Global Director of Instructional Design

Global Director of Instructional DesignThe Global Director of Instructional Design leads a high-performing, multi-level instructional design organization responsible for delivering world-class learning experiences for enterprise, higher-education, and workforce clients under the direction of the SVP of Operations.This role oversees a global team of up to 15 Learning Experience Designers (Associate, LXD, Senior LXD), ensuring excellence in content strategy, storyboard quality, client experience, and cross-functional collaboration.The Director sets the creative and instructional vision for the team, drives innovation in learning design, enforces quality standards, and ensures that all deliverables reflect the organization’s mission, brand, and pedagogical rigor. This leader partners closely with Product, Sales, Operations, and Development to create high-impact solutions and continuously improve processes, tools, and team capability.Key Responsibilities1. Strategic Leadership & VisionDefine and evolve the global instructional design strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and the mission of creating instructionally sound, creative, visually compelling, and immersive learningEstablish, implement, document, and enforce the highest quality standards and design frameworksDrive innovation in processes, methodologies, artificial intelligence, and the ELB learning tech stackIntegrate and codify AI processes and tools as part of continuous improvement for both internal and client delivery2. Team Leadership & Talent DevelopmentLead, mentor, and develop a global team of LXDs across multiple levels, ensuring clear growth pathways and performance standardsBuild a culture of creativity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvementOversee workload allocation, project staffing, and capacity planningProvide coaching on client communication, content synthesis, visual storytelling, and instructional strategy3. Quality Assurance & Instructional ExcellenceServe as the final authority on instructional qualityOversee content verification, storyboard reviews, and adherence to accessibility standardsEnsure storyboards are appropriately scoped, realistic, thorough, and complete before development4. Client & Stakeholder LeadershipAct as the executive-level partner for key clients, ensuring learning objectives are met and exceededGuide teams in building and maintaining strong client relationshipsSupport Sales with scoping, pitching, and strategic client conversations5. Cross-Functional CollaborationPartner with eLearning Development leaders to ensure seamless handoff from storyboard to developmentCollaborate with Development, PMO, Product, Marketing, and Operations to align instructional design with organizational initiativesLead cross-departmental improvements in workflows, tools, templates, and design systems6. Operational ExcellenceEstablish and manage KPIs for quality, efficiency, client satisfaction, and team performanceStandardize processes for content assessment, SME collaboration, developer notes, and storyboard structureEnsure global consistency in instructional design practices while allowing for regional nuance and creativityRequired Qualifications10+ years of experience in instructional design, learning experience design, or learning product leadershipProven success leading multi-level design teams in fast-paced, client-facing environmentsDeep expertise in instructional design methodologies, learning science, and digital learning ecosystemsDemonstrated ability to manage complex client relationships and navigate ambiguityStrong communication, storytelling, and visual design sensibilitiesExperience with accessibility standards (508/WCAG), learning technologies, and cross-functional collaborationPreferred QualificationsExperience scaling global teams and building operational systems for creative organizationsBackground in enterprise learning, higher education, or workforce developmentFamiliarity with AI-enhanced learning design workflows and emerging learning technologies