Curriculum Development Specialist

As the Curriculum Development Specialist, you are responsible for designing, creating, and implementing academic curricula and learning experiences within American College of Education. Your focus is on ensuring the programs and courses align with the college's mission, vision, strategic goals, and the Curriculum Development and Production Department’s high-quality standards. You use your knowledge and development expertise to evaluate the quality of the curriculum, identify opportunities for improvement, and propose solutions during the course life cycle. The Curriculum Development Specialist shapes students' educational experiences and contributes to the college's academic excellence and reputation. They work at the intersection of education, andragogy, and institutional goals to ensure the curriculum promotes student satisfaction and success.

Requirements

Who is American College of Education

Founded in 2005, American College of Education continues to be a leader in professional development through our online programs. The mission of ACE is to deliver high-quality, affordable and accessible online programs grounded in evidence-based content and relevant application. Our graduates are prepared to serve, lead and achieve personal and professional goals in diverse, evolving communities. As a socially conscious institution, we’re dedicated to making a positive impact and inspiring our students to do the same.  

ACE is a premier organization that is continually recognized for its commitment to social responsibility. In 2016, ACE became a Certified B Corporation. As a socially conscious institution, we believe we have a responsibility to our students, alumni, employees, local communities, and society. We strive to make an impact in the world that goes well beyond our bottom line.

Who You Are

You are passionate about helping students achieve their educational goals. You thrive in a competitive and collaborative team environment. You are comfortable working remotely and have experience collaborating with others in a virtual environment. You possess a strong attention to detail.    

As the Curriculum Development Specialist, you are responsible for designing, creating, and implementing academic curricula and learning experiences within American College of Education. Your focus is on ensuring the programs and courses align with the college's mission, vision, strategic goals, and the Curriculum Development and Production Department’s high-quality standards. You use your knowledge and development expertise to evaluate the quality of the curriculum, identify opportunities for improvement, and propose solutions during the course life cycle. The Curriculum Development Specialist shapes students' educational experiences and contributes to the college's academic excellence and reputation. They work at the intersection of education, andragogy, and institutional goals to ensure the curriculum promotes student satisfaction and success.

Compensation 

ACE is committed to paying a competitive wage while staying true to our mission of maintaining high-quality, affordable programs for our students. The starting salary range for this position is $67,000.00 plus all full-time employees are eligible for an annual bonus. Offers vary depending on education, prior experience, and expertise being applied to the role.  

What We Look for in the Ideal Candidate

• Demonstrates positive attitude and motivation, concern for students, teamwork, and excellent time management skills.  

• Demonstrates self-reliance by meeting/exceeding workflow needs.

• Follows established processes as outlined by the organization and leadership.  

• Completes assigned duties based on daily business needs and individual skill set.  

•Consistently produces a high volume of quality work.  

• Works under pressure to meet tight deadlines.  

• Proven ability to work independently with limited supervision and with other department personnel.  

• Must support and embrace the College’s B Corp mission to improve the people and communities we serve through our civic engagement initiatives.   

• Must have exceptional communication, organization, and time management skills.  

• Must be "self-motivated" as well as creative and efficient in proposing solutions to complex, time-critical problems.  

• Must be collaborative in driving decisions and a team player.  

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an acute attention to detail.  

• Builds and maintains student satisfaction.  

• Recognizes and anticipates student needs.  

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

In this role, you will wear different hats, but your skills will be especially essential in the following areas:

• Functions as a curriculum and instruction subject matter expert well-versed in instructional design principles and methodologies required to deliver high-quality online college courses.

• Ensures curriculum components, including learning outcomes, content, discussions, assignments, and assessments, are current, relevant, clear, consistent, and aligned.

• Conducts academic research to fact-check content or identify content gaps or flaws in the curriculum at the program and course levels.

• Collaborates with college stakeholders to identify educational needs and priorities.

• Applies systems thinking to accurately assess project scope and anticipate how changes in one area affect the entire curriculum and production ecosystem.

