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.  One of the goals in the Office of Research is to accelerate research and advanced innovation through reducing administrative burden. We leverage technology, automation, data, and information to support the research enterprise at the University of Washington.

POSITION PURPOSES
The Office of Research has an outstanding opportunity for an Instructional Designer. 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 in order to sustain the integration of electronic research administration systems with the University’s enterprise resource planning system (Workday). Customer understanding of the increasingly seamless integration of the University’s research administration systems with the financial system prevents disruptions to research work at the University.

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  

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 to support ongoing integration between systems, 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 Instructional Designer is critical to minimizing disruption and enabling transformation of the ~$1.7 billion-dollar research enterprise at the University of Washington. The position supports the Office of Research’s goals 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. The position impacts research and research teams at all 277 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 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.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Instructional Design & Training Delivery