Job SummaryThe Instructional Design Manager leads the design, development, implementation, and continuous improvement of learning solutions that strengthen employee performance and customer outcomes across Customer Care and Customer Retention operations.
This role owns curriculum strategy for new-hire onboarding, upskilling, reskilling, leadership development, and continuous learning. The manager applies advanced adult learning principles to create practical, culturally relevant, and measurable experiences for geographically dispersed and international audiences.
Because our operating model is heavily supported by external vendors, the successful candidate will bring experience leading vendor-based instructional design teams and creating learning solutions for vendor frontline employees and leaders. The role partners closely with operations, readiness, subject matter experts, facilitators, and senior stakeholders to translate complex business needs into clear, engaging, and scalable learning.
Responsibilities- Lead end-to-end curriculum strategy, including performance and needs analysis, learning architecture, design, development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
- Apply adult learning theory, instructional systems design, and performance-based learning practices to create experiences that are relevant, accessible, engaging, and immediately applicable on the job.
- Design for international Customer Care and Customer Retention audiences, accounting for cultural context, language and localization needs, varying levels of experience, technology access, and regional operating differences.
- Lead, coach, and quality-manage internal and vendor instructional designers, developers, and learning specialists; establish clear standards, governance, review cycles, and accountability for deliverables.
- Partner with vendor operations and learning leaders to design role-specific programs for frontline employees, supervisors, managers, and site leadership.
- Create blended learning solutions across instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, eLearning, simulations, scenario-based practice, social learning, mobile learning, and performance support.
- Translate complex products, services, systems, policies, and operational processes into learner-friendly content tied to observable behaviors and business outcomes.
- Partner with subject matter experts, readiness leaders, operations teams, and other stakeholders to identify performance gaps, define measurable learning objectives, and prioritize learning investments.
- Use learner data, quality results, operational KPIs, stakeholder feedback, and evaluation findings to measure effectiveness and improve learning solutions.
- Ensure consistency with brand, voice, accessibility, content quality, and learner experience standards across internal and vendor-delivered programs.
- Manage multiple concurrent projects, dependencies, risks, timelines, and stakeholder expectations in a fast-paced environment.
- Evaluate emerging learning technologies and methods, recommending solutions that improve speed, scalability, learner engagement, knowledge retention, and performance.
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Adult Learning, Education, Organizational Development, Communications, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Progressive experience in instructional design, curriculum development, or learning experience design, including experience leading people, projects, or design teams.
- Demonstrated mastery of adult learning principles and their application to performance-focused learning for diverse adult audiences.
- Experience designing learning for international or geographically distributed Customer Care, Customer Retention, contact center, sales, or service teams.
- Experience managing vendor-supported instructional design teams and creating learning for vendor frontline employees and leadership audiences.
- Proficiency with instructional design approaches such as ADDIE, SAM, rapid prototyping, performance consulting, and evaluation methods.
- Experience designing blended learning programs, including eLearning, ILT, VILT, simulations, scenario-based practice, and performance support.
- Strong writing, editing, presentation, project management, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to simplify complex information.
- Ability to influence across organizational boundaries, lead through change, synthesize feedback, and maintain quality under competing deadlines.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in a large, vendor-supported contact center or business process outsourcing environment.
- Experience with localization, translation workflows, cross-cultural learning design, accessibility, and inclusive design practices.
- Advanced proficiency with authoring and multimedia tools such as Articulate 360, Adobe Creative Cloud, Camtasia, or comparable platforms.
- Experience with learning management systems, learning experience platforms, virtual facilitation tools, and Microsoft 365.
- Experience developing frontline leadership, coaching, quality, retention, or consultative customer engagement programs.
- Portfolio demonstrating measurable, scalable learning solutions for complex operational environments.
Core Capabilities - Adult Learning Expertise: Applies adult learning science to practical, behavior-based experiences.
- Global & Inclusive Design: Designs for cultural, language, accessibility, and regional differences.
- Vendor Leadership: Sets standards and drives quality across external design and delivery partners.
- Business & Performance Acumen: Connects learning outcomes to customer experience and operational performance.
- People & Project Leadership: Builds capability, manages priorities, and delivers through others.
- Data-Driven Improvement: Uses evidence and feedback to strengthen impact and scalability.
How Success Will Be Measured - Learning solutions are delivered on time, meet quality standards, and scale effectively across internal and vendor operations.
- Learners and leaders demonstrate improved readiness, confidence, knowledge application, and on-the-job performance.
- Learning programs contribute to improved customer experience, retention, quality, productivity, and other defined business outcomes.
- Internal and vendor design teams consistently apply established standards, governance, and continuous improvement practices.
- Stakeholders view the learning function as a trusted, consultative partner that responds effectively to changing business needs.
