Senior ELA Learning Designer
Level · Austin, TX
- On site
- Full-time
- $130,000 / year
- Austin, TX
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Job highlights
- Develop ELA curriculum for grades 3-6.
- Integrate learning science and digital design.
- Collaborate with diverse product teams.
- Apply AI tools for content creation.
- Build scalable educational content systems.
About the role
About Level
Level is a learning technology company dedicated to helping students build real academic and life skills with confidence and joy. We combine proven curriculum principles with world-class interactive design to make meaningful practice something students want to come back to, not something they struggle through. We support what teachers, schools, and parents are already doing by increasing student engagement with high-quality, standards-aligned practice that reinforces classroom learning.
That’s why we’re building:
- For students: Rewarding and motivating learning experiences that meet students where they are to build real academic proficiency.
- For educators: Tools that fit naturally into instruction and help students stay engaged while reducing teacher workload.
- For parents: Activities that help your kid catch up or get ahead, build confidence, and minimize homework battles, whether learning at school or at home.
We are committed to helping every person maximize their potential and live a life of meaning. It’s a difficult problem that requires brilliant people and tremendous effort over time. If you want to use your skills to make a difference for the world, we're seeking an experienced educator and learning designer to help build our English Language Arts (ELA) product from the ground up. As a Senior ELA Learning Designer, you'll combine deep classroom teaching expertise with digital product experience to craft engaging pedagogy, practice exercises, and assessments that bring our virtual teacher ("the Guide") to life. This role sits at the intersection of learning science, instructional design, and product development. This is a key hire for how we build ELA at Level.
What You Will Do
Develop High-Quality ELA Content
- Define pedagogy, write lessons and practice exercises, and craft assessments from the ground up in grades 3–6 English/Language Arts.
- Sequence lessons to align with cognitive development, prerequisite knowledge, and learning progressions.
- Anticipate common mistakes and misconceptions and build corrective pathways.
- Apply expertise in the science of reading to ensure content is evidence-based and standards-aligned.
Collaborate Across Disciplines
- Work within our content toolkit (interactive formats, assessment structures, pedagogical models) to design effective learning experiences.
- Partner with designers, behavioral scientists, technologists, and SDT experts to bring the Guide to life.
- Integrate motivational principles (e.g., self-determination theory, growth mindset, self-efficacy) into content design.
- Collaborate with product and engineering teams to translate instructional intent into scalable digital experiences.
Apply Learning Science & Instructional Design
- Leverage principles of cognitive load theory, pacing, mastery learning, and common misconception analysis.
- Design scaffolded instruction that supports learner-centered experiences.
- Apply AI and generative AI tools to accelerate content creation workflows and improve quality at scale.
- Evaluate and refine AI-generated content for accuracy, developmental appropriateness, and standards alignment.
Build Scalable Content Systems
- Produce high-quality modules with attention to detail and consistency across a large content library.
- Establish and contribute to repeatable systems for creating hundreds of modules efficiently.
- Translate hands-on teaching experience into effective digital pedagogy.
Qualifications
- Teaching Experience: 5+ years of classroom teaching in grades 3–6 ELA, with demonstrated ability to explain complex concepts in accessible, engaging ways.
- Product Experience: Meaningful experience in edtech or digital content creation, including working directly on a product team.
- Instructional Design Expertise: Strong background in instructional design with a track record of designing lessons, learning sequences, and assessments for digital and interactive learning environments.
- Learning Science Foundation: Deep understanding of literacy development and the science of reading, including common misconceptions and developmental progressions, with ability to translate theory into effective teaching practices.
- Collaboration Skills: Proven ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and adapt to creative and technical constraints while maintaining pedagogical quality.
Need to Have
- 5+ years of classroom teaching in grades 3–6 ELA.
- Meaningful experience working on an edtech or digital content product team.
- Strong instructional design background with demonstrated lesson and assessment design.
