Instructional Designer

Forward Financing•Boston, MA

13d•$80,000 - $95,000•Remote

About The Position

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work®, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way. In this role you will: Leadership & Performance: Design high-impact leadership curricula and performance management resources. You will translate management frameworks into actionable scenarios, role-playing exercises, and "Just-in-Time" guides to support the performance cycle. Onboarding Optimization: Optimize the global functional onboarding experiences. Your goal is to structure content that reduces "time-to-ramp" and integrates new hires into our culture effectively. VILT & Facilitation Design: Create comprehensive materials for synchronous learning (Zoom/Google Meet), including visually engaging slide decks, detailed facilitator guides, and interactive breakout activities. Video Production: Edit training videos, screen captures, and interviews. You must be comfortable trimming footage, syncing audio, and adding polish using Adobe Premiere, Camtasia, or Canva. eLearning & Rapid Design: Build SCORM-compliant courses in Articulate Storyline/Rise 360 and create quick, on-brand assets (thumbnails, worksheets, infographics) using Canva. AI Content Creation & Literacy Support: Use Generative AI to rapidly build training outlines, draft scripts, and develop course assets to move beyond traditional timelines. You will also support the organization’s AI enablement by designing resources and "Just-in-Time" guides that help employees across the business learn how to use AI tools effectively in their own roles. LMS & Asset Management: Maintain a library of assets and manage course uploads/testing within the LMS to ensure accurate tracking. Why you should apply: Join us to move beyond traditional instructional design and become a strategic Learning Partner. At Forward, you will have the autonomy to consult with stakeholders, solve complex business problems, and help lead our team into the future by integrating AI into the way we learn and work. If you are a creative problem-solver you’ll find a home here. Mission driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options. When you join the team, you will help ensure all small businesses have access to the financial support they need to succeed. Flexibility is a top priority: Our employees are empowered to choose where they want to work (whether that’s from home, in the office, or a combination of both) with flexible hours.

Requirements

Experience: 3+ years of experience in Instructional Design or Learning & Development.
Adult Learning Expertise: Deep understanding of learning modalities. You know when to use a video, when to use a live workshop, and when to use a PDF job aid to get the best result.
The "Partner" & Innovator Mindset: Strong consulting skills. You are comfortable pushing back on stakeholders to ensure the training solution actually solves the business problem and are eager to help others navigate and adopt new technologies like AI to improve their productivity.
Live Training Expertise: Proven experience designing for Synchronous Learning (Zoom/Teams/WebEx). You know how to structure a 60-minute session so it isn't just "talking head" lectures.
Video Skills: Working knowledge of video editing.
Trim and assemble raw footage.
Sync audio and remove background noise.
Add lower thirds, text overlays, and simple transitions.
Authoring: Proficiency in Articulate Storyline 360 and Rise 360.
Design: Strong skills in Canva for daily tasks; basic familiarity with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator for occasional complex needs.
Virtual Delivery: Familiarity with the engagement tools in Zoom, MS Teams, or WebEx.
Portfolio: A portfolio showing examples of eLearning work, at least one video sample, and examples of support materials for live training (e.g., a facilitator guide or slide deck excerpt).

Nice To Haves

Experience designing "Train the Trainer" programs.
Certification or experience with specific leadership frameworks (e.g., Situational Leadership, Radical Candor, GROW Model).
Experience with LMS reporting and analytics to prove ROI.
Experience facilitating training sessions yourself (even if just occasionally).
Familiarity with admin tasks in an LMS (e.g., Docebo, Cornerstone, Workday).

Responsibilities

Design high-impact leadership curricula and performance management resources.
Translate management frameworks into actionable scenarios, role-playing exercises, and "Just-in-Time" guides to support the performance cycle.
Optimize the global functional onboarding experiences.
Structure content that reduces "time-to-ramp" and integrates new hires into our culture effectively.
Create comprehensive materials for synchronous learning (Zoom/Google Meet), including visually engaging slide decks, detailed facilitator guides, and interactive breakout activities.
Edit training videos, screen captures, and interviews.
Trim footage, syncing audio, and adding polish using Adobe Premiere, Camtasia, or Canva.
Build SCORM-compliant courses in Articulate Storyline/Rise 360
Create quick, on-brand assets (thumbnails, worksheets, infographics) using Canva.
Use Generative AI to rapidly build training outlines, draft scripts, and develop course assets to move beyond traditional timelines.
Support the organization’s AI enablement by designing resources and "Just-in-Time" guides that help employees across the business learn how to use AI tools effectively in their own roles.
Maintain a library of assets and manage course uploads/testing within the LMS to ensure accurate tracking.