Instructional Designer, Big Think+

Instructional Designer, Big Think+ – Remote    

Our mission at Big Think+ has always been to help people get smarter, faster. We pursue that by partnering with renowned subject-matter experts (professors, movie stars, CEOs, professional athletes, etc.) who can teach the soft skills individuals and organizations need to navigate today’s world.

What You’ll Get Out Of This Opportunity

• A collaborative culture in a startup environment
• Competitive salary and benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Insurance, 401(k), Commuter Benefits, Tech Stipend, and more
• Growth opportunities within a fast-evolving company

What You’ll Do

• Design – As an Instructional Designer for Big Think+, you’ll work with the Heads of Instructional Design, Partner Services, and Sales to design, develop, and assess learning content for corporate partners and universities across a range of modalities (from digital courses to in-person workshops to e-learning campaigns). 
• Write – Applying adult learning principles and education technology, you’ll synthesize and reinforce video lessons from subject-matter experts within our leadership development framework. You’ll write, edit, and eventually coordinate content development at all stages of the development cycle. 
• Learn – In addition to providing fascinating work and the opportunity to catapult your career, working for Big Think+ brings the added benefit of pursuing a “mini-MBA.” You’ll be exposed to the world’s most brilliant thinkers and business leaders, teaching the skills that earned them influence and success. 
• Collaborate – By joining the Big Think universe, you’ll be working alongside colleagues specializing in science journalism and documentary filmmaking. This is an organization designed for curious, open, thoughtful, and constructive minds.

What a Typical Development Cycle Looks Like

• Pre-Production: Once a subject-matter expert is booked, you’ll explore their canon and conduct additional research as needed. (For example, if historian Yuval Noah Harari is coming in, you might read his latest book. Or if former poker player Annie Duke is on the schedule, you might watch her TED Talks.) Then you’ll draft questions a Big Think+ interviewer can use to guide the conversation.
• Production: You will consult with the executive producer during expert interviews to ensure sound instructional design.
• Post-Production: In conjunction with a video editor, you’ll segment and design the interview into an Expert Class of short videos.
• Content Creation: You’ll write Learner Guides individuals can use to further explore the content and Discussion Guides facilitators can use to run peer-to-peer workshops. You may also sequence the expert’s videos into Learning Paths with other experts or more immersive Course experiences that include exercises designed to apply the teachings.
• Upload: Once the assets are finalized, you’ll load them to our custom learning management system, QC them, and maintain them as necessary.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience in Adult Learning, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, or a related field; Master’s Degree preferred
• At least 5 years of experience working in instructional content development in a technology-enabled environment for corporate or consulting organizations and/or individual consumers and universities
• Experience working within a full cycle of instructional design, from needs assessment and project scoping to design and delivery of learning materials across various modalities
• Familiarity with large language models and a willingness to explore how AI can augment learning and instructional design
• Critical reasoning and problem-solving skills, including the ability to synthesize and translate challenging material into digestible learning interventions for digital learners
• A fierce eye for detail, with exceptional writing and design skills, as well as strong editing prowess
• A passion for customer service, including a willingness to identify and escalate issues on behalf of our clients
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced, project-driven environment
• A desire to evolve your position and serve with an ambitious, mission-driven team

How to Apply

• We are intentional about hiring. Please submit a cover letter, resume, and a sample of your strongest writing with your application. The writing sample could be instructional material, but it could also be an article, a blog post, a script, a short story—whatever you think best represents your voice.
• Applicants who advance in the hiring process will be required to complete an instructional design audition. We’ll be respectful of your time and compensate you on spec for the audition.