- Deep knowledge of literacy development and the science of reading, including common misconceptions and developmental progressions.
- Excellent written communication skills and ability to produce clear, concise content for both students and educators.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple workstreams at startup pace.
- Comfort working collaboratively with designers, technologists, and behavioral scientists.
- Comfort working with incomplete information; able to scope, prioritize, and move forward without waiting for perfect clarity.
- Genuine curiosity for innovation and a bias toward experimentation and action.
Nice to Have
- Experience designing content for adaptive or personalized learning systems.
- Familiarity with self-determination theory or other motivational frameworks in education.
- Proficiency with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) to support content creation and iteration.
- Graduate-level training in education, instructional design, or learning sciences.
- Experience with content production workflows and systems.
Key skills/competency
- ELA Curriculum Development
- Instructional Design
- Learning Science
- Edtech Product Development
- Content Creation
- Assessment Design
- Science of Reading
- AI Content Generation
- Collaborative Teamwork
- Digital Pedagogy
Skills & topics
- ELA
- Learning Design
- Instructional Design
- Edtech
- Curriculum Development
- Education
- Digital Content
- Product Development
- Science of Reading
- Assessment Design
- Senior Learning Designer
- Content Creator
- Educational Technology
- Literacy
- Pedagogy
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of ELA teaching, edtech product experience, and instructional design skills.
- Showcase your expertise: Quantify achievements in lesson and assessment design, and demonstrate knowledge of the science of reading.
- Emphasize collaboration: Detail your experience working with cross-functional teams (designers, technologists, behavioral scientists).
- Prepare for behavioral questions: Be ready to discuss problem-solving, adaptability, and innovation in educational content creation.
- Research Level's mission: Understand their commitment to student confidence and joy in learning, and how your skills align.
Technical preparation
Study ELA curriculum standards (grades 3-6).,Review science of reading research.,Practice using AI content generation tools.,Familiarize with instructional design models.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex concept you simplified.,How do you handle ambiguity in projects?,Share an example of cross-functional collaboration.,How do you integrate motivational principles?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary focus of the Senior ELA Learning Designer role at Level?
- The Senior ELA Learning Designer at Level will focus on building the English Language Arts (ELA) product from the ground up. This involves defining pedagogy, writing lessons and practice exercises, crafting assessments for grades 3-6, and integrating learning science principles with digital product development.
- What kind of teaching experience is required for the Senior ELA Learning Designer position?
- The role requires a minimum of 5+ years of classroom teaching experience in grades 3-6 ELA. Demonstrated ability to explain complex concepts in accessible and engaging ways is crucial.
- How important is digital product experience for this Senior ELA Learning Designer role?
- Digital product experience is very important. The role requires meaningful experience in edtech or digital content creation, including direct work on a product team. This experience is key to translating instructional intent into scalable digital experiences.
- What is Level's stance on using AI in content creation for the Senior ELA Learning Designer role?
- Level encourages the application of AI and generative AI tools to accelerate content creation workflows and improve quality. Candidates are expected to evaluate and refine AI-generated content for accuracy, developmental appropriateness, and standards alignment.
- What specific learning science principles are most relevant for the Senior ELA Learning Designer at Level?
- Key learning science principles include cognitive load theory, pacing, mastery learning, and common misconception analysis. The role also involves integrating motivational principles like self-determination theory, growth mindset, and self-efficacy.
- What does 'startup pace' mean in the context of this Senior ELA Learning Designer role?
- 'Startup pace' implies a dynamic, fast-moving environment where you'll manage multiple workstreams, prioritize effectively, and be comfortable with evolving priorities and sometimes incomplete information. It requires a bias toward action and experimentation.
- How does Level ensure its ELA content is standards-aligned for the Senior ELA Learning Designer?
- The Senior ELA Learning Designer must apply expertise in the science of reading and ensure all content is evidence-based and standards-aligned. This includes sequencing lessons to align with developmental progressions and learning standards.
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