Instructional Designer

Position Overview

The University of California, Santa Cruz seeks a dedicated Instructional Designer to join the UC Scout team, a remote division providing online high school courses and curricula. The role involves managing design and delivery of asynchronous and hybrid online courses, ensuring they meet academic, accessibility, and technical standards.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain engaging, standards-aligned middle and high school online courses, applying instructional design principles and aligning learning objectives with assessments and content.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including subject matter experts, media, and academics to coordinate course development and ensure delivery aligns with timelines and quality standards.
• Manage course development progress using defined workflows and proactively resolve issues to meet deadlines.
• Conduct accessibility and technical quality assurance, testing course materials for ADA and WCAG compliance and troubleshooting integrated platforms and tools such as Canvas, H5P, Kaltura, and Google Workspace.
• Perform ongoing course updates, revisions, and process improvements under supervision to enhance instructional quality and student experience.
• Engage in continuous professional development focused on instructional design, educational technologies, and emerging AI tools to improve productivity and innovation in online education.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with strong foundation in instructional design principles such as backward design, Universal Design for Learning, and assessment alignment tailored to online learning.
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills for organizing and synthesizing information to inform course design decisions.
• Excellent communication and teamwork abilities to collaborate effectively across departments and negotiate shared solutions.
• Practical experience with learning management systems (Canvas), multimedia tools (Kaltura), course design (DesignPLUS, HTML), and project/productivity software (Asana, Google Workspace).
• Knowledge of copyright, ADA/WCAG digital accessibility standards, and online course regulations.
• Familiarity with learning theories for high school education and online learners.
• Open and adaptive attitude towards integrating AI-powered tools into instructional design workflows.
• Credentials or certifications in teaching, instructional design, or equivalent experience are preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Curriculum and Instruction, or related fields.
• Understanding of academic policies impacting online course development such as academic integrity and quality assurance standards.

Additional Information

• The position is full-time (40 hours/week), fixed schedule (Monday-Friday, day shift), remote with occasional visits as needed.
• Salary range is $33.52 to $41.90 per hour, commensurate with qualifications.
• Must reside in or be willing to relocate to California to comply with employment policies.
• Employment requires passing a criminal background check and misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods at a computer and availability for occasional evening/weekend hours and national travel.
• Compliance with University of California's vaccination policy is mandatory.
• Selected candidate will complete required UC compliance training and follow telecommuting guidelines ensuring a suitable remote workspace.

How to Apply

Applicants should submit a resume and cover letter. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis with an initial review date of July 6, 2026. Late applications are still accepted. No application materials can be submitted outside of the official job portal.