INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty. 

The University of Washington is one of the leading public research universities in the country with researchers pioneering innovative and groundbreaking discoveries daily. There is an ever-growing complexity in administration and regulation of the grants management lifecycle for researchers. Our goal in the Office of Research Information Services (ORIS) is to accelerate research and advance innovation through reducing administrative burden. We leverage technology, automation, data and information to support the research enterprise at the University of Washington.

The Office of Research Information Services (ORIS) has an outstanding opportunity for an Instructional Designer. Reporting to ORIS’ Assistant Director for Customer Experience. The Instructional Designer will lead the design and development of online and instructor-led curricula for research administrators and researchers of the University of Washington, delivering high-quality multimedia learning materials for a diverse audience of adult learners.  

The ORIS Instructional Designer will play a key role in the implementation of the UW Finance Transformation (UWFT) project, an enterprise-wide, multi-year initiative to replace existing financial systems with a modern, integrated system, providing functionality to support financial business needs across a complex institution. ORIS products, such as SAGE and MyResearch, support enterprise research and must seamlessly integrate with the new financial system to prevent any disruptions to research work at the University, and the ORIS Instructional Designer will be essential in helping users transition and understand new end-to-end processes.

The Office of Research supports a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Recognizing and valuing all of our differences makes our office stronger and enhances our support for researchers; it will enrich the research carried out at the UW. Read more about DEI in the Office of Research on our website: https://www.washington.edu/research/or/office-of-research-diversity-equity-and-inclusion. 

The Instructional Designer develops and delivers online and instructor-led training on research-related software systems and processes to audiences of researchers and research administrators. Scope of projects includes creating and updating course curricula and supporting materials for instructor-led classes (in person or virtual); producing interactive training modules and software simulations; job aids and online tutorials; instructional videos; website copy; presentation materials; and technical documentation. The person in this position is expected to have excellent writing abilities, an eye for design and proven experience developing multimedia training and communications materials, as well as facility with presenting to groups. An understanding of adult learning principles and best practices for developing online learning will inform their work. Familiarity with Agile methodologies is a plus.

The Instructional Designer will develop and/or contribute to strategic direction and roadmaps for the training and outreach programs in ORIS with the goals of supporting the Financial Transformation implementation, increasing product adoption and use, and improving the customer experience. The person in this position will independently develop training plans and project manage the development of complex training deliverables, such as eLearning tutorials, ensuring deadlines are met and a high-quality end product is delivered.

This position requires learning and project management skills in order to determine the learning needs of a diverse community, design and develop curriculum, and deliver products while meeting deadlines. The person in this position must be proficient in gathering requirements and analyzing information from end users, as well as working with learning analytics to determine the effectiveness of the training and set future direction for training initiatives.

The work of the ORIS Instructional Designer is critical to minimizing disruption and enabling transformation of the $1.9 billion-dollar research enterprise at the University of Washington. The position supports the mission of ORIS to accelerate research and advance innovation, and the University’s mission of discovery, innovation and advancing knowledge, through ensuring a seamless research administration experience and adoption of new software tools to improve efficiency for research teams transitioning to new software, business process and data model changes. Housed in the Office of Research Information Services, the position impacts research and research teams at all 280 university research centers and enables greater efficiencies in the application and processing of the thousands of award applications processed and awarded annually to university researchers.

The Instructional Designer is responsible for the selection, development and administration of ORIS learning tools and learning goals, enhancing the ability of UW researchers to secure grant awards from funding agencies. Supporting one of the top research universities in the country, this role is pivotal in creating an environment that makes the process of preparing, submitting, and managing grants as efficient and successful as possible. With funding becoming more competitive, it is crucial that researchers and research administrators are equipped with the tools and the proficiency to use these tools to ensure the UW maintains its top ranking and retains top scientists and faculty.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Instructional Design & Training Delivery
• Work collaboratively across ORIS and with project partners to develop and deliver high-quality eLearning and instructor-led training in alignment with change management strategy, training strategy and the changing needs of the business. Design, develop, and manage course curricula that effectively and efficiently communicates to a diverse audience of research administrators, research scientists and faculty how the ORIS suite of research management tools function
• Create a productive partnership with ORIS product management, business analysts, UX, communications and quality assurance professionals, and leverage these partnerships to inform curricula and share information about customer needs
• Initiate, plan and execute the development and adoption of new learning tools and revisions to existing learning materials from planning stages through design, delivery and evaluation. This responsibility includes independently producing professional, polished and accurate job aids, workbooks, presentations, video tutorials, eLearning modules and other materials
• Coach staff members and SMEs to deliver in-person training using a train-the-trainer approach
• Collaborate closely with the change manager, communications specialist, instructional designer and other members of the customer experience team to create a cohesive design vision and consistent style guide for learning and communications materials that adheres to the university’s brand guidelines
• Participate in collaborative editing processes and design reviews with the team to ensure a high-quality and consistent end product

