Instructional System Designer

Long Wave Inc.•Oklahoma City, OK

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Instructional Systems Designer is the learning-system architect for our military courseware and training-device programs. This role owns the design of the training system end-to-end: analyzing performance requirements, defining terminal and enabling learning objectives, sequencing instruction, and specifying every training product so it fits a single, coherent system. ISDs on this team are the internal customer to courseware developers, multimedia developers, and training-device engineering. They translate Customer-aligned task and mission analysis into design documents that drive courseware, CBT/IMI (Levels I–IV), training aids, and simulator/PTT training. This is a hands-on, deliverable-producing role — not a coordinator or generalist position.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Systems, Education, Educational Technology, Learning Sciences, or a closely related field (or equivalent DoD training-development experience).
5–10 years of hands-on ISD work, with a minimum of 3 years on active military courseware development contracts (Navy / NAVAIR / NAWCTSD strongly preferred; USAF / Army training equivalents considered).
Demonstrated fluency with ADDIE and PADDIE+M and the ability to produce compliant deliverables against NAVAIR training standards.
Working knowledge of MIL-HDBK-29612 series, SCORM, xAPI, Section 508 accessibility, and Interactive Courseware (ICW) / IMI Level I–IV constructs.
Design artifacts. Can independently produce learning objective hierarchies, storyboards, IMDPs, TPPs, CTTLs, and test/assessment plans that pass customer review with minimal rework.
Proficient with Microsoft Word / SharePoint / Teams; comfortable specifying builds for Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Rise, and equivalent authoring tools (specification, not necessarily authoring, is the ISD lane).
S. Citizen. Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance; ability to pass a Government background investigation is required.
Currently resides in the Oklahoma City metro or willing to relocate before start date. This role is on-site — not remote or hybrid.
Writes clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences; presents design decisions to Government customers and internal leadership with confidence.

Nice To Haves

Active Top-Secret clearance (SCI eligibility a plus).
Master's degree in Instructional Design, Instructional Systems, or Learning Sciences.
Direct experience on NAVAIR / NAWCTSD, PMA, or COMNAVAIRFOR training programs.
Experience designing training for simulators, PTTs, VSIM, or other high-fidelity training devices.
Familiarity with human performance improvement (HPI), Kirkpatrick evaluation, and training effectiveness measurement.
CPT (Certified Performance Technologist), ATD APTD/CPTD, or equivalent credentials.
Experience supporting proposal responses (technical volume writing, past-performance narratives, staffing plans) for DoD training contracts.

Responsibilities

Spends ≥80% of time on core instructional-systems-design work. Overlap into adjacent roles (SME support, review of build products, instructor input) is expected on a small team but is not the primary mission.
Front-end analysis. Conduct or lead task, mission, learning, media, and audience analysis (ADDIE / PADDIE+M) to establish performance requirements and training gaps.
Learning objectives & hierarchies. Author terminal and enabling objectives with conditions and standards; build objective hierarchies and sequencing maps that stand up to customer review.
Design documents. Produce Instructional Media Design Packages (IMDP), Training Project Plans (TPP), Training System Plans, Course Training Task Lists (CTTL), and NAVAIR training materials in accordance with applicable MIL-HDBK / MIL-PRF standards (e.g., MIL-HDBK-29612 series, MIL-PRF-29612 where applicable).
Media & fidelity selection. Recommend the appropriate blend of print, instructor-led, IMI Level I–IV, VR/AR, and device-based training based on task criticality, frequency, and cost — with defensible rationale.
Storyboarding & scripting. Develop storyboards, scripts, and interaction specifications for IMI and CBT that give courseware and multimedia teams a buildable, testable target.
Assessment design. Design knowledge and performance assessments (written, scenario-based, sim/device) that measure the stated objectives; specify pass/fail criteria and remediation paths.
SME orchestration. Elicit accurate content from Subject Matter Experts, validate for operational fidelity, and keep SMEs focused on content — not design, build, or delivery.
Product-fit ownership. Review courseware, multimedia, and training-device output against the design; flag drift; approve products for release into the training system.
Continuous improvement. Ingest instructor and student feedback, training effectiveness data, and post-course reviews; drive revisions back through the design.
Customer engagement. Support NAVAIR / Government customer meetings, technical reviews (PDR/CDR-style events), and In-Progress Reviews with clear design artifacts.
Perform other duties as assigned.