Instructional Designer

Overview

Make an Impact!

Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of others? The McGraw Hill Higher Education team thrives on building meaningful relationships with educators to maximize the potential of every learner. This is a unique opportunity to have a far-reaching impact on student success as well as impact the educational technology industry.

How can you make an impact?

McGraw Hill, the leading provider of digital and print educational resources, is looking for Instructional Designers to join our Higher Education team. We are looking for a creative, pedagogically grounded, and highly adaptable Instructional Designer to join our agile curriculum strategy team. Reporting directly to the Curriculum Strategy Lead and working in close collaboration with the Research Analyst, you will be at the center of how we design and build learning experiences — translating curriculum strategy and market research into content that genuinely works for students and educators.

This is not a conventional instructional design role. Our team is actively reimagining how educational content is developed, and you will be a key part of that effort. You will bring rigorous design thinking to an environment that moves fast, experiments often, and isn't afraid to try something new. You will be expected to apply established instructional design principles while simultaneously questioning, adapting, and evolving those methods in response to new tools, new formats, and new insights. If you are excited by the opportunity to help define what modern content development looks like — and to do it as part of a motivated, entrepreneurial team — this role is for you.

This is a remote position open to applicants authorized to work for any employer within the United States.

What you will be doing:

• Design and develop engaging learning experiences using instructional design frameworks and learning science principles (e.g., backward design, cognitive load theory, Bloom's taxonomy, and spaced practice), creating course content, assessments, interactive activities, instructor resources, and student-facing materials aligned to learning outcomes.
• Translate curriculum maps, research insights, and author manuscripts into pedagogically sound content, ensuring alignment between objectives, content, assessments, and outcomes while maintaining instructional quality, accuracy, accessibility, and learner engagement.
• Work within an agile development environment to rapidly prototype, test, iterate, and refine educational content, embracing a fail-fast mindset, incorporating feedback early, and balancing speed with instructional integrity.
• Leverage and evaluate AI-powered authoring, content generation, and design tools to accelerate development, enhance content quality, identify innovative instructional opportunities, and contribute to best practices for AI use in content creation.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with curriculum leaders, research analysts, authors, subject matter experts, editors, platform teams, and users to incorporate research, feedback, and expert input while advocating for learner-centered design and improved learning outcomes.
• Support the development of scalable instructional design processes, workflows, templates, standards, and documentation; adapt to evolving tools and priorities; and help establish quality benchmarks that enable innovation, operational efficiency, and instructional excellence.

We are looking for someone with:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; coursework or a degree in instructional design, education, learning science, educational technology, or a related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience designing and developing educational or training content, including learning objectives, assessments, and structured instructional materials.
• Strong knowledge of instructional design frameworks and methodologies (e.g., ADDIE, backward design, UDL) with the ability to apply them effectively across diverse learning contexts.
• Proven ability to collaborate with subject matter experts, authors, editors, and cross-functional stakeholders while producing clear, accessible, and instructionally sound content for varied learner audiences.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments using iterative and agile development approaches, with experience managing evolving priorities and feedback cycles.
• Preferred qualifications include experience in educational publishing, edtech, higher education, or K-12 content development; familiarity with AI-assisted content creation, LMS and authoring tools, accessibility standards (WCAG), Universal Design for Learning, and multi-format content development (digital, print, interactive, and video).

Why work for us?

At McGraw-Hill, we leverage cutting-edge technology to create innovative learning solutions that support learners at all stages of their educational journey. Our state-of-the-art digital tools and platforms provide personalized, interactive experiences that enhance understanding and retention. Being part of McGraw-Hill means joining a team dedicated to shaping the future of education and making a real impact on students' lives. It's an exciting opportunity to contribute to a company that values innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

The pay range for this position is between $62,000 - $85,000 annually. However, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.  Additionally, a full range of medical and/or other benefits may be provided, depending on the position offered. Click here to learn more about our benefit offerings.

McGraw Hill recruiters always use a "@mheducation.com or @careers.mheducation.com" email address and/or from our Applicant Tracking System, iCIMS. Any variation of this email domain should be considered suspicious. Additionally, McGraw Hill recruiters and authorized representatives will never request sensitive information in email.

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