Management & Administration of ORIS Learning Programs
• Manage day-to-day activities of multiple assigned projects, communicate status updates to Assistant Director, and proactively identify changes in scope of work to ensure appropriate planning measures are taken to assess impacts of scope change
• Manage production and review processes for development of new course curricula and training materials using ticket tracking and Agile project management methods and tools
• Collaborate with other team members to manage course planning and logistics, including scheduling classes and rooms, updating the website with new class listings, tracking attendance, responding to participant inquiries, and ensuring classroom, training tools and materials are available and configured appropriately for all instructor-led training sessions
• Collaborate with communications specialist to market training opportunities and create measurable engagement campaigns
• Establish goals and create and analyze metrics to measure training program effectiveness and prepare executive reports for leadership
• Advocate for the learning needs of the research community through business requirement gathering, audience analysis, learner feedback, surveys, and help desk requests
• Represent ORIS in interdepartmental meetings
• Interface with leadership, product owners, partners and stakeholders to align learning campaigns and objectives with portfolio roadmaps, change management plans, ORIS strategic objectives and feature release schedules
• Actively collaborate with internal and external partners, including the training work group CORE and the FT Program Change Management team, to coordinate effort and contribute to a cohesive training and outreach strategy
• Contribute to overall ORIS training, communications and customer experience strategy using training needs assessment, evaluations and learning analytics to highlight training opportunities

Administrative Duties & Professional Development
• Serve as back-up to other team roles (communications specialist, change manager, customer support, etc.)
• Attend recurring organization meetings and on-on-ones with supervisor
• Engage in unplanned communications
• Engage in Professional Development opportunities, such as communities of practice and special interest groups, and share knowledge attained with other staff
• Maintain awareness of industry, institutional and organizational best practices

MINIMUM QUAIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Education, English, Design, Technical Writing, Communications or a related field
• At least 4 years of experience developing and leading instructor-led and/or online training, including:
o Minimum 2 years of demonstrated experience designing and developing online and blended environment training using online learning tools such as Articulate Storyline, Camtasia and Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent tools
o Minimum of 2 years of experience with learning evaluation and assessment techniques
o Minimum 1-year technical training experience, such as on software systems
• Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience delivering training using instructional design methodology and adult learning concepts, principles and practices. Demonstrated understanding of current trends in technology and education.
• Proven experience designing courses from the ground up using industry-standard processes and project management techniques, such as ADDIE, Rapid Prototyping and Agile for instructional design
• Excellent interpersonal skills including verbal, written, presentation and facilitation skills with the ability to communicate effectively with all levels within the organization both technical and non-technical; ability to understand complex technical information and distill for lay audiences
• Demonstrated instructional design production skills including:
o Basic video production experience using screencast or explainer video tools such as Camtasia, Vyond and Audacity
o Facility creating PowerPoint or Google Slides presentations
o Experience using learning management and/or content management systems
o Strong writing and grammar skills and attention to detail
o Familiarity with principles of graphic design, including layout, typography, use of images and color
• Strong problem-solving, multitasking and organizational skills
• Technical aptitude and willingness to learn new software and skills independently

EXPERIENCE DESIRED:

• Certificate or Master's degree in Instructional Design or eLearning
• Five or more years of experience designing and developing online and blended environment training
• WordPress and/or HTML experience
• Experience with xAPI and/or SCORM and learning analytics
• Experience with LMS/LRS management and/or administration
• Advanced Video production experience using tools such as Adobe Premiere, Audition or Final Cut Pro and/or recording and editing original video footage, such as interviews or explainer videos using live instructors
• Advanced software tutorial production skills such as creating software simulations using Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate
• Familiarity with accessibility best practices
• Demonstrated experience using train-the-trainer approaches effectively
• Experience with technical writing, marketing, branding and content strategy best practices

Office of Research Executive Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Office of Research shares President Cauce’s commitment to combat inequities and racism. The values of diversity, equity and inclusion are integral to the success of our research enterprise and are embedded in the culture of who we are as an institution and employer.

We will honor different and unique identities and nurture an accessible, welcoming and respectful environment for all staff, students and faculty in the Office of Research and for all members of the UW research community. We will regularly review our services and systems and adapt them to reflect the evolving environments and work styles of our employees and those we serve.

We are ALL responsible for confronting bias and inequities, both individual and institutional, that persist here and throughout our society. Our call is to remove barriers and promote access, opportunity, and justice for all. We all must commit to this ongoing work.

Recognizing and valuing diversity will make the Office of Research and the University stronger, and enrich the stellar research carried out at the UW.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.