Lead Instructional Designer

OFFICIAL JOB TITLE: Lead Instructional Designer

DIVISION: Academic Affairs

DEPARTMENT: Provost Office

BARGAINING UNIT STATUS: ESU Cat. 14

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs & Undergraduate Education

SUPERVISES: Supervision of instructional designer(s) and student workers

SUMMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION:

The Lead Instructional Designer provides leadership, coordination, and support for UMass Dartmouth faculty in the design, creation, and delivery of high-quality and effective courses (face-to-face, hyflex, blended, and fully online) and programs and technology-mediated teaching and learning. Manages the training, course design, and development process for online courses from inception to completion. Leverages a broad portfolio of integrated instructional technologies. Works in partnership with Online and Continuing Education (OCE) to facilitate the course development and review process. Works with the Provost Office, academic leaders, and OCE to assist departments/programs in developing program quality, review, and planning documents, to ensure course and program quality standards, and increase program expansion efforts. This position works closely with the Office of Faculty Development (OFD) and CITS to provide consultation and develop training programs to expand and increase technology integration, online learning models, and innovative teaching and learning, such as flipped, adaptive, and team-based learning.

Follows the University's best practices to build and/or support student academic success and retention, and assist in meeting strategic objectives for persistence and timely graduation of the entire student population.

EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Leads and outlines the major milestones of the online course development process;
• Develops and manages the course development and quality online course review process and workflow, and reviews online courses for quality assurance;
• Assigns functional team roles and responsibilities to ensure effective and timely online course development;
• Collaborates with academic leaders and the Director of Instructional Technology to refine UMass Dartmouth's online teaching and learning policies and procedures;
• Assists departments/programs with developing programs, quality review, and planning documents; develops and manages processes and workflow related to these documents and reviews for timely completion;
• Provides one-on-one consultations on course design to subject matter experts on creating quality learning environments and experiences for students through structured instructional materials, learning activities, and interaction in courses;
• Consults with and supports faculty with instructional technology tools to promote effective teaching strategies and to improve student-learning experiences;
• Continuously assesses and addresses the needs of faculty to help improve the effectiveness of instruction through the guided creation of objectives, sequencing of instruction, use of assessments tied to objectives, and design of course materials;
• Responsible for ensuring accessibility standards and Digital Accessibility requirements are being met and identifying courses needing accessibility accommodations;
• Advises faculty regarding assessment methods, teaching strategies, and universal design;
• Develops and conducts faculty training on teaching pedagogies, instructional strategies, course design, and universal design;
• Coordinates Instructional Development workshops and online training courses;
• Develops and maintains a collection of online professional development resources and instructional materials on topics related to best practices in teaching and learning and instructional design;
• Participates in UMass system and campus committees related to online learning initiatives, technology-mediated instruction, and copyright and fair use;
• Collaborates with the Office of Faculty Development (OFD) to promote and facilitate the utilization of educational technologies across campus;
• Works proactively and cooperatively with team members, CITS teams, and other University departments to provide excellent customer service;
• Stays professionally current through attendance of user group meetings, seminars, and conferences, to maintain state-of-the-art knowledge of emerging technologies, learning management systems, mobile technologies, and online instructional design practices and strategies;
• Presents research at regional and national conferences;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• EDUCATION : Master's Degree from an accredited institution in instructional design, instructional technology, education, or a related field required.
• EXPERIENCE :
  
  • Significant (over five years) experience designing/supporting design of online college-level courses.
  • Significant experience teaching/providing training in online learning environments.
  • Significant experience in higher education.
  • Demonstrated experience with course management system (e.g. Canvas).
  • Experience leading a team.
  • Experience evaluating, selecting, and/or using new and emerging technologies.
  • Experience developing digital multimedia.
  
  
  
  
  
• OTHER : Available on nights and weekends as needed. Travel may be required for campus business and conferences.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Significant experience managing online learning environments.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Applied knowledge of the pedagogical principles of instructional design theories and best practices related to teaching and learning in all delivery formats.
• Quality Matters certification or demonstrated knowledge of online quality assurance best practices and standards.
• Applied knowledge of ADA 508 regulations.
• Applied knowledge of fair use and TEACH Act guidelines.
• Effective oral and written communication and organizational skills to work with University community to promote online learning.
• Strong commitment to excellent customer service.
• Ability to meet deadlines and manage expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment.

NOTE : Other job-related duties and responsibilities may be assigned and/or the job description changed periodically to reflect changing organization needs.

SALARY: $72,942.00-$91,177.00

UMass Dartmouth offers exciting benefits such as:

• 75% Employer-Paid Health Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• State Pension Retirement Plan
• Optional Retirement Savings Plans
• Tuition Credit (Employee, Spouse, & Dependents)
• Twelve (12) paid holidays
• Paid personal, vacation, and sick time
• And More!

Benefits for ESU Union : ESU

Applicants must be authorized for employment in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship is not available.

To apply please submit a letter of interest, a current resume and the contact information for three professional references.

The deadline for internal ESU applicants is July 27, 2026.

The review of applications will be ongoing until the position is filled.