consistently applies quality standards across projects. Passionate about learner success, this individual collaborates across teams to research, design, and refine impactful learning experiences. Manages multiple concurrent projects, assesses risk, tracks progress, and communicates effectively with stakeholders to promote accountability and continuous improvement.

Location: This position requires you to work at our headquarters, 4001 South 700 East Salt Lake City, UT 84107. You would work a hybrid schedule in the office 4 days a week with one day remote.

Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

• Leads the course design and development process for new and existing courses, ensuring alignment with instructional best practices, scope and sequence, and defined learning outcomes.
• Drives and design and develop engaging, contextually rich, and objective-driven learning experiences that reflect real-world application and support diverse learner needs.
• Applies evidence-based instructional and learning experience design strategies, including best practices in UX/UI and accessibility, to create high-quality educational experiences.
• Advises and collaborates with faculty, internal teams, and external stakeholders to ensure instructional alignment, technical feasibility, and consistency in course design.
• Evaluates, develops, and revises curricular materials, learning resources, and assessments to ensure alignment with program objectives and learner competencies.
• Conducts quality assurance reviews and implement continuous improvement processes to maintain high standards of academic and instructional quality.
• Mentors and coaches junior and career-level instructional designers, sharing expertise and supporting peers in applying best-practice design principles and solving complex learning design challenges.
• Ensures timely completion of course development projects within established timelines and budget parameters.
• Stays at the forefront of learning science research, digital learning trends, and emerging instructional technologies, and actively apply this knowledge to enhance course design and delivery.
• Leverages system capabilities and emerging tools to enhance the overall learning experience and contribute to innovation in design and delivery.
• 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.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of instructional design principles, curriculum development, and adult learning theory, emphasizing scope and sequence,