[Hiring] Lead Instructional Designer @HighlightTA

Role Description

We are seeking a strategic, highly collaborative, and technically proficient Lead Instructional Designer to drive our instructional design strategy. In this pivotal individual contributor role, you will be a technical visionary and the primary engine for moving complex learning initiatives forward. You will partner closely with the Technical Writing function to ensure seamless alignment between our product documentation and learning pathways. Additionally, you will serve as the primary stakeholder in our transition to a newly built, custom Learning Management System (LMS).

• Act as the central driver for learning initiatives.
• Build strong partnerships across departments.
• Proactively manage stakeholder expectations.
• Keep complex projects moving forward on schedule without relying on direct reporting lines.
• Act as the primary business owner for offboarding our current academy (Skilljar) and transitioning to a custom-built LMS.
• Define system requirements (e.g., authoring workflows, learner UX).
• Guide external developers to ensure the platform meets both customer needs and instructional design standards.
• Work closely with the Technical Writer, Enablement Manager, and Customer Operations Managers to establish scalable design systems, style guides, and AI-assisted content workflows.
• Architect end-to-end learning pathways, role-based certifications, and self-paced academies for admin users and enterprise clients.
• Design scenario-based, interactive learning experiences, including simulated environments, sandbox exercises, and API/code walkthrough tutorials.
• Partner closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and Solutions Architects to translate complex feature updates and technical specs into timely, accurate learning content.
• Track learner telemetry (e.g., product adoption rates, time-to-value, course completion, certification pass rates) to continuously measure and prove ROI on customer and internal enablement.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in instructional design within a B2B SaaS, developer tooling, or high-growth tech environment.
• Proven project management experience with a track record of driving cross-functional initiatives as a highly autonomous individual contributor.
• Hands-on experience defining requirements for LMS implementations, migrations, or custom builds.
• Deep understanding of what an instructional designer needs from a platform to successfully host and track courses (SCORM, xAPI, LTI).
• Comfort navigating API documentation, cloud architectures, developer workflows, or SaaS platform configurations to build technical curriculum independently.
• Advanced proficiency in modern authoring & media tools (Articulate 360, Camtasia, Loom, Figma).
• Strong familiarity with transitioning out of standard Customer Education / LXP platforms (e.g., Skilljar) into custom environments.
• Agile development methodologies, rapid prototyping (SAM), data-driven decision-making, and exceptional cross-functional stakeholder management.
• Consultative skills necessary to influence peers, align differing viewpoints, and maintain project momentum.

Benefits

• Empathy and passion at the center of our work.
• Support for mission-driven organizations.
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth.
• Collaborative, fully remote environment.

How We Hire

We use AI tools to support our recruitment process, including helping us organize applications and identify early matches based on role criteria. That said, every rejection decision is made by a human. We encourage candidates to apply authentically and avoid relying solely on AI-generated responses, especially during interviews.