For over two decades, BrainPOP has been trusted by educators and parents worldwide as a source of engaging and impactful learning experiences for all kids. With a presence in over two-thirds of U.S. districts through school and district subscriptions and an estimated annual reach of 25 million students, BrainPOP is empowering kids to take agency over their learning and excel in and out of the classroom.
The company was acquired in 2022 by KIRKBI, the family-owned holding and investment company of the LEGO brand, marking a significant milestone as their first acquisition in the digital learning realm. We are thrilled to continue making learning fun and accessible with the strategic guidance and support of KIRKBI.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Learning Design, the Senior Learning Designer is a senior individual contributor who drives the learning design work within content initiatives from brief to launch.
The Senior Learning Designer translates strategic direction into coherent design decisions, models craft for the team, and actively upskills other learning designers through feedback. They are a go-to expert in assessment design and instructional quality and a key partner in building scalable AI-assisted content workflows.
This role will be based in NY, NY at the BrainPOP HQ, or remote in the US (Eastern time zone strongly preferred). Occasional travel may be required.
What You'll DoInitiative Leadership
- Own the learning design work within assigned content initiatives—making and documenting key design decisions from brief through launch in partnership with the PM and Senior Director of Learning Design.
- Translate strategic direction into design frameworks, item blueprints, and content specs that the broader team can execute against.
- Maintain quality and coherence across a collection or initiative, catching inconsistencies in grade-band differentiation, cognitive demand, and instructional alignment.
Assessment Design & Item Writing
- Write and review formative assessment items at a level that models craft for the team.
- Set the distractor logic standard for an initiative; identify systemic quality gaps and address them through specs or direct feedback.
- Ensure grade-band differentiation is applied consistently across an initiative
Team Development & Upskilling
- Provide direct feedback on assessment items and learning design decisions, and model the design thinking rationale in a way that builds others’ judgment over time.
- Build shared resources when a quality gap reveals a systemic need: guidelines, worked examples, rubrics, or short workshops.
AI-Enabled Content Development
- Partner on AI content pipelines, contributing to prompt design, output evaluation frameworks, and quality rubrics for AI-generated content.
- Identify where AI tooling can improve initiative workflows and bring concrete proposals to the Senior Manager of Learning Design.
Product & Cross-Functional Partnership
- Represent learning design in product discovery and development within assigned initiative squads.
- Support on-time delivery by proactively flagging scope, quality, or resourcing risks to the Senior Manager of Learning Design.
You Are
- A design decision-maker: comfortable making and defending instructional design calls with clarity and rationale, not just executing direction.
- A craft model: the kind of writer and assessment designer others want to learn from; sets a visible standard.
- A developer of others: gets satisfaction from building team capacity, not just personal output.
- Analytically rigorous: can articulate what “good” looks like in reproducible terms and apply that standard consistently across a collection.
- A strong initiative partner: works fluidly with PMs, editorial, and product without needing constant direction.
- Digitally fluent: designs for interactive digital environments and is comfortable in CMS and AI-assisted content workflows.
On Your Resume
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Education, Instructional Design, or Curriculum & Instruction.
- Assessment item writing: Strong portfolio of K–8 formative assessment items for digital learning products, with evidence of quality ownership across a collection.
- Curriculum design: 7+ years designing K–8 curriculum and learning experiences for edtech; deep knowledge of learning research and classroom application.
- MLL: Experience in K-8 instructional design and assessment development for multilingual learners for a technology-based product strongly preferred.
- Standards fluency: Deep knowledge of K–8 standards in at least one core subject area (Science or Math preferred); uses standards as design inputs. Demonstrated understanding of WIDA framework and standards, as well as national (i.e., NGSS, CCSS, etc.) and state-specific ELD standards (CA, TX, AZ) strongly preferred.
- Initiative or project leadership: Demonstrated experience leading the design work within a content initiative—making decisions, managing quality, and coordinating with cross-functional partners.
