Content Specialist (Instructional Design)

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description

Primary Responsibilities

Learning Experience Design

• Designs and maintains the end-to-end orientation experience for both Traditional and Career Accelerator students, ensuring the journey is coherent, paced well, and grounded in adult learning principles
• Translates program goals and student needs into structured learning experiences with clear outcomes and meaningful checkpoints
• Leads the iteration of existing modules and the creation of new ones in response to data, student feedback, and program changes
• Partners with Program Development on changes that need to flow through the orientation experience, ensuring content stays accurate and aligned with program intent

Content Creation & Digital Assets

• Creates and maintains a wide range of digital assets across the orientation experience — videos, scripts, slides, written copy, graphics, interactive elements, and supporting materials
• Maintains a library of reusable content, templates, and components that keep the experience consistent across populations and easy to update over time
• Ensures every asset is on-brand, accessible, and aligned with WGU's voice and values
• Partners with multimedia and design teams when more complex production is needed; manage external contributors and vendors as required

Just-in-Time Support Design

• Leads the design and development of just-in-time supports — in-the-moment resources triggered by student behavior, needs, or moments of friction
• Identifies gaps where students need contextual help, then design, build, and ship solutions that meet them where they are
• Tests and iterates on JIT content based on usage data, student feedback, and Engagement Specialist input
• Maintains and grows the JIT library as new student needs emerge and the program evolves

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partners with Communications on messaging, brand consistency, and tone across all orientation content
• Partners with EdTech on platform capabilities, content delivery, and learning system integrations
• Coordinates with Engagement Specialists on content needs surfaced through student conversations and community activity
• Coordinates with the Operations Specialist on engagement and content-performance data that informs design decisions
• Represents the orientation experience in cross-departmental working groups as needed

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Learning Experience Design

• Demonstrated experience designing learning experiences for adult learners
• Familiarity with instructional design models (e.g., ADDIE, SAM) and adult learning principles
• Ability to translate complex content into clear, structured, learner-friendly experiences
• Strong sense for pacing, scaffolding, and the moments where students need extra support

Content Creation & Multimedia

• Strong writing skills with the ability to adapt voice and tone for different audiences and channels
• Hands-on experience with content creation tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Suite, video editing software, design platforms)
• Comfort with multimedia production — video scripting, basic editing, screen recordings, narration
• Visual design sensibility and attention to detail

Project & Program Management

• Strong project management instincts — able to balance ongoing maintenance, new content creation, and JIT development on parallel timelines
• Highly organized with the ability to track multiple modules, stakeholders, and deadlines simultaneously
• Self-directed and reliable; comfortable holding accountability across multiple workstreams

Collaboration & Communication

• Outstanding collaboration skills — comfortable working across creative, technical, program, and student-facing teams
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for translating across disciplines and audiences
• Diplomatic and trustworthy in cross-team work; earns confidence with internal partners

Data & Iteration

• Comfort using engagement metrics, completion data, and JIT usage patterns to inform content decisions
• Open to iteration and feedback; sees content as something that improves over time, not something shipped once

Cultural Competence & Equity

• Cultural competence and demonstrated experience designing for diverse student populations
• Commitment to equity, accessibility, and inclusive design in everything created
• Growth mindset with commitment to continuous professional development

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in instructional design, education, communications, multimedia, or related field
• 3+ years of demonstrated experience in content creation, instructional design, learning experience design, or a closely related role
• Portfolio demonstrating learning design and digital content creation work
• Hands-on experience with content creation tools (Canva, Adobe Suite, or equivalent) and basic multimedia production
• Experience working with adult learners or in higher education

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Adult Learning, or related discipline
• Experience designing just-in-time supports, microlearning, or contextual help systems
• Experience working across multiple stakeholder groups (Communications, EdTech, Program teams)
• Familiarity with learning management systems and digital content delivery platforms
• Familiarity with WGU's academic model, programs, or student success systems

Working Conditions

• This is an on-site role based at WGU's Salt Lake City office
• Standard business hours with occasional flexibility required to support production timelines or program needs
• Occasional travel of up to 20%, including attendance at company summits (typically 1-2 per year), commencement, conferences, and other business-related events

A Day in the Life

Your day as a Content Specialist might begin with a review of last week's JIT support usage data — flagging two help articles that aren't getting clicks and brainstorming what's missing. From there, you're in a working session with Communications to align on tone for an upcoming Orientation refresh, then in your design tool building out the next set of slides for the Career Accelerator welcome module. Mid-morning, you connect with EdTech on a platform update that affects how a key video is delivered. After lunch, you're writing the script for a new JIT video on financial aid options, recording a voiceover draft, and queuing edits for a contractor on the final cut. By afternoon, you're walking the Engagement Specialists through new content additions so they know what students will see next week, and updating the content backlog for the next sprint. You end the day having shaped what every new WGU student will experience in their first week — and the supports they can reach for when they need them most.

WGU's Commitment

At Western Governors University, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. The Content Specialist plays a foundational role in our student-centered model — designing and building the orientation experience that welcomes every new student to WGU and the just-in-time supports that help them succeed throughout their journey. This position directly contributes to WGU's mission of expanding access to quality higher education through innovative, student-focused approaches.

Disclaimer: This job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It is not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.