Instructional System Designer

Long Wave Inc.; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Medical, Dental & Vision coverage

401k

Educational Assistance

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Li

Paid Time Off

9/80 work schedule

Job summary

Long Wave Inc. seeks an Instructional Systems Designer to lead end-to-end learning-system design for military courseware and training devices.

This role translates performance requirements into objectives, sequencing, and design specifications that drive courseware and simulator training. In this on-site position in Oklahoma City, you will collaborate with courseware developers, multimedia teams, and training-device engineers to ensure MIL-HDBK / MIL-PRF aligned deliverables that meet customer

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Systems, Education, Educational Technology, Learning Sciences, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Spends ≥80% of time on core instructional-systems-design work and develops design artifacts to drive courseware, IMI levels, and simulator training.
• Lead task, mission, learning, media, and audience analysis to establish performance requirements and training gaps.
• Produce learning objective hierarchies, storyboards, IMDPs, TPPs, CTTLs, and test/assessment plans to pass customer reviews with minimal rework.
• Recommend the appropriate blend of print, instructor-led, IMI, VR/AR, and device-based training with defensible rationale.
• Develop storyboards, scripts, and interaction specifications for IMI and CBT for buildable targets.
• Design knowledge and performance assessments with pass/fail criteria and remediation paths.
• Elicit accurate content from SMEs, validate operational fidelity, and keep SMEs focused on content.
• Review courseware output against the design; flag drift; approve products for release.
• Ingest feedback and training data to drive revisions in the design.
• Support customer meetings and technical reviews with clear design artifacts.

Skills

ADDIE

PADDIE+M

Technical writing

Stakeholder communication

Government liaison

Education

Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design / related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Articulate Storyline

Adobe Captivate

Rise

Microsoft Word

Job description

Active DoD Security Clearance Preferred

US Citizenship Required

NO VISA SUPPORT or C2C

On-site in OKC Required

Primary Function

The Instructional Systems Designer is the learning-system architect for our military courseware and training-device programs. This role owns the design of the training system end-to-end: analyzing performance requirements, defining terminal and enabling learning objectives, sequencing instruction, and specifying every training product so it fits a single, coherent system.

ISDs on this team are the internal customer to courseware developers, multimedia developers, and training-device engineering. They translate Customer-aligned task and mission analysis into design documents that drive courseware, CBT/IMI (Levels I–IV), training aids, and simulator/PTT training. This is a hands‑on, deliverable‑producing role — not a coordinator or generalist position.

Essential Responsibilities

Spends ≥80% of time on core instructional‑systems‑design work. Overlap into adjacent roles (SME support, review of build products, instructor input) is expected on a small team but is not the primary mission.

1. Front-end analysis. Conduct or lead task, mission, learning, media, and audience analysis (ADDIE / PADDIE+M) to establish performance requirements and training gaps.
2. Learning objectives & hierarchies. Author terminal and enabling objectives with conditions and standards; build objective hierarchies and sequencing maps that stand up to customer review.
3. Design documents. Produce Instructional Media Design Packages (IMDP), Training Project Plans (TPP), Training System Plans, Course Training Task Lists (CTTL), and NAVAIR training materials in accordance with applicable MIL-HDBK / MIL-PRF standards (e.g., MIL-HDBK-29612 series, MIL-PRF-29612 where applicable).
4. Media & fidelity selection. Recommend the appropriate blend of print, instructor‑led, IMI Level I–IV, VR/AR, and device‑based training based on task criticality, frequency, and cost — with defensible rationale.
5. Storyboarding & scripting. Develop storyboards, scripts, and interaction specifications for IMI and CBT that give courseware and multimedia teams a buildable, testable target.
6. Assessment design. Design knowledge and performance assessments (written, scenario‑based, sim/device) that measure the stated objectives; specify pass/fail criteria and remediation paths.
7. SME orchestration. Elicit accurate content from Subject Matter Experts, validate for operational fidelity, and keep SMEs focused on content — not design, build, or delivery.
8. Product‑fit ownership. Review courseware, multimedia, and training‑device output against the design; flag drift; approve products for release into the training system.
9. Continuous improvement. Ingest instructor and student feedback, training effectiveness data, and post-course reviews; drive revisions back through the design.
10. Customer engagement. Support NAVAIR / Government customer meetings, technical reviews (PDR/CDR‑style events), and In‑Progress Reviews with clear design artifacts.
11. Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Conditions

Employee will be working within an office environment. Employee may be expected to travel on occasion to locations where specific PPE or attire is necessary.

Job Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Systems, Education, Educational Technology, Learning Sciences, or a closely related field (or equivalent DoD training‑development experience).
• 5–10 years of hands‑on ISD work, with a minimum of 3 years on active military courseware development contracts (Navy / NAVAIR / NAWCTSD strongly preferred; USAF / Army training equivalents considered).
• Demonstrated fluency with ADDIE and PADDIE+M and the ability to produce compliant deliverables against NAVAIR training standards.
• Working knowledge of MIL-HDBK-29612 series, SCORM, xAPI, Section 508 accessibility, and Interactive Courseware (ICW) / IMI Level I–IV constructs.
• Design artifacts. Can independently produce learning objective hierarchies, storyboards, IMDPs, TPPs, CTTLs, and test/assessment plans that pass customer review with minimal rework.
• Proficient with Microsoft Word / SharePoint / Teams; comfortable specifying builds for Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Rise, and equivalent authoring tools (specification, not necessarily authoring, is the ISD lane).
• Clearance eligibility. S. Citizen. Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance; ability to pass a Government background investigation is required.
• Currently resides in the Oklahoma City metro or willing to relocate before start date. This role is on‑site — not remote or hybrid.
• Writes clearly for both technical and non‑technical audiences; presents design decisions to Government customers and internal leadership with confidence.

Preferred Requirements

• Active Top-Secret clearance (SCI eligibility a plus).
• Master's degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Systems, or Learning Sciences.
• Direct experience on NAVAIR / NAWCTSD, PMA, or COMNAVAIRFOR training programs.
• Experience designing training for simulators, PTTs, VSIM, or other high‑fidelity training devices.
• Familiarity with human performance improvement (HPI), Kirkpatrick evaluation, and training effectiveness measurement.
• CPT (Certified Performance Technologist), ATD APTD/CPTD, or equivalent credentials.
• Experience supporting proposal responses (technical volume writing, past‑performance narratives, staffing plans) for DoD training contracts.

Position Benefits

As a full‑time employee of Long Wave, you are eligible for our benefits package including:

• Competitive Salary
• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• This position’s standard work schedule is a 9/80. The 9/80 schedule allows employees who work a nine‑hour day Monday through Thursday to take every other Friday off.

EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability