Instructional Design Manager Responsibilities

With changing times, there has been trend to include technology to simplify the learning procedures of any type of learning or education. This is where the role of instructional designing has gained importance. The instructional design manager responsibilities play an instrumental role in the effective management of project and completing it in an efficient and effective manner. He/she plays a lead role in handling the project by approaching the project in a strategic manner, trains the team of instructional designers, and assists in better designing and development of the project.

Key Responsibilities of an Instructional Design Manager

The instructional design manager discusses the requirements of the project with the client and researches the market as to what exactly are the users' requirements. He/she coordinates with the team members to plan, design, develop, analyze, implement, and evaluate the scope of the project that he/she will be handling. He/she designs instructional material that will help in accomplishing the learning goals and objectives. To better understand the role and responsibilities of the instructional design manager, mentioned below are few points that will assist in getting a clear picture:

1. He/she takes ownership to oversee the instructional designing and development that is involved in the project and ensures that the project is prioritized according to the given deadline.
2. He/she plans and designs strategies and makes effective use of various instructional tools to evaluate instructional design solutions that offer quality to achieve the desired business impact.
3. He/she should be able to provide the necessary technical leadership and works with a team of instructional designers to manage the design and development of learning solutions.
4. He/she develops detailed project plans and ensures that the resources are made available within the assigned budget and that the project is completed within the given deadline.
5. He/she functions as a subject matter expertise and ensures that effective test plans are being implemented to ensure that project meets the training needs and satisfies the intended audience.
6. He/she tries to identify the root causes of any issues related to the project and recommends effective solutions for the same

The instructional design manager provides the performance related feedback and offers any coaching that is required for the designers to produce quality content that will thereby ensure maximizing the performance outcomes. He/she is involved in seeking, sharing, and adopting ideas and best practices that are current with the latest instructional delivery trends. He/she collaborates with various cross functional teams to accomplish the clients as well as the organization's goals. He/she evaluates the effectiveness of the project by making observation and getting the relevant feedback about the same. Thus, the instructional design manager is responsible for handling a wide array of duties to ensure the timely completion of the project and within the given budget as well and delivering high quality standards.

Essential Skills

To be a successful instructional design manager, it is essential that the individual should have a creative vision and should be able to align the instructional design initiatives so that the business goals are achieved. He/she should possess good analytical skills and should be totally customer centric. He/she should seek the opinion of other team members, respect their advice, and should be able to motivate them to achieve quality work within the given timelines. He/she should be self motivated and should have excellent analytical skills. Effective time management and organization skills are a must. Demonstrated leadership skills are essential to manage a team of instructional designers.

Educational Background

To be eligible for the post of an instructional design manager, an individual should have completed a bachelor's degree in instructional designing. Any master qualification or any other relevant business administration or management qualification would prove to be of great help. Experience in instructional designing with a supervisory work experience would be a plus.

Work Schedule

The instructional design manager may have a busy schedule requiring him/her to work beyond normal routine business hours, as he/she may need to complete the project on a priority basis. Sometimes, he/she may need to travel to attend meetings with clients or participate in some training or conferences. He/she should be flexible to work sometimes on the weekends or holidays as well.

Salary Details

The basic average annual salary earned by an instructional design manager is in the range close to $49,000. With the relevant experience an individual can get a salary as high as $114,000. The salary changes according to the location, type, and size of the organization.

Career Prospects

The demand for instructional design managers is definitely going to increase in the coming areas as this field is broadening rapidly. The individuals definitely have got a great scope to make and establish themselves in this career.

Therefore, if you have the creative aptitude and are business oriented with good knowledge of the latest technological developments, then shouldering the instructional design manager responsibilities would definitely be easier and would help in taking your career to greater heights.