- AI content pipeline experience: Demonstrated experience with prompt design, output evaluation, or rubric design for AI-generated content. Systematic workflow experience required.
Location
The BrainPOP team operates in a hybrid work environment: Each role has remote flexibility and an in-person component at our New York headquarters or other meeting locations. Based on the requirements of a specific role, we may prioritize hiring within a commutable distance of our New York headquarters or in another region relevant to that role.
We can employ individuals residing in the following approved hiring states. States not listed below may be considered based on factors including the needs of the specific role.
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
At BrainPOP, our work directly impacts how teachers teach and students learn. They inspire us to build solutions that facilitate joy and meaningful learning outcomes. Our commitment to educators and kids is reflected in our dedication to the BrainPOP team: ensuring their experience is empowering, creative, collaborative, playful, and anchored in learning and growth.
Our team is made up of educators, data scientists, published authors, engineers, artists, bakers, film buffs, cyclists, dual citizens, and so much more. We value diversity and inclusion, collaboration, and learning from multiple perspectives.
We believe that a diverse organization is a more effective organization. BrainPOP is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
NOTICE: We have become aware of various fraudulent websites and third parties impersonating our company and offering false job opportunities. These offers are not affiliated with BrainPOP and are considered part of an unlawful recruitment scam. To ensure your safety and protect your personal information we strongly recommend that you only apply for positions through the official BrainPOP website or BrainPOP's official LinkedIn page. If you receive any job offers or communications that do not originate from this page or our official e-mail domain brainpop.com, please treat them as suspicious and do not engage or provide any personal information. For any questions or to report suspicious activity, please contact us directly at [email protected]. While we have reported this general fraud to the authorities, you can report this fraud on your own behalf to the Federal Trade Commission (https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’ s Internet Crime Complaint Center (https://www.ic3.gov/).
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree
- Strong portfolio of K-8 formative assessment items for digital learning products
- 7+ years designing K-8 curriculum and learning experiences for edtech
- Deep knowledge of learning research and classroom application
- Experience in K-8 instructional design and assessment development for multilingual learners in a technology-based product
- Deep knowledge of K-8 standards in at least one core subject area, preferably Science or Math
- Understanding of the WIDA framework and standards, national standards such as NGSS and CCSS, and state-specific ELD standards
- Experience leading design work within a content initiative, managing quality, and coordinating with cross-functional partners
- Systematic experience with AI content pipelines, including prompt design, output evaluation, or rubric design for AI-generated content
- Master's degree in Education, Instructional Design, or Curriculum and Instruction
What the Team is Saying
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BrainPOP Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is presented as comprehensive, including medical, dental, vision, mental‑health support, pre‑tax accounts, and life/disability insurance. Public-facing benefits materials consistently position health coverage as a core pillar.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is described as generous with paid holidays and PTO, and some sources note a shift from “unlimited” language to a fixed high‑day allotment in recent years. A hybrid work model further supports practical use of leave.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with company match is explicitly offered, reinforcing long‑term savings support. While exact formulas are not publicly detailed, the existence of a match is repeatedly referenced across materials.
BrainPOP Insights
What We Do
BrainPOP, a learning company, empowers kids to shape the world around them and within them. Educators and families across the globe rely on BrainPOP to be the best part of a learner's day—sparking curiosity, building confidence, and bringing joy into the classroom and at home. For more than 25 years, BrainPOP has supported millions of students, and in 2022, it became the first digital learning investment of KIRKBI, the family-owned holding and investment company behind the LEGO brand.
Why Work With Us
BrainPOP is a pioneering Edtech brand whose iconic products have been beloved and trusted by millions of kids, educators, and parents for more than two decades. Our mission-driven team is committed to empowering kids to succeed and thrive in the classroom and beyond.
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BrainPOP Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
The BrainPOP team operates in a hybrid work environment: Each role has remote flexibility and an in-person component at our New York headquarters or other meeting locations.
