Instructional Design Manager

Palo Alto University (PAU) is a private, nonprofit university located in the heart of Silicon Valley with a singular focus on mental and behavioral health education. For five decades, PAU has been dedicated to addressing pressing and emerging challenges affecting individuals, organizations, and communities, preparing practitioners and scholars to meet the evolving needs of contemporary society. With an enrollment of approximately 1,200 graduate students and a small cohort of undergraduate students, the University offers a comprehensive portfolio of bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional programs delivered through innovative online, hybrid, and residential modalities.

PAU is distinguished by faculty who are nationally and internationally recognized for their contributions to research, teaching, and clinical practice. Through rigorous academic preparation, applied research, and extensive hands-on clinical training, PAU equips students with the knowledge, skills, and professional judgment required for meaningful impact in the behavioral health fields. Together, these elements define PAU’s mission-driven approach to education and its legacy of preparing confident, competent, and compassionate professionals who make a difference in the communities they serve.

Job Title:           Instructional Design Manager

Department:     Office of Faculty Success

Location:           Remote

Hours:               40 hours/week (100% FTE)

Compensation: $115,000 

The Office of Faculty Success at Palo Alto University 

The Office of Faculty Success (OFS) is dedicated to nurturing faculty excellence and well-being. 

OFS provides comprehensive support through our oversight of the Maureen O'Connor Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Research Administration. Whether faculty need assistance with securing grant funding, enhancing their teaching practices, or navigating the tenure and promotion process, our department is here to advocate for them and celebrate their achievements. OFS strives to ensure our faculty have the resources and support they need to thrive, creating an inclusive, compassionate, and collaborative environment that empowers our faculty to excel. 

Position Description  

This position’s primary role is to support academic departments in the design and development of syllabi, Canvas courses, and other instructional materials, and to provide coordination and support of training and development through the Maureen O’Connor Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:  

The responsibilities described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The list of duties serves to provide examples, rather than to limit the scope of work assignments.   

The ID Manager would be responsible for the following duties: 

• Collaborating with Faculty as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the development and revision of courses at PAU. 
  
  
• Developing and revising as needed the Canvas templates and structures for all courses at PAU. 
  
  
• Setting up course materials in Canvas for newly developed and revised courses, following Quality Matters (QM) principles or other course design standards, ADA compliance, and inclusive excellence. 
  
  
• Verifying the alignment of course learning outcomes, student learning outcomes, and institutional learning goals and WCSUS standards in all courses at PAU. 
  
  
• Managing the transfer of course materials for Lead Canvas courses to all sections of the courses taught each quarter. 
  
  
• Monitoring course design and set-up in Canvas each quarter to ensure consistency. 
  
  
• Working with the Office of Research and Institutional Effectiveness to help set up the necessary linking between Canvas courses and Watermark. 
  
  
• Assisting departments in gathering data from Canvas, Watermark, and other systems as needed. 
  
  
• Creating a schedule of review to verify that courses stay in compliance with inclusive and ADA teaching and learning principles using universal design principles.  
  
  
• Collaborating with Academic Technology staff in providing technical support for and training in the use of Canvas and other instructional systems to faculty throughout the quarter. 
  
  
• Developing and providing training, workshops, and professional development on instructional design, course development, and using technology tools in teaching to the PAU community through the CTL. 
  
  
• Supporting CTL resources management activities, including content in the Virtual Teaching Library (VTL), on the CTL webpage, and in the PAU Portal. 
  
  
• Collaborating and consulting with Academic Technology staff on technical processes, LTI integrations, technical troubleshooting and setup, and feature settings in Canvas. 
  
  
• Collaborating with IT and Instructional Design teams to ensure accessibility and usability of all teaching resources. 
  
  
• Suggesting new features, settings, and processes for implementation by the Canvas Administrator. 
  
  
• Directing and supervising the work of part-time or full-time staff instructional designers, and  student employees working in this area.  
  
  
• Other duties as assigned. 

The ID Manager will report to the Assistant Provost for Faculty Success and will be an integral member of the OFS team. 

Required Qualifications:  

• Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Higher Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Learning Sciences, or a closely related field. 
• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience in instructional design, course development, or faculty support in a higher education setting. 
•  Demonstrated experience collaborating with faculty as subject matter experts (SMEs) to design, revise, and implement courses. 
•  Advanced working knowledge of LMS, including course setup, templates, content migration, and feature configuration.
• Working knowledge of Quality Matters (QM) standards or other recognized course design frameworks. 
•  Demonstrated experience with accessibility, ADA compliance, and inclusive teaching practices, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
•  Experience aligning course learning outcomes, student learning outcomes, and institutional learning goals, including assessment or accreditation-related standards. 
•  Experience supporting or coordinating faculty professional development, workshops, or training related to teaching and learning technologies. 
•  Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meet deadlines, and work independently in a fast-paced academic environment. 
•  Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical and pedagogical concepts to diverse audiences. 
•  Experience working collaboratively across units (e.g., faculty, academic technology, IT, assessment). 
•  Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and student-centered teaching and learning. 
•  Supervisory experience or demonstrated ability to supervise and mentor student employees and staff 
  
  

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Advanced working knowledge of Canvas LMS, including course setup, templates, content migration, and feature configuration. 
• Quality Matters certification (e.g., QM Peer Reviewer, Course Design Certification). 
• Experience supporting assessment and accreditation processes, including alignment with regional or professional standards (e.g., WSCUC, CACREP, APA, CSWE).
•  Experience working with Watermark, assessment platforms, or LMS–assessment system integrations. 
•  Familiarity with LTI integrations, learning analytics, and data flows between instructional systems. 
• Experience developing and maintaining Canvas templates at an institutional level. 
  
  
• Experience working within a Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) or faculty development unit. 
  
  
• Experience supporting hybrid, online, and face-to-face instructional modalities. 
  
  
• Familiarity with instructional media tools (e.g., Panopto, Kaltura, H5P, video captioning tools). 
  
  
• Experience managing or curating digital teaching resources (e.g., virtual teaching libraries, repositories, faculty portals). 
  
  
• Knowledge of emerging trends in AI, educational technology, and digital pedagogy in higher education. 
  
  
• Experience in change management, instructional innovation, or institutional-scale educational initiatives. 

Application Procedures:  

To be considered for the Instructional Design Manager position, you must submit the following when you apply:   

• Cover letter detailing your interests in the position as well as relevant qualifications. Your cover letter should also address information about your experiences in working in a diverse environment, and what qualities you would bring to foster an environment of equity and inclusion at PAU.  
• Resume/CV 
• List of 3 to 5 professional references  

No Discrimination: The University is an equal opportunity employer and is firmly committed to non-discrimination in its hiring and other employment practices and in the application of its personnel policies. In compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, except where a bona fide occupational qualification exists, employment decisions will be made irrespective of the staff member's backgrounds of race, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, age (except for minors), sex, marital status, citizenship status, military service status, sexual orientation, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic condition), disability and/or any another status protected by law.  

As provided by law, and when it is requested to do so, the University will offer reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities, if the individual is otherwise qualified to safely and to the University's standards of quality of work, perform all essential functions of the position and if it will be done without undue hardship to the University. 

PAU has a high-quality work environment that attracts and welcomes a diversity of backgrounds of its employees.  In your application or in a cover letter, please include information on how your background and experience has prepared you to work at a high level of quality of work with co-workers from a variety of different backgrounds.