IDEO U Senior Learning Experience Designer (Contract)

Senior Learning Experience Designer (Contract)

[San Francisco, Chicago or Cambridge MA preferred, Remote Eligible.]

IDEO U is a learning experience and community that helps leaders tap into their creativity and the creativity of others to generate new ideas, creative solutions, and unexpected opportunities now and in the future. We aim to catalyze and grow the community of creatively confident leaders around the globe through online courses and a supportive network.

In a Nutshell:

The Senior Learning Experience Designer is directly responsible for creating interactive content and experiences to help individuals and teams collaborate, innovate, navigate uncertainty, and tackle complexity. You will join our multidisciplinary team to develop leading-edge courses and learning experiences for individual learners and teams.

We are looking for someone who is excited by the intersection of education, storytelling, design, and technology - someone who knows how to create unique ways to help people see, try, share, and reflect. Our teams are curious and motivated by a learner’s experience, thinking through their behaviors, attitudes, and mindsets. We also enjoy rolling up your sleeves to test new ideas and get things done. 

We are especially excited to meet candidates with a passion for learning communities, edtech, or new business ventures using emerging technology in a more human-centered way. 

This role will work closely with a team spread across the US in 3 time zones, and service a truly global community of learners around the world.

While we are happy to provide office space in Chicago, Cambridge, or San Francisco for prospective hires, IDEO U proudly supports remote work.

Once here you will:

Design and develop engaging, mostly virtual learning experiences, using a mix of written content, video, visuals, frameworks, digital interactions, and collaborative activities.

Translate cutting-edge ideas and expert knowledge into scalable, bite-sized multimedia learning, creating content that is motivating, accessible, and enjoyable for global learners.

Collaborate closely with producers, product, and marketing partners to bring learning experiences from concept through launch, contributing to story development, approvals, and platform delivery.

Conduct research and content development, including identifying topics and partners, interviewing subject matter experts, synthesizing insights, and shaping learning objectives and curriculum by leading the end-to-end process of bringing a course to life.

Support iteration and improvement post-launch, incorporating learner feedback, contributing to learner support as needed, and refining content to enhance the overall learning experience.

Qualifications / Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in writing, designing, and crafting content for online courses and learning experiences. 
• Expertise in designing learning content for the professional sector (e.g., business, strategy) and/or soft-skill topics (e.g., creativity, storytelling, people leadership).
• Strategic communication ability, capable of utilizing a variety of mediums – both visual and verbal. 
• Skilled at synthesizing and distilling information into succinct learning concepts, breaking complexity into elegance. The ideal candidate is a people person who thrives in collaborating with subject matter experts to bring content to life.
• Skilled at writing for a range of formats such as short-form stories, video scripts, case studies, text-based articles, and/or punchy 1-liners. You can flex tone and style to speak to different audiences. 
• Experience in crafting learning content and experiences that are inclusive and resonate with diverse audience needs, especially for underrepresented communities.
• End-to-end project leadership developing a digital educational experience and take a holistic, learner-centered approach. 
• Expertise in designing curriculum or educational content for the following sectors: soft-skills topics such as creativity, storytelling, people leadership, and/or business sectors such as strategy, innovation, design thinking, and MBA-type content. 
• Previous experience across the following digital tools, such as Mural, Figma, CMS, or LMSs such as NovoEd. 

Nice To Haves (but not required)

• Experience working with talent throughout the production/filming process, including directing talent and guiding people in the art of performance.
• ‘Launch and learn’ iterative testing expertise, such as setting up experiments, developing rapid prototypes, and testing offers against strategic goals or learner needs.

Application Requirements and Instructions:

Please provide a resume and cover letter that touches on why you are interested in this position, including your areas of specialization.

Candidates may be expected to complete a short practical task (design assignment) throughout our interview process.

Design Assignment (2-3 hours):

Candidates to listen to a raw interview of a subject matter expert on a topic of their choice (e.g., 20-30 min) and provide 2 outputs: 

• A written lesson (either a brief article or a 1-2 page video script) that teaches one of the concepts
• A brief hands-on activity for the learner to apply or practice the concept.

Payscale & Benefits

IDEO is committed to paying its employees, contractors & vendors equitably, regardless of gender identity or race/ethnicity/cultural identity.

The compensation for this contract position is commensurate to an annual salary of $70,000–$90,000 USD. Final offers may vary based on candidate experience, location, and other factors. Optional voluntary benefits through third party payroll vendor.