Instructional Designer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

10

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 5 of 5

extensive preparation

Typical entry education

Master's degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$77,440

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Instructional Coordinators (O*NET-SOC 25-9031.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Observe work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Plan and conduct teacher training programs and conferences dealing with new classroom procedures, instructional materials and equipment, and teaching aids. importance 4.1 of 5
3. Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards. importance 4.1 of 5
4. Conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students. importance 4.0 of 5
5. Advise teaching and administrative staff in curriculum development, use of materials and equipment, and implementation of state and federal programs and procedures. importance 4.0 of 5
6. Advise and teach students. importance 3.9 of 5
7. Recommend, order, or authorize purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards. importance 3.9 of 5
8. Update the content of educational programs to ensure that students are being trained with equipment and processes that are technologically current. importance 3.7 of 5
9. Address public audiences to explain program objectives and to elicit support. importance 3.7 of 5
10. Research, evaluate, and prepare recommendations on curricula, instructional methods, and materials for school systems. importance 3.7 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Training and Teaching Others, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work and Working with Computers.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Prepare grant proposals, budgets, and program policies and goals or assist in their preparation.
• Prepare or approve manuals, guidelines, and reports on state educational policies and practices for distribution to school districts.
• Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging, distributing, and maintaining educational materials and equipment in curriculum libraries and laboratories.
• Adapt instructional content or delivery methods for different levels or types of learners.
• Analyze performance data to determine effectiveness of instructional systems, courses, or instructional materials.
• Assess effectiveness and efficiency of instruction according to ease of instructional technology use and student learning, knowledge transfer, and satisfaction.

Knowledge areas: Education and Training, English Language, Administration and Management, Mathematics and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Articulate Storyline, Learning management system LMS. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 5 of 5 (extensive preparation). Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become an instructional designer.

Most instructional designers surveyed by O*NET (60%) name a master's degree as the education the job requires.

Job title: Instructional Designer
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an Instructional Designer to develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Observe work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.
- Plan and conduct teacher training programs and conferences dealing with new classroom procedures, instructional materials and equipment, and teaching aids.
- Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards.
- Conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students.
- Advise teaching and administrative staff in curriculum development, use of materials and equipment, and implementation of state and federal programs and procedures.
- Advise and teach students.
- Recommend, order, or authorize purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards.
- Update the content of educational programs to ensure that students are being trained with equipment and processes that are technologically current.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a master's degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists 5 years or more in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in learning strategies, instructing and writing
- Working knowledge of Education and Training and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $77,440 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $37.23. BLS estimates about 227,760 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Instructional Coordinators to grow 1.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full instructional designer salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real instructional designer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Observe work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only instructional designer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (learning strategies and instructing); instructional designer interview questions turns them into practice questions.