Instructional Design Specialist
Location: New York, United States
The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan, non-profit that equips the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. It works with U.S. colleges and universities, providing co-curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership.
The Instructional Design Specialist keeps CDI's growing catalog of learning experiences accurate, accessible and current. Reporting to the Senior Director of Education, the role independently manages maintenance and version control for Perspectives, CDI's flagship online program, and its established live programs. The specialist works closely with the Education team, links to the Live Programs team, partners with Product on platform QA, and supports Senior Curriculum Designers on partner-facing design projects.
Responsibilities:
- Content maintenance and version control: plan and implement approved revisions to live programs and manage the release schedule with the Live Programs team. Keep facilitator guides, slide decks, handouts and survey items in sync with source content. Maintain the Perspectives changelog and archive superseded versions so any cohort's content can be reconstructed.
- Content development and design support: draft and revise module text, discussion prompts, activities and assessments grounded in CDI's research base, for review by the Senior Director of Education. Support Senior Curriculum Designers on partner-facing projects.
- Quality assurance and continuous improvement: run pre-release QA for Perspectives (proofreading, link and media checks, accessibility checks including alt text, captions, plain language and WCAG conformance, and end-to-end learner testing). Own the content feedback backlog, consolidating input from facilitators, partners, learner surveys and support tickets into one tracked queue, categorizing requests, flagging recurring issues and recommending fixes.
Requirements:
- 3+ years of professional experience, including at least 1 year building or maintaining learning content in instructional design, curriculum development, ed tech or a related role.
- Grounding in instructional design fundamentals (backward design, measurable learning objectives, adult learning principles).
- Hands-on experience with an LMS or course-authoring tool (e.g., Canvas, Moodle, Articulate Rise/Storyline).
- Working knowledge of digital accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508).
- Exceptional attention to detail, a repeatable QA process, and comfort with version control and documentation.
- Clear, accessible writing, and genuine interest in constructive dialogue, viewpoint diversity and higher education.
- Preferred: higher education experience, and experience facilitating for adult learners or designing for sensitive, values-laden topics.
Details: Full-time, remote (must be based in the U.S.), flexible within U.S. time zones. Compensation $75,000-$85,000 per year. Benefits include unlimited PTO, health, vision and dental plans, a 401(k) match, a professional development budget and remote work support.
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online through the Constructive Dialogue Institute Recruitee page. Complete the application form with your full name, email, phone number and CV/resume, and answer the screening questions. Remote role; must be based in the U.S. Target start date: Jan 1, 2027.
https://constructivedialogue.recruitee.com/o/instructional-design-specialist