Instructional Technology Lead

HOW TO APPLY

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, .

The IRD for this job is: 06-22-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

UC Scout is a division of the UC Santa Cruz Extension. While UC Scout's home campus is located at 3175 Bowers Avenue in Santa Clara, the UC Scout team is a full-remote team, with individuals making occasional visits to the campus as needed. UC Scout serves high school students, providing online high school courses for students and curricula for educators.

UC Scout's growing team comprises five departments: learning innovation, academics, support, outreach, and business intelligence. The team consists of approximately 50 full-time staff and 70 part-time employees. UC Scout works closely with UCSC Extension support staff, including IT, finance, and the office of the Dean to support UC Scout's goals.

We are actively evolving the way we work by integrating AI tools into our daily workflows. We expect all team members to engage curiously and confidently with emerging technologies - exploring how AI can make their work smarter, faster, and more impactful. This is not a team where AI is optional or treated with apprehension; it is a team that sees it as a professional advantage and a core part of how we operate.

More information can be found at

JOB SUMMARY

Under the general direction of the Learning Innovation Director, the Instructional Technology Lead serves as UC Scout's primary administrator, evaluator, and functional owner of the educational technology stack supporting the course catalog and digital learning environment. This custom-scope Instructional Designer 3 role is weighted heavily toward technical leadership, system administration, and vendor management, with only limited, as-needed participation in core instructional design work. The Lead is the department's primary point of contact for vendor relationships and communications, managing those relationships with professionalism, precision, and consistent follow-through.

This role oversees the full lifecycle of learning technologies - from intake and evaluation through implementation, maintenance, and retirement - ensuring all tools are strategically aligned with UC Scout's goals, ADA standards, and FERPA/student data privacy requirements. The Lead serves as a primary administrator for LTI tools and applications including but not limited to Canvas, DesignPLUS, Kaltura, and H5P. The lead also manages the learning technology ticketing system, maintains the department's vendor documentation, supports contract tracking, and evaluation archives across an evolving tech stack. As AI tools become an increasingly significant part of UC Scout's technology landscape, the Lead plays a key role in supporting the department's R&D efforts and AI readiness, contributing to the responsible evaluation, piloting, and integration of AI-powered tools for both internal workflows and course delivery.

The Lead collaborates closely with instructional designers, the Digital Media/production team, the IT Department, Academics, and external vendors, and may supervise contractors or student workers as needed. Success in this role depends as much on strong interpersonal skills as on technical expertise - the Lead must build trust across teams, communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical stakeholders, and navigate vendor and cross-functional relationships with diplomacy and care.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $71,600 - $98,000/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: Remote

Union Representation: TX Union

Job Code Classification: 006148 (INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER 3) - Grade 21

Travel: Never or Rarely

JOB DUTIES

60% - Instructional Technology Leadership, Platform Operations & Vendor Relations

• Tool Lifecycle & Administration:
  Serve as the department's functional owner of educational technologies, overseeing the lifecycle of tools from intake and evaluation through implementation, maintenance, and retirement. Administer LTI integrations and applications across the tech stack, ensuring ADA compliance, FERPA standards, and seamless course delivery. Contribute to the responsible evaluation and integration of AI-powered tools, helping build AI readiness across the department and broader UC Scout community.
• Vendor Relations, Ticketing & Communications:
  Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor relationships. Manage outreach, facilitate meetings, contract tracking, and documentation with professionalism and strong interpersonal skill. Own the learning technology ticketing system, triaging and resolving issues while identifying patterns that surface systemic improvements. Communicate technical findings clearly to non-technical colleagues and escalate significant decisions to the Learning Innovation Director.

20% - Technical Project Management

• Project Lifecycle Management:
  Manage technology projects from goal definition through implementation and monitoring, maintaining plans, timelines, and documentation. Serve as the technical liaison between instructional design, media, and IT teams, translating decisions across audiences with clarity. May independently manage contractors and specialists as needed.
• Documentation & Workflow Optimization:
  Develop and maintain technical documentation, improve team workflows, and ensure project deliverables are met on time. Oversee troubleshooting and vendor-facing issue resolution, keeping all stakeholders informed throughout.

10% - Instructional Design Support & Cross-Departmental Collaboration

The Instructional Technology Lead will provide training and mentorship to instructional designers, subject-matter experts, and other stakeholders on instructional technology tools. This includes:

• Workshops & Training Programs:
  Develop and deliver workshops on emerging technologies and provide technical guidance on LTI integrations, multimedia tools, and other learning technologies. Conduct training needs analyses, measure/assess training outcomes, and conduct ongoing assessment of technical proficiencies and skills as needed.
• Mentorship:
  Support technology specialists, mentoring them on best practices for educational technology integration, ADA compliance, and efficient use of tools for course design and delivery.

10% - Training & Professional Development

• Team Training & Resource Development:
  Develop and deliver targeted training for course design professionals on tools, integrations, ADA best practices, and emerging technologies including AI. Conduct needs analyses and maintain technical workflow templates, how-to guides, pilot resources, and evaluation frameworks in accessible formats.
• Self Professional Development:
  Engages in ongoing training and professional development for emerging learning technologies.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Demonstrated experience managing the full lifecycle of K12 or higher ed educational technologies, ensuring that tool evaluation, implementation, maintenance, and retirement are explicitly guided by instructional design best practices, established design frameworks, and the unique needs of digital online learning environments.
• Proven ability to own and manage a technology ticketing or user support system, including triage, resolution, and identification of patterns that drive systemic improvement.
• Demonstrated knowledge of LTI integrations and educational technology applications, with the ability to evaluate, test, and implement tools in alignment with ADA accessibility standards and student data privacy requirements.
• Proven ability to manage complex technical projects from planning through implementation, ensuring timely delivery, clear documentation, and alignment with organizational goals.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build trust across teams, translate technical information clearly to non-technical/education stakeholders, and navigate cross-functional relationships with diplomacy.
• Exceptional organizational skills with a focus on accurate technical documentation including decision rationale, project tracking, and quality control across all deliverables.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset toward emerging technologies, with experience or willingness to explore and adopt AI-powered tools to enhance productivity, support data-driven decision-making, and drive continuous improvement in workflows and outcomes.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's or other relevant advanced degree or certification.
• Experience developing and delivering training on educational technologies and providing mentorship/support to instructional designers or technical specialists, anchoring all support in online learning best practices and K-12 or higher education pedagogical contexts.
• Experience evaluating, piloting, or integrating AI-powered tools in an educational or professional setting, with awareness of responsible adoption practices.
• Demonstrated expertise in vendor relations and professional communications, including managing outreach, coordinating procurement, tracking contracts, and representing an organization with professionalism and accuracy.
• Knowledge of instructional design best practices, design frameworks, and online learning environments, including familiarity with Canvas LMS and K-12 or higher education contexts.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Must live within the state of California or willing to relocate to California.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• This is a fully remote positio