Instructional Designer

Today, 67% of students and 82% of low-income students can’t read at grade level by the end of third grade. That’s when students are supposed to go from learning to read to reading to learn. It’s America’s number one education crisis and we know how to fix it.

Ignite Reading delivers one-to-one virtual tutoring that teaches every student the foundational skills they need to become a confident, fluent reader. We pair students who need extra support with expert reading tutors who provide daily, 15-minute, Science of Reading-based instruction that rapidly closes their decoding gaps. We focus on the foundational reading skills—phonics, phonemic awareness, and sight words—kids need to master so they can decode a sentence. Students in Ignite Reading’s program achieve over 2 weeks of reading skills growth per week of instruction, and notably all students achieve the same outstanding results including students with IEPs, multilingual learners, students of color and those receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

Ignite Reading is a mission-driven public benefit corporation. We believe we can do well for our team members and shareholders while we solve one of the nation’s biggest challenges. We believe we will be more successful with a diverse team and are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Your Role

As an Instructional Designer at Ignite Reading, you will play a vital role in creating engaging, effective, and personalized learning experiences for our students. Your primary responsibility will be to design and develop instructional content and materials that support our mission of ensuring all our students crack the code and become automatic, fluent readers. . In addition, the Instructional Designer will collaborate closely with other teams such as Product, Data, and Tutor Operations to support the integration of content across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Curriculum Development: Design and develop instructional resources to enhance our programming for K-8 students based on strategic academic imperatives connected to student outcomes. Ensure that  continuous improvement to our program is in support of student outcomes by grounding instructional design in researched-based practices.

Content Creation: Create a wide range of instructional materials, including scope and sequences, lesson plans, data responsive foundational skills activities, and other resources that enhance student outcomes.

Quality Assurance: Review and revise instructional materials to ensure accuracy, effectiveness, and relevance. Continuously update content to reflect the latest educational research and best practices.

Product Integration: Represent the Academics team as a subject matter expert in spaces where instructional expertise is needed. Collaborate with the Product team to identify innovative opportunities to incorporate resources into Ignite’s proprietary platform for seamless tutor and student use in daily tutoring sessions. Support the Tutor Operations team in developing and turnkeying new content. 

Collaboration: Work closely with all key internal stakeholders to gather feedback and make necessary improvements to instructional resources.

Accessibility and Inclusivity: Ensure that all instructional materials are designed to be accessible to students with diverse needs and abilities, including those with learning disabilities.

Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, or a related field. Master’s degree is a plus.
• Prior experience in instructional design, curriculum development, or educational content creation in early literacy.
• Strong understanding of K-8 educational principles, foundational reading skills, and the Science of Reading.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Familiarity with virtual tutoring or online learning platforms is an advantage.
• Advanced skills with platforms such as Google Drive, Slack, and Zoom.

At Ignite Reading, we’ve decided to embrace a transparent compensation structure for a few reasons:

To promote fairness and equity: This approach supports fairness within our structure. When everyone knows how compensation decisions are made, it reduces the likelihood of pay discrimination based on factors like gender, race, relationships, or negotiation skills.

To provide accountability for our approach: The same role receives the same compensation, with no negotiation.

To build trust within the organization: When employees understand how their compensation is determined, they are more likely to trust organizational structures and decisions, which can lead to overall better culture.

To support legal considerations: Many states are moving to requiring compensation listed on job descriptions and we want to follow these rules. 

Salary: $90,000

We also ensure you have the tools you need to thrive both in and out of work.

• Employee Stock Options
• Medical, Dental, and Vision (80% employee coverage, 50% dependent coverage)
• Short-term disability (100% employer paid) 
• Technology Stipend
• Unlimited PTO + 12 paid holidays 
• Professional Development Stipend
• Wellness Reimbursement
• Internet Stipend
• 12 Weeks of Parental Leave
• Yearly Staff Retreat
• Voluntary Life Insurance

We believe in building and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace environment. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer where all applicants are considered for employment without attention to color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds often don’t apply for roles if they don’t meet all the criteria – unlike majority candidates meeting significantly fewer requirements. We strongly encourage you to apply if you’re interested!

We are seeking candidates who have lived experience related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are a virtual organization with headquarters in the California Bay Area.