Instructional Designer

NightOwl Consulting

10d

About The Position

The Instructional Design Lead owns the design, development, and continuous improvement of training content, job aids, and process documentation for Benchmark’s operational teams. This position translates underwriting guidance, QC feedback, and operational changes into clear, practical learning materials that reflect real-world execution. Working closely with processing, underwriting, and other business partners, the role ensures documented workflows stay accurate, accessible, and current, and that training measurably supports performance and onboarding. Ideal candidates pair strong instructional design and technical-writing skills with enough operational mortgage knowledge to make training accurate and credible to the teams who use it.

Requirements

Strong knowledge of instructional design methodologies and adult learning principles, including ADDIE or comparable instructional design frameworks.
Proficiency with content authoring and e-learning development tools such as Articulate, Captivate, or similar platforms, with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines simultaneously.
Working knowledge of residential mortgage operations sufficient to develop training materials that are accurate, practical, and credible to end users.
Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to create clear, organized, and user-focused documentation tailored to the needs of the intended audience.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex operational, regulatory, and underwriting guidance into practical, easy-to-understand instructional materials and learning deliverables.
Strong collaboration, organizational, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to partner across departments, interpret business needs, and develop effective training solutions.
Proficiency with SharePoint, Microsoft Office Suite, and other tools used to create, manage, and distribute learning content and documentation.
Minimum of five (5) years of experience in instructional design, training development, technical writing, learning and development, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience creating process documentation, job aids, training curricula, and knowledge resources that support operational excellence and employee performance.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing training programs and learning materials within a mortgage, financial services, or other highly regulated operational environment is preferred.
Familiarity with SharePoint, learning management systems (LMS), content authoring tools, and e-learning development platforms is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and continuous improvement of training programs, courses, and learning materials for operational teams, utilizing instructional design methodologies and adult learning best practices.
Develop, update, and maintain Quick Reference Guides (QRGs), job aids, HUB pages, e-learning modules, and process documentation across multiple formats and delivery channels.
Partner with subject matter experts across processing, underwriting, and other business functions to capture accurate workflows and translate complex processes into clear, practical, and actionable learning content.
Conduct training needs assessments to identify skill gaps, knowledge deficiencies, and performance improvement opportunities, and recommend targeted learning solutions.
Translate underwriting guidance, quality control (QC) feedback, regulatory updates, and operational changes into effective training materials, process documentation, and learning resources.
Evaluate training effectiveness through learner feedback, assessments, performance metrics, and operational outcomes, and continuously refine content based on results.
Ensure all training materials accurately reflect current operational workflows, policies, procedures, and business practices.
Identify gaps in documented processes, training content, and operational execution, and implement updates to improve consistency, efficiency, and knowledge transfer.
Maintain training content within the BM HUB, ensuring proper organization, version control, accessibility, and ongoing content governance.
Monitor recurring operational issues and performance trends, providing recommendations to enhance training programs, process documentation, and workflow execution.
Support onboarding materials, new hire training initiatives, and targeted learning programs as needed to meet business and operational objectives.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.