Instructional Designer Job Description

What is the job description of an Instructional Designer? What are the duties and responsibilities of an Instructional Designer? What does an Instructional Designer do?

Job description of an Instructional Designer

Instructional Designer is an education professional whose job is to identify the performance, skills, knowledge, information and attitude gaps of a targeted audience and create, select and/or suggest learning experiences to fill this gap.

Instructional designers develop curriculums, courses and lesson plans, in addition to training educators in teaching the material and analyzing student and instructor outcomes.

This Instructional Designer job description example includes the list of most important Instructional Designer duties and responsibilities as shown below. It can be modified to fit the specific Instructional Designer profile you're trying to fill as a recruiter or job seeker.

Instructional Designer Duties and Responsibilities

Instructional Designer job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

  • Create engaging learning activities and compelling course content 
  • Work with subject matter experts to identify target audience’s training needs
  • Set instructional end goals and create content that matches them
  • Visualize instructional graphics, the user interface and the finished product
  • Analyze and apply trends and best practices in learning technologies and instructional design 
  • Provide exercises and activities that enhance the learning process
  • Create supporting material/media (audio, video, simulations, role plays, games etc)
  • Devise modes of assessment, such as tests or quizzes, to measure the effectiveness of the course
  • Maintain project documentation and course folders

Instructional Designer Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

Instructional Designer job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

  • Previous working experience in instructional design for (x) years
  • In-depth knowledge of learning theories and instructional design models
  • Lesson and curriculum planning skills
  • Basic HTML and Flash programming knowledge
  • Visual design skills (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator) 
  • Ability to write effective copy, instructional text, audio and video scripts
  • MA degree in instructional design, educational technology or similar relevant field

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal Instructional Designer starts with crafting a good job description. Use this Instructional Designer job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of an Instructional Designer may also reference it in preparation for the interview.