National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

Senior Instructional Designer, Board Governance Education

Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in education, communications, business, or related field
  • 7+ years of experience in adult education program design and development
  • Experience with competency frameworks for curriculum development
  • Proficiency in Articulate 360, InDesign, PowerPoint, and Adobe Premiere
  • Familiarity with Learning Management Systems (LMS) and online collaboration tools

Responsibilities

  • Design and manage governance education courses for cooperative directors
  • Lead the full course lifecycle from research to evaluation
  • Create engaging learning materials across various formats
  • Collaborate with internal teams and subject-matter experts
  • Implement innovative instructional strategies for diverse learning environments
  • Contribute to educational programming for major NRECA events
  • Review program budgets and help achieve revenue targets

Benefits

  • Flexible hybrid work schedule with up to 2 days remote
  • Opportunity to work on impactful governance education programs
  • Support for professional development and potential certifications
  • Collaboration with industry experts and internal partners
Full Job Description
Job Description

NRECA's Education, Training & Events team designs, delivers, and facilitates high-impact learning experiences and events-both online and in person--that empower cooperative leaders and staff to guide their organizations and communities into the future. The portfolio includes certification programs, a robust education curriculum of 100+ courses, leadership development programs, a trade show, thought leadership events and multi-day conferences. This position is located in our Arlington, VA Headquarters and would be eligible for NRECA's hybrid schedule which allows flexibility to work from home up to 2 days per/week.

Position Summary:

We are looking for a senior-level instructional designer to manage and advance NRECA's director education portfolio with a focus on strengthening board governance excellence across the electric cooperative network. This role blends deep understanding of electric cooperative governance and board leadership practices with a strong passion for instructional design and adult learning innovation to position NRECA as the industry leader in governance education. Designs, develops, and delivers high-impact learning experiences for NRECA's 7,000-member board community-leveraging modern instructional design methodologies, innovative technologies, and diverse delivery channels. Owns the lifecycle of director education programming-from research and design through development, marketing, delivery, and evaluation-while ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, budget expectations, and evolving governance needs. Contributes content expertise to flagship programs including Directors Conference, Winter and Summer Schools, and other key NRECA events.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
  • Leverages an understanding of the cooperative business model and electric cooperative board governance practices to research, design and develop innovative courses that enhance NRECA's board of directors education portfolio.
  • Leads the design of a cohesive, high-impact learning portfolio that blends in-person and digital experiences for cooperative boards of directors. Applies deep instructional design expertise to translate complex governance challenges into practical, competency-based learning solutions with clear, measurable learning objectives.
  • Creates dynamic, learner-centered materials that bring content to life-including presentations, participant guides, job aids, video tutorials, and interactive simulations-tailored to engage and meet the needs of cooperative board members.
  • Incorporates innovative and technology-driven instructional strategies for both online and in-person delivery, understands varied learning delivery channels and best practices to improve the effectiveness of education course development, learning application and retention.
  • Recruits, develops, and supports a network of 20+ contracted instructors-setting clear expectations for instructional quality, providing coaching and feedback, and ensuring a consistent, high-caliber learning experience.
  • Designs and shapes meaningful learning experiences by defining curriculum purpose, understanding audience needs, and crafting compelling value propositions.
  • Implements tactics to ensure learners are fully prepared before a course and stay engaged beyond the program.
  • Conducts review cycles and facilitates subject-matter expert ideation sessions. Identifies and partners with governance experts and experienced instructors to ensure content is relevantand impactful.
  • Evaluates program effectiveness through participant feedback and performance insights; applies findings to continuously refine curriculum, enhance learning outcomes, and support data-informed decision-making.
  • Consults the budget for assigned programs to meet assigned net revenue margins.
  • Builds relationships with NRECA departments, member cooperative employees and network partnersto stay on top of trends and issues that impact electric cooperatives.
  • Collaborates with conference program managers to generate content ideas for director education events such as Director's Conference and NRECA's Summer and Winter Schools for Directors.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Skills
  • Bachelor's degree in education, communications, business, accounting, or utility industry related degree.
  • Seven or more years of experience in designing, developing content for in-person and online programs and conferences.
  • Experience working with competency frameworks and using them to develop curriculum and programs.
  • Experience using Articulate 360 and other development tools including InDesign, PowerPoint, Adobe Premiere, among others. AI tools experience a plus.
  • Expertise with a Learning Management System (LMS) for delivery of programs and online collaboraton tools.
  • Employment experience in a member-based organization's (association) educational department and experience managing externally contracted projects a plus.
  • Association for Talent Development (ATD), American Society for Association Executives (ASAE) certification or equivalent and/or professional certification or licensure a plus.
  • Knowledge of governance education either as practitioner, board member or board liaison.
  • Knowledge of adult learning principles and instructional frameworks.
  • Knowledge of instructional design theory, models and best practices for both in-person and online education program development.
  • Knowledge of learning management systems (LMSs) as well as tools such as InDesign, PowerPoint, Adobe Premiere and Articulate 360.
  • Ability to lead functional teams without direct supervisory authority over team members.
  • Ability to manage competing deadlines and multiple education programs at various stages of development using effective organization skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to produce innovative education programs that meet learners' needs and enhances on-the-job performance while producing positive revenue results.
  • Ability to communicate, both verbally and in writing, with a diverse membership, employees and/or vendors in a clear and precise manner.
  • Ability to develop and deliver effective and engaging presentations.
  • Ability to use Microsoft Office tools (Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point) and artificial intelligence tools and applications in the day-to-day essential duties of the job.
  • Ability to operate various office equipment such as personal computer, copier, printer, fax machine or other job-related equipment.
  • Ability to provide service excellence by building relationships, being resourceful.
  • Ability to report to the office when required.
  • Ability to travel.


Essential Physical Requirements:

  • The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal and extensive reading.
  • Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for sedentary work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for light work.


Salary Range: $123,000-$152,000 annual salary

Final compensation determined by individual qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

Disclaimer Statement: The preceding job description has been written to reflect management's assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned

Additional Requirement:

The preceding job description has been written to reflect management's assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

About National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is a national service organization that represents the interests of more than 900 electric cooperatives and their 42 million members across the United States. The organization provides a range of services to its members, including advocacy, education, training, and technical assistance. NRECA also works to promote the development of rural communities and the economic growth of rural America. The organization was founded in 1942 and is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Learn more about National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
Size
1,000 employees
Industry
Net Income
$10 million
5 Year Trend
+5%
Revenue
$1 billion
NASDAQ

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