eLearning Instructional Design Specialist

TITLE: eLearning Instructional Design Specialist

POSITION LOCATION: Tashkent, Uzbekistan

EMPLOYMENT STATUS: Full Time (40 hours/week)

Summary of Position: American Councils seeks a qualified eLearning Instructional Design Specialist for a five-year USAID-funded Uzbekistan Youth Employment Skills (YES) Activity. The purpose of the Activity is to equip youth in grades 8 -11 with the necessary skills as they prepare to enter Uzbekistan's economy as skilled employees or entrepreneurs. In order to achieve the Activity's purpose, the YES Activity will focus on the following intermediate results: i) improved quality of school-based economics and entrepreneurship programs; ii) improved quality of afterschool entrepreneurship, soft skills and work readiness programs; and iii) strengthened enabling environment to support and engage youth. The successful candidate for this position is expected to have strong knowledge of online education technologies in the area of curriculum development, design of textbooks and other teaching and learning materials, teacher training, as well as deep familiarity with the local education context. The successful candidate will be working closely with the Objective 1 and 2 of the YES Activity, MoPSE, the Republican Education Center, Avloniy Central Institute of Re-training and Professional Development of Staff of Public Education, public school principals, teachers, parents, private sector entities, and other stakeholders. The Specialist will report to the DCOP.

Job Description:

We’re looking for a learning professional experienced in designing and developing eLearning curriculum. The ideal candidate will be passionate about developing creative and engaging teaching and learning materials (TLM). Minimum 3 years demonstrated experience designing and developing blended learning required. Experience in virtual training facilitation and engagement techniques.

The eLearning Instructional Design position is responsible for creating relevant, effective, active, and inclusive online e-learning and blended-learning for high-school education based on the newly developed economics and entrepreneurship textbooks.

 Specific operating responsibilities:

•      Serve as a member of eLearning and blended-learning project team, collaborating with the DCOP, Objective 1 and 2 teams in the analysis of user needs, audience, tasks and learning context leading to the development of a final product concept.

•      Development of learning goals and objectives for eLearning courses in collaboration with DCOP and Objective 1 and 2 leads

•      Ensure that all eLearning materials are inclusive and accessible, taking into account all types of learner variability

·       Design all eLearning course instructional design maps, choreograph module and lesson flows using a variety of instructional strategies designed to create engaging and inspiring e-learning experiences. This process includes:

o  using an iterative design process involving efficient prototyping, testing, and evaluation

o  consistently applying best practices and principles in eLearning pedagogy with an emphasis on real-life application (scenario-based learning)

·       Coordinate closely with other project staff to adapt and digitize teaching and learning material (TLM) for a virtual learning format. 

•      Conduct a final review of the modules\lessons after they have been loaded into the MoPSE portal and provide direction to the digital composition editor for improvement and correction.

•      Develop supplementary resources to support teachers such as videos, activities, webinars, reference guides, web-based tutorials, or other materials.

Knowledge and Skills:

•      Uzbek citizenship or residency with work authorization is required

•      Master’s degree in education, instructional design and/or equivalent degree

•      Practical experience translating learning outcomes into TLM

•      Teaching experience preferred – online, blended and/or classroom instructional experience with grades 8 - 11

•      Scenario-based learning pedagogical and methods skills

•      Strong graphic design and user experience skills

•      Excellent written and spoken communication skills in English preferred, fluency in either Uzbek or Russian required.

•      Understanding of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach; Deep familiarity with student-centered learning approaches / competency-based instruction

•      Familiarity with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and its application

•      Skill using graphic and video editors

•      Demonstrated administrative and management skills, as well as ability to lead by example. 

•      Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and to meet tight deadlines

•      Excellent interpersonal and multicultural skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships in various environments.

•      Excellent communication, public speaking and presentation skills; including experience facilitating trainings required.

•      Flexibility and ability to handle stressful situations and support project staff in times of pressure.

•      Instructional design knowledge of theory and best practice

•      Previous experience working with the Ministry of Pre-school and School Education of Uzbekistan, the Republican Education Centre, Avloniy Central Institute of Re-training and Professional Development of Staff of Public Education, Сhild centers “Barkamol Avlod”, or USAID is desired.

•      Ability to work across various teams with excellent interpersonal skills

•      Willingness to travel frequently to project sites outside of Tashkent

•      Commitment to the principles of inclusive approaches to programming that encourages full participation of individuals regardless of gender, disability status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or other marginalized status

TO APPLY:

· Please send to uzjobs@americancouncils.org your resume/CV as well as a cover letter that includes the following: (i) why you are interested in the position, (ii) why you are well suited for the position, and (iii) what you would expect as a monthly salary (final take home salary amount per month after taxes).

· Your resume/CV should be saved as follows: LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – resume.doc (for example, if your last name is Kayumov, the file should be Kayumov-resume.doc).

· Your cover letter should be saved as: LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – letter.doc (for example, if your last name is Kayumov, the file should be Kayumov-letter.doc). File extensions of .docx and PDF are also acceptable.

· Write LAST NAME OF APPLICANT – eLearning Instructional Design Specialist in the subject line of your email.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – American Councils is committed to taking affirmative steps to enhance employment opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, and people with disabilities, and strives to ensure that meaningful employment and promotional opportunities are maintained for everyone. American Councils’ commitment to equal employment opportunity is based not only on federal requirements, but also on a longstanding commitment to maintaining a diverse workforce reflective of the communities in which we operate.

PAY TRANSPARENCY NONDISCRIMINATION PROVISION – The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information

ONLY SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED.