Sr. Instructional System Designer (ISD3)

Runavir; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Runavir is seeking a Sr. Instructional System Designer (ISD3) to design, develop, and revise complex interactive and instructor‑led courses of a technical nature.

The role ensures instructional integrity, governs design standards, and coordinates cross‑team work streams to support controlled releases and continuous improvement. Applicants should bring experience with adult learning theory, a strong background in ADDIE/SAM, and proficiency with Captivate and LMS platforms, with a focus on

Qualifications

• Extensive experience collaborating with SMEs to ensure technical accuracy.
• In-depth knowledge of adult learning, SAM/ADDIE, and eLearning tech.
• Strong writing and verbal communication for cross‑team design.
• Experience establishing design standards and leading reviews.
• Experience ensuring traceability between objectives, instruction, and assessments.
• Experience overseeing Section 508/WCAG compliance activities for courseware.

Responsibilities

• Design learning objects for interactive e-training using Captivate or government tools.
• Test QA methodologies and document evidence for gov formats.
• Create cumulative eLearning exercises in a virtualized environment.
• Develop formative and summative assessments with traceability.
• Lead junior designers and manage workflows.
• Map course objectives to KSA/JQS requirements.
• Establish learning pathways and sequencing rules.
• Enforce design standards and conduct reviews.
• Coordinate with Configuration Management for versioning and releases.
• Lead pilot and post-delivery improvement cycles.
• Ensure accessibility in courseware with validation and docs.
• Evaluate and develop high-stakes exams for web-based training.

Skills

SME collaboration

Adult learning

ADDIE/SAM

LMS experience

Instructional design

Education

Doctoral degree

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Associate degree

High school diploma

Tools

Captivate

LMS

Job description

Sr. Instructional System Designer (ISD3)

Location: Hanover, MD (Hybrid) | Status: Open

We are currently seeking a Sr. Instructional System Designer (ISD3) to design, develop, and revise complex interactive, virtual, and instructor-led courses of a technical nature. This role ensures the integrity of task analysis, training requirements, training hierarchies, instructional materials, and evaluation plans, converting written materials and training requirements into interactive courseware. The ISD3 leads instructional design architecture and governance for assigned courses, establishing design standards and coordinating cross-team implementation with content developers, SMEs, configuration management, LMS, QA, and instructors to support controlled releases and continuous improvement.

If you are an experienced instructional designer who enjoys leading design standards, mentoring junior designers, and building eLearning solutions grounded in adult learning theory, then this is the position for you!

Work Schedule

Courses run 0700-1800, Monday through Friday. Contract core hours are 1000-1400.

Essential Responsibilities (describe the day-to-day)

• Design learning objects for interactive e-training solutions using Captivate or other government-approved tools.
• Test and apply quality assurance methodologies for modularized eLearning objects, defining validation criteria and checklists and capturing evidence in government-approved formats.
• Design cumulative eLearning practical exercises in a virtualized environment that mimics real-world experience, giving learners the opportunity to demonstrate course concepts.
• Design formative and summative assessments to gauge mastery of key concepts, ensuring traceability between objectives, instruction, and assessment artifacts.
• Provide task leadership, manage workflows, and oversee junior designers.
• Develop structure for and conduct mapping of course objectives to KSA and/or JQS requirements.
• Establish learning pathways, prerequisites, and sequencing rules to support progressive mastery and appropriate cognitive load.
• Establish and enforce instructional design standards, templates, and style guides, leading design reviews to ensure consistent application across modules and releases.
• Coordinate with Configuration Management to ensure instructional design artifacts are version-controlled, include required revision histories, and support controlled release packaging and change summaries for government review.
• Lead pilot and post-delivery improvement cycles by analyzing learner performance data and feedback, documenting findings, implementing approved revisions, and coordinating retest/validation as required.
• Ensure Section 508/WCAG accessibility is designed into courseware, with validation and remediation evidence documented for government review.
• Evaluate and develop high-stakes exams for web-based training.

Work Environment, Physical Demands, and Mental Demands

General office environment. The work environment is fast-paced and sometimes involves extreme deadline pressures. The nature of the work requires a high degree of teamwork and cooperation with other members of the staff as well as individuals across the Company and Customers.

Minimum Requirements (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Extensive experience working with subject matter experts to ensure technical accuracy of instructional content.
• Extensive knowledge of adult learning methods, the SAM/ADDIE model, and a variety of technologies and tools (Learning Management Systems, the latest version of Captivate) to support eLearning solution development.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills for collaborating with content developers and other designers.
• Experience establishing and enforcing design standards, templates, and style guides, and leading design reviews.
• Experience ensuring traceability between objectives, instruction, and assessments, and coordinating with testing experts for high-stakes assessments.
• Experience defining validation criteria and checklists for courseware and maintaining audit-ready evidence of verification actions.
• Experience overseeing Section 508/WCAG compliance activities for courseware, including remediation verification and documentation.

Security Clearance Required

TS/SCI preferred

Minimum Education

One of the following:

• Doctoral degree in Instructional Systems Design, Instructional Technology, Education, English, Communications, or a related field, plus six (6) years of relevant experience; or
• Master's degree in the same fields, plus eight (8) years of relevant experience; or
• Bachelor's degree in the same fields, plus ten (10) years of relevant experience; or
• Associate's degree (or 18 semester hours of military coursework/training in a related field), plus twelve (12) years of relevant experience; or
• High school diploma/GED, plus fourteen (14) years of relevant experience.

Minimum Years of Experience

Fourteen (14) years of documented, relevant work experience in Instructional Systems Design may be substituted in place of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience selecting or standardizing government-approved authoring tools, publishing formats, and reusable learning object approaches.
• Background knowledge of complex hardware/software systems.

Other Responsibilities

Procedure Compliance: Each employee must read, understand, and implement the general and specific operational, safety, quality, and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures, and policies pertaining to his/her job. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Compensation Details

$140,000 - $185,000

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. For a full overview of our offerings, visit runavir.com/benefits.

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements.