Instructional Design Specialist, Employment and Economic Opportunity

AIR is seeking an Instructional Design Specialist to create engaging learning resources, multimedia products, and performance support tools that support workforce development, career pathway advancement, and employment-focused education and training initiatives for internal and client-facing projects. As a member of the Employment and Economic Opportunity Program Area, this individual contributor will bring expertise in instructional design, content development, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled tools to develop, maintain, and continuously improve practical, accessible learning solutions that support workforce readiness and career success for learners, practitioners, and organizations.

The Instructional Design Specialist will develop instructional, communication, and multimedia materials focused on career pathways, workforce preparation, skill development, employment advancement, and related education and training topics; coordinate assigned project activities; and collaborate with internal and external partners to design, test, refine, maintain, and support scaling learning products and experiences. The specialist will also research and apply emerging learning tools and practices, integrate innovative approaches to workforce-focused learning, and evaluate whether learning solutions achieve their intended outcomes for learners, educators, workforce professionals, and employers.

Candidates hired for the position may work remotely within the United States (U.S.) or from one of our U.S. office locations. This does not include U.S. territories.

Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to address some of the most pressing challenges in the United States and globally. We generate evidence and apply data-driven solutions that expand opportunities and improve lives for all.

The responsibilities for the position include:

• Design, develop, and curate engaging learning resources, knowledge-sharing products, and performance support tools, including instructional videos, job aids, toolkits, playbooks, infographics, guides, templates, modules, and digital learning products. 
• Create multimedia learning assets using a range of authoring, design, and video production tools. 
• Maintain, update, and enhance existing learning materials to ensure they remain accurate, accessible, relevant, and aligned with evolving learner and project needs. 
• Support the development and application of AI-enhanced learning solutions and workflows that improve content development, learner engagement, efficiency, and knowledge transfer. 
• Research and analyze learning needs, emerging practices, and new technologies; test and evaluate promising approaches to strengthen learning products and development processes. 
• Collaborate with subject matter experts and stakeholders to design, test, and refine learning experiences and resources. 
• Apply evidence-based instructional design principles, accessibility standards, and adult learning practices to all products and deliverables. 
• Coordinate assigned project activities and contribute to the successful implementation of learning and innovation initiatives. 
• Define appropriate measures of learning success and gather and analyze user feedback and other data to assess usability, engagement, learning transfer, and intended outcomes. 
• Use evaluation findings to continuously improve learning products and experiences. 

Education, Knowledge, and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in instructional design, learning technologies, education, communications, or a related field; Master's degree preferred. 
• 2+ years of experience developing digital learning resources, instructional materials, multimedia assets, or performance support tools for organizational adult learners.
• Experience using learning and design tools such as Articulate Storyline, Rise, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Camtasia, Synthesia, or similar platforms.
• Experience creating multimedia assets, including videos, graphics, job aids, templates, or interactive learning products. 
• Familiarity with learning technologies, design tools, and AI-enabled productivity tools. 
• Knowledge of instructional design principles, adult learning theory, and accessibility standards. 
• Familiarity with learning evaluation practices and methods, including approaches for assessing learning transfer and the effectiveness of learning products. 
• Experience collaborating with subject matter experts and cross-functional project teams. 

Skills

• Instructional design and adult learning principles.
• Multimedia production, visual communication, and content development.
• Learning resource curation, maintenance, and knowledge sharing.
• Learning technologies and digital authoring tools, including Articulate 360, Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, Synthesia, SharePoint, and Microsoft 365.
• Learning evaluation, success measurement, and continuous improvement.
• Accessibility and user-centered design.
• Project coordination and attention to detail. 
• Collaboration and stakeholder engagement. 
• Written communication, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

Disclosures: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law, including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braid, locs, and twists), creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition (e.g., cancer), sex, gender, gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, civil union status, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, genetic information, or military or veteran status. AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks. AIR maintains a drug-free work environment. 

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE: If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to Taliba Boone at [email protected] or call 202.403.5000.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer: AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an “@air.org” domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example [email protected] is correct and [email protected] is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to [email protected]. If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.

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