Senior Instructional Designer

MCPHS; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 79,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangement

Job summary

MCPHS School of Professional Studies seeks a Senior Instructional Designer to lead design, development, and continuous improvement of online courses and programs. You will coordinate course development projects, manage timelines and stakeholder communications to deliver engaging, accessible learning experiences in a fast-paced environment.

You will oversee QA, LMS operations, and educational technology implementation, maintain documentation, and support accreditation and compliance.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in education.
• Strong project management experience and organizational skills.
• Strong collaborative and team-oriented approach.
• Ability to develop and improve processes, workflows, documentation, and systems.
• Strong technical skills, including experience with learning management systems and related educational technologies.
• Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgement in managing projects and initiatives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage course development and continuous improvement efforts within the LMS, testing assessments and course functionality.
• Lead assessment and academic integrity initiatives; document approaches and monitor trends.
• Oversee implementation of new educational technologies and related processes.
• Coordinate digital credentials and learner recognition systems and training resources.
• Lead course and program development projects; ensure QA and timely deliverables.
• Serve as primary contact for faculty, staff, vendors; facilitate communication and issue resolution.
• Maintain QA processes and annual course update cycles; coordinate corrective actions.
• Collaborate with educational technology vendors; support onboarding and materials development.
• Support accreditation and compliance activities and other SPS priorities.

Skills

Project management

Collaboration

Process improvement

Educational technology

LMS experience

Communication

Independent work

Education

Master’s degree in education

Tools

Blackboard

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

Job description

The School of Professional Studies (SPS) seeks a Senior Instructional Designer to lead the design, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of courses, program offerings, and strategic initiatives within a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and rapidly growing environment. This position coordinates course development projects, manages project timelines and stakeholder communication, supports quality assurance, educational technology, and assessment efforts to ensure high-quality learning experiences. Working closely with faculty, staff, vendors, and other stakeholders, the Senior Instructional Designer is responsible for delivering engaging, accessible, and high-quality learning experiences. This is an ideal opportunity for a collaborative, adaptable professional who thrives in a fast-paced setting and enjoys helping shape the future of a growing organization. This position reports to the Instructional Design Manager for the School of Professional Studies. This position offers a flexible work arrangement and requires the candidate to live within a commutable distance to the Boston campus.

Technical, Instructional Design, and Educational Technology Responsibilities (60%)

• Manages course development and continuous improvement efforts by reviewing content organization within the LMS, implementing course updates, testing assessments and course functionality, and providing troubleshooting and operational support.
• Researches and recommends best practices, technologies, and process improvements that enhance course quality, learner experience, and operational efficiency. Develops resources, documentation, and training materials for faculty and staff.
• Leads assessment and academic integrity initiatives by documenting course assessment approaches, monitoring emerging trends and technologies, and providing recommendations to support effective and secure learning experiences.
• Manages the implementation of new educational technologies, systems, and processes through research, testing, documentation, workflow development, and stakeholder support.
• Leads the administration of digital credentials and other learner recognition initiatives by maintaining related systems, documentation, processes, and training resources.

Project Management and Stakeholder Leadership (40%)

• Leads course and program development projects, managing the creation, revision, and quality assurance of asynchronous undergraduate prerequisite courses, professional education, and other SPS offerings. Tracks project milestones, monitors progress, identifies risks, escalates issues as needed, and ensures timely completion of deliverables.
• Serves as a primary point of contact for faculty, staff, vendors, and other stakeholders throughout course development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance. Facilitates communication, provides project updates, and supports issue resolution.
• Manages quality assurance reviews to ensure courses meet established standards prior to launch. Maintains QA processes by continually gathering stakeholder feedback, identifying recurring issues, and coordinating corrective actions and enhancements.
• Manages annual course update processes, including communication with faculty, tracking required revisions, maintaining documentation, and ensuring updates are completed in advance of course launches.
• Coordinase relationships with educational technology and course material vendors, supporting implementation, troubleshooting, faculty onboarding, and development of learner-facing instructions and resources.
• Leads special projects and strategic initiatives by conducting research, coordinating activities, monitoring progress, and supporting implementation efforts aligned with SPS priorities.
• Provides operational support for professional and continuing education programs, including stakeholder coordination, process management, and support for accreditation and compliance requirements.
• Additional responsibilities may be assigned by supervisor.

Requirements

Required:

• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in education, preferably in adult, online, continuing, or professional education.
• Strong project management experience and organizational skills.
• Strong collaborative and team-oriented approach.
• Ability to develop and improve processes, workflows, documentation, and systems.
• Strong technical skills, including experience with learning management systems and related educational technologies.
• Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgement in managing projects and initiatives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in education or a related field.
• Experience in developing technical documentation very desirable.

Physical Requirement:

• Ability to sit and use a keyboard for long stretches of time.
• Strong vision needed to build and review content in Blackboard and other learning platforms.
• Ability to travel to campus as needed.

Stipend

N/A

About Us

Established in 1823, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is the oldest institution of higher education in Boston, a city that is home to many of the world's top universities and healthcare institutions. We are one of the largest and most highly‑ranked schools for health and life sciences, and our alumni and faculty continually distinguish themselves in healthcare settings around the globe.

MCPHS has more than 7000 students across campuses in Boston's Longwood Medical and Academic Area (LMA), downtown Worcester, MA and downtown Manchester, NH.

Our vision is to empower our Community to create a healthier, more equitable world, which we strive to achieve through our core values of integrity, community, engagement, collaboration, support, and innovation.

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that include a substantial contribution toward the cost of medical, vision, and dental insurance, generous time off, retirement and pension plans, and flexible work arrangements to support work/life balance for our employees while supporting the MCPHS strategic plan .

MCPHS is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to ensuring equal opportunity for all members of the University community. We aim to recruit, develop, and retain the most skilled faculty and staff. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. MCPHS is unable to sponsor, or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa. MCPHS is also not an E-Verify institution.

Pay Range

The estimated pay range for this job. Disclosing pay information promotes competitive and equitable pay. The actual pay rate will depend on the person's qualifications and experience. $78,800.00 - $88,300.00 / year

Pay Transparency

The pay range associated with this posting reflects the amount the University reasonably expects to pay for this role at this time. Salary offers are determined based on experience, skills, and qualifications as well as internal equity, market data, and pay in comparison to similarly situated employees doing comparable work.