Curriculum Developer

Builds military training content – Computer Based Training (CBT), Interactive Multimedia Instruction (ICI), student guides, and assessments – as part of a small team of Instructional Systems Designers, Courseware Developers, Subject Matter Experts, Multimedia Developers, and Training System Management. This is a growth-track role for someone with strong adjacent skills who wants to become a fluent courseware author.

About the role

The role starts with the parts of courseware work that don’t require deep authoring-tool mastery on day one: student-facing writing, QA of authored courseware, storyboard implementation, assessment build-out, accessibility and standards checks, and structured pair-work with a senior Courseware Developer. Adobe Captivate proficiency is expected to develop on the job — not required at hire. The path forward is explicit: ramp Captivate authoring skill on production work under senior review, take on independent lessons, then modules, then full courses.

Responsibilities

• Spends ≥80% of time on hands-on courseware work — with a heavier QA, editorial, and pair-authoring mix in the first 6 months, transitioning to independent authoring as Captivate proficiency develops.
• QA of authored courseware: test lessons and IMI builds for functional bugs, navigation issues, broken interactions, and learning-design fidelity against the ISD design.
• Student-facing writing: draft and edit student guides, instructor guides / TGs, job aids, POIs, lesson plans, and quick-reference materials that align to the objectives set by the ISD.
• Assessment build-out: implement written and scenario-based assessments to the ISD-specified pass/fail criteria — starting with straightforward item types and growing into branching decision trees and remediation paths.
• Storyboard implementation: convert ISD-approved storyboards into working lesson pages and IMI screens under senior review; then, as Captivate skill develops, take ownership of the build end-to-end.
• Captivate ramp: deliberately grow into Adobe Captivate as the primary authoring tool through structured coaching, paired authoring, and a defined skills ramp.
• Cross-train on Articulate Storyline and Rise as opportunities arise.
• Accessibility & standards checks: validate courseware against Section 508 / WCAG accessibility standards and SCORM 1.2 / 2004 packaging; escalate issues that need design changes back to the ISD.
• Media integration support: coordinate with the Multimedia Developer to place graphics, animations, VO, and video into courseware with clean timing, states, and navigation.
• SME dialogue: sit in on SME sessions with senior teammates; over time, take on independent SME dialogue for content clarifications — routing objective, sequence, or fidelity questions back to the ISD, not resolving them unilaterally.
• Traceability: support traceability between ISD-approved storyboards, source technical data, and final courseware build.
• Defect Resolution Coordination: identify and track courseware defects through to resolution.
• Configuration Management: maintain version and configuration control discipline across iterative storyboard and courseware revisions, consistent with formal configuration management practices.
• Learning-design curiosity: build a working understanding of instructional-design fundamentals — chunking, retrieval practice, feedback design, cognitive load — so you can defend why a build looks the way it does, not just that it works.
• Customer-review support: prep artifacts, gather review comments, and turn feedback into fixes on In-Progress Reviews and PDR/CDR-style events; grow into presenting your own work.
• Continuous improvement: feed authoring and QA insights back to the ISD and senior Courseware Developer so future designs are more buildable and future builds have fewer defects.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Learning Design, Communications, English, Journalism, Multimedia / Digital Media, or a related field — or equivalent DoD training / QA / technical-writing experience.
• Adjacent experience: 1–4 years of professional experience in a related discipline: courseware QA, technical writing, instructional support, multimedia production, classroom instruction, or aviation / military training as an end-user. Direct courseware authoring experience is a bonus, not a requirement.
• Learning aptitude for authoring tools: demonstrated ability to learn technical tools quickly — evidenced by prior work in QA test tools, LMS platforms, publishing / CMS systems, Adobe Creative Suite, or comparable software.
• Writing craft: can produce clean, concise, learner-facing writing at pace; takes editorial direction well; distinguishes between decorative content and content that drives a learning objective.
• Attention to detail: strong QA instincts — catches functional bugs, standards violations, broken links, misaligned assessments, and off-spec builds before customers do.
• NAVAIR context awareness: some exposure to NAVAIR / military training conventions or a demonstrable ability to learn them quickly; interest in ADDIE / PADDIE+M and IMI Level I–IV constructs.
• Tooling ecosystem: comfortable with Microsoft Word / PowerPoint / SharePoint / Teams; can operate version control on shared projects without breaking them.
• Clearance eligibility: U.S. Citizen. Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance; ability to pass a Government background investigation is required.
• Oklahoma City metro strongly preferred and on-site is the default work mode — essential for the coaching, pairing, and SME collaboration this role depends on.
• Wants to be coached: takes design direction from the ISD and craft direction from a senior Courseware Developer without ego; asks questions early rather than guessing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance (SCI eligibility a plus).
• Prior QA experience on courseware, software, or training products — including test-case authoring, defect tracking, and regression testing.
• Any hands-on experience in Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, Lectora, or a comparable authoring platform. Portfolio or work samples appreciated but not required.
• Working knowledge of SCORM 1.2 / 2004, xAPI, Section 508 / WCAG accessibility, or Interactive Courseware (ICW) / IMI Level I–IV conventions.
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects, Audition) or comparable design / media tools.
• Prior aircrew, aviation maintenance, or Naval Aviation operational experience (as a former end-user of the training being built).
• Coursework or self-directed study in instructional design, learning sciences, or educational technology.
• Experience in a small, cross-functional team — comfortable with ambiguity, rapid feedback, and shifting priorities.
• Familiarity in AS9100 environment is a plus.

Schedule

• 9-80 work week schedule – 80 hours over 9 work days, with every other Friday off.
• Occasional travel (up to ~10%) to Government sites, program reviews, and simulator / training-device facilities.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• Standard office environment in Oklahoma City, OK. On-site presence is the default — particularly for classified work, collaboration, and the paired-work model this role depends on.
• Prolonged periods of computer-based work in authoring and QA tools; ability to review and produce learner-facing content for extended periods.
• Some work products are classified; ability to work in a SCIF-adjacent or classified space is expected.