Director Learning Design - Career and Technical Education

Position Overview: We are seeking an exceptionally agile, forward-thinking Career and Technical Education (CTE) Curriculum & Product Expert to drive the evolution of our product suite. This role is designed for a strategic learning architect who fundamentally understands that modern CTE has evolved far beyond traditional vocational training. Today's landscape demands high-tech, credential-aligned, industry-validated learning models that actively prepare students for the future of work. In this role, you will stand at the intersection of macroeconomic market shifts, cutting-edge educational products, and highly complex state and federal policies (such as Perkins V). You will not simply write content; you will act as a critical thought partner to both internal product squads and external school district clients. You will navigate intricate regional requirements, build functional curriculum prototypes, and bring a deeply solution-oriented approach to systemic institutional roadblocks. Crucially, you must possess the commercial acumen to pitch, win, and deliver complex CTE product solutions to major school districts and EdTech publishers, positioning our capabilities as the premier choice for large-scale curriculum partnerships. The ideal candidate is a market and policy anchor, elite thought partner, agile prototyper, and solution-oriented team leader. They will be proficient with: Deconstructing Perkins V, state funding mechanisms, and regional labor data to build high-demand career pathways. Consulting seamlessly with enterprise clients and internal product leaders to co-author future-focused learning visions. Rapidly translating ideas into minimal viable curriculum products, scoping maps, and simulated training frameworks. Reconfiguring content fluidly to satisfy strict client-specific matrices without breaking product integrity.

Core Responsibilities: 1. Market Intelligence, Evolution & Policy Strategy Monitor, decode, and capitalize on trends across the multi-state CTE landscape, ensuring our product roadmaps anticipate the evolution of Career Clusters (e.g., Green Energy, Cyber, Health Sciences, AI automation). Maintain authoritative fluency in federal and state policies, specifically the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V), comprehensive local needs assessments (CLNA), and state-approved accountability metrics. Strategically embed Industry-Recognized Credentials (IRCs) (such as CompTIA, AWS, OSHA, NREMT) directly into core curriculum architecture to guarantee high regional adoption and funding eligibility. 2. Client Requirement Navigation & Consulting Lead technical consultation and discovery sessions with high-value clients (state agencies, large districts, ed techs, or workforce development boards) to unpack localized labor needs and alignment matrices. Deconstruct divergent, state-by-state frameworks and custom integration requests into clean, unified product specifications. Successfully bridge the gap between rigid academic compliance mandates and innovative, real-world workplace skill application. 3. Rapid Curricular Prototyping & Product Innovation Partner with UX/UI designers, software engineers, and subject matter experts to design, test, and validate proof-of-concept CTE courses, digital simulations, and immersive workspace models. Iteratively build out lean content blueprints, lesson maps, and performance-based rubrics to rapidly capture user feedback from pilot schools and industry advisory boards. Drive the ongoing modernization of our CTE catalog, transforming text-heavy curricula into blended, high-engagement, experiential learning products. 4. Business Development & Sales Support Lead high-stakes technical sales conversations and product demos for major EdTech publishers, showcasing functional prototypes to secure enterprise-level contracts. Synthesize complex institutional market needs and state policy shifts into winning value propositions that differentiate our product offerings in competitive bid environments. Serve as the primary technical subject matter expert during the pre-sales and discovery phases, ensuring that proposed solutions are both educationally rigorous and commercially viable. Required Qualifications & Experience

Education: Master’s degree or higher in Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, Workforce Development, or a highly related domain. Direct industry experience combined with instructional design expertise will be weighted equally. CTE Domain Expertise: At least 5–7 years of experience building, scaling, or auditing modern CTE programs at a state agency, massive public school district, or major corporate EdTech publisher. Policy & Programmatic Fluency: Expert-level command of Perkins V alignment, including hands-on experience designing and documenting externships, work-based learning (WBL) initiatives, and industry certification pathways. Federal Program Expertise: Proven experience managing or designing content for federal CTE programs, with a specific focus on delivering solutions that maintain alignment with federal accountability frameworks and funding structures. Standards-Based Education: Deep expertise in standards-based education, with the ability to map complex learning objectives to rigorous state and industry frameworks. Secondary Education Depth: Demonstrated experience working within or for 6–12 (secondary) educational environments, understanding the unique developmental and compliance needs of middle and high school career pathways. Product Delivery Record: Proven history of shepherding educational products or training programs from raw concept through prototyping, compliance verification, and successful market launch. Consultative Sales & Partner Relations: Demonstrated success in EdTech partner relations or consultative sales within the CTE space, specifically involving large-scale curriculum adoption or publisher partnerships.

Key Competencies: Workforce & Macro Market Fluency Perkins V Compliance Architecture Design Thinking & Rapid Mockups High-Stakes Client Advisory & Custom Matrix Management Solution Architecture & Product Integrity Defense Industry Credential Mapping (IRCs) If you are a CTE Curriculum & Product Expert with a passion for building the future of learning, we want to hear from you. LearningMate is an equal opportunity employer.