• Evaluates the effectiveness of disciplinary curricula and suggests revisions based on feedback, data analyses, and changing needs of the college, program, and/or field.

• Ensures the curriculum meets established quality standards and aligns with institutional policies and procedures.

• Applies ACE initiatives and current best practices in learning experience design, online learning, and andragogy to support program and course development.

• Coordinates with academic department chairs to meet development deadlines.

• Identifies educational needs, stays updated on emerging trends, and analyzes data to suggest research-based curriculum decisions and improvements.

• Uses project management software to coordinate project workflows, document timelines, coordinate tasks with team members, and cross-check program and course launch deadlines for on-time completion.

• Demonstrates exceptional oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills to build trusting relationships vertically and horizontally throughout the organization.

• Uses advanced writing skills, the current American Psychological Association (APA) Style Guide, and ACE manuals to proofread and copyedit accurate curriculum content and materials for publication.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Master’s degree in education, curriculum development, or related field. Ed.D./ Ph.D. preferred.

• 5+ years of experience in education.

• 3+ years of experience in curriculum design and development.

• Quality Matters certified (or required to complete if not within first 4 months of employment).

• Teaching experience in higher education and/or K-12.

• Experience in academic writing, research, proofreading, and copyediting across disciplines.

• Experience with a learning management system (LMS).

• Experience in project management.

Our Commitment to Employees

Just as we strive to empower our students for success, we also aim to enrich the lives of our employees. For 6 consecutive years, ACE was recognized as one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work, winning the #1 spot for medium-sized companies in 2020. In addition, ACE has earned national recognition, being named a USA Top Workplace in 2022, 2023 and 2024. As a virtual first organization, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a family-like inclusive work environment. For our full-time employees, we offer the following benefits:    

• Medical, dental, & vision Insurance  

• HSA and FSA options  

• Paid parental leave  

• Paid volunteer time  

• Tuition reimbursement & reduction programs  

•  Generous PTO   

• 401k and employer match  

• Full-service wellness and EAP program  

• Employee recognition and awards programs  

• Employer paid life & AD&D insurance  

• Short-term disability  

• Employer paid long-term disability  

• And more… 

Physical Demands

The physical demand described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with and receive communications from students and ACE employees in real time using online and other electronic media.  

Commitment to Culture  

At American College of Education, we’re all about building a one-of-a-kind, supportive community where everyone—students, faculty, and staff—can thrive. Guided by our mission and values, we focus on everything from innovative curriculum design to personalized instruction and student support to intentional planning, inclusive initiatives, and strategic resource allocation. We’re dedicated to creating an environment that celebrates freedom of expression, diversity of thought, open dialogue, and mutual respect. We believe in fostering a sense of belonging and wellness so that every member of our ACE family feels empowered, valued, and ready to reach their full potential. Together, we’re creating a vibrant, resilient, and connected learning community where everyone matters.  

Additional Notes

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.  

Employees are increasingly integrating AI into their roles, demonstrating its potential to boost efficiency, accuracy, and productivity. By utilizing AI technologies, we can streamline processes, gain valuable insights from data, and automate routine tasks, which allows employees to concentrate on more strategic and creative aspects of their work. While AI is a beneficial tool in the workplace, if its use—such as ChatGPT, Grammarly, Copy.ai, etc.— accounts for more than 50% of any work assignments or job responsibilities, it will need to be reported to a direct leader.  

Internet bandwidth speeds from an employee's remote work location must be a minimum of 50Mbps download speeds and 5Mbps upload speeds. Please note if the bandwidth is shared across multiple devices (tablets, computer, streaming, phone, etc.) you will need higher overall speeds. You can test the speed of your connection by visiting speedtest.net Purchase, setup, installation, support, and ongoing maintenance of reliable internet service is the responsibility of the individual.    

American College of Education seeks to attract and retain a diverse staff consistent with its diverse student body and surrounding communities. At this time we cannot consider candidates residing in Alaska, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, South Dakota, or Alabama.  

ACE is an Equal Opportunity Employer.