Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Curriculum Expert

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires a proactive Curriculum Expert to design, evaluate, and scale high‑quality curriculum and assessment solutions. This role combines instructional design, standards alignment, assessment engineering, teacher/professional development, and cross‑functional project leadership. The Curriculum Expert will translate learning goals into sequencing, scope & sequence, rubrics, and scalable learning experiences that improve learner outcomes across K‑12, higher education, or corporate training environments.

Key focus areas: curriculum design, instructional strategy, assessment development, standards alignment, LMS/content integration, data‑driven improvement, and stakeholder partnership.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Instructional Designer / Senior Instructional Designer
Classroom Teacher or Content Specialist with curriculum experience
Learning & Development Specialist or Training Designer

Advancement To:

Lead Curriculum Designer / Curriculum Manager
Director of Curriculum & Instruction
Head of Learning Strategy / Chief Learning Officer

Lateral Moves:

Assessment Design Lead
Learning Experience (LX) Designer
Academic Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end‑to‑end curriculum design projects, creating scope & sequence documents, unit plans, lesson frameworks, pacing guides, and instructional resources that map directly to stated learning outcomes and academic or competency standards.
Develop rigorous formative and summative assessments, grading rubrics, performance tasks, and scoring guides that measure mastery against standards and support data‑driven instruction and reporting.
Align curriculum and assessments to local, state, national, or industry standards (e.g., Common Core, NGSS, ISTE, competency frameworks), ensuring vertical and horizontal coherence across grades or levels.
Design differentiated instructional strategies and resources to support diverse learners, including adaptation for ELL/ESL learners, special education needs, and accelerated learners, using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
Conduct needs analyses and curriculum gap analyses using learner performance data, teacher feedback, and stakeholder input to prioritize curriculum improvements and interventions.
Create and maintain detailed curriculum documentation, version control, metadata tagging, and content governance processes to ensure accuracy, consistency, and auditability across learning materials.
Partner with subject matter experts (SMEs) to translate disciplinary content into scaffolded, standards‑aligned learning experiences and to ensure content accuracy and currency.
Lead pilot implementations of new curricular programs and iterate based on pilot feedback, classroom observations, assessment outcomes, and stakeholder reviews to scale effective solutions.
Develop rubrics, scoring protocols, item banks, and blueprinting for summative assessments and standardized tests; oversee item review and validity checks.
Integrate technology effectively by designing for LMS delivery, authoring tool compatibility (e.g., Articulate, Captivate), media standards, accessibility (WCAG), and data interoperability (SCORM, xAPI).
Design teacher-facing professional development, coaching materials, facilitator guides, model lessons, and observation tools to ensure fidelity of curriculum implementation and continuous instructional improvement.
Create competency maps and learning progressions that define proficiency levels, benchmarks, and assessment checkpoints across grade bands or training cohorts.
Oversee multimedia content production and instructional resource creation (videos, simulations, interactive activities), providing storyboard and quality guidance to media teams or vendors.
Monitor and analyze curriculum impact metrics (assessment scores, achievement gaps, engagement metrics), produce executive summaries, and recommend targeted instructional interventions.
Lead cross‑functional project management for curriculum initiatives: timelines, resource allocation, stakeholder communications, risk mitigation, and vendor management.
Ensure curriculum content meets compliance requirements for accreditation bodies, district policies, industry regulations, and copyright/licensing restrictions.
Facilitate curriculum review committees and stakeholder working groups (teachers, administrators, employers, product teams) to gather feedback and drive consensus on scope, standards, and priorities.
Establish quality assurance processes including editorial review, bias and sensitivity checks, cultural responsiveness audits, and validation against learning science best practices.
Localize and adapt curricular materials for different contexts, languages, and cultures while preserving learning objectives, rigor, and assessment validity.
Produce clear measurement frameworks and dashboards for tracking learning outcomes and curriculum performance; translate data insights into prioritized action plans for improvement.
Mentor and manage curriculum writers, instructional designers, assessment specialists, and contractors to deliver consistent, high‑quality learning products on schedule.
Evaluate third‑party content and vendor solutions for fit, alignment, and cost‑effectiveness; negotiate scope, deliverables, and KPIs for content partnerships.
Build and maintain competency frameworks for career pathways or credential programs, linking curriculum to employability skills, certifications, and industry standards.
Keep abreast of emerging research in learning science, pedagogy, assessment theory, and educational technology to continuously innovate curriculum design and instructional approaches.
Draft and present curriculum proposals, executive briefings, and professional learning modules to leadership and stakeholders to secure buy‑in and funding for initiatives.

Secondary Functions

Respond to ad‑hoc curriculum and assessment data requests, producing actionable analysis and presentation‑ready insights for academic or business stakeholders.
Contribute to the organization's learning strategy and roadmap by identifying gaps, recommending scalable solutions, and prioritizing curriculum investments.
Collaborate with product, engineering, and analytics teams to translate curriculum requirements into LMS workflows, feature requests, and data capture specifications.
Participate in agile planning, sprint reviews, and cross‑functional ceremonies to ensure timely delivery of curriculum components and educational product features.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Curriculum design and development for K‑12, higher education, or corporate training with proven examples of published scope & sequence and unit plans.
Instructional design methodologies (ADDIE, Backward Design, Understanding by Design) and learning experience (LX) design best practices.
Assessment design and psychometrics basics: item writing, blueprinting, rubrics, formative/summative strategies, and validity/reliability thinking.
Standards alignment experience (Common Core, NGSS, state standards, industry competency frameworks).
Learning Management Systems (LMS) expertise (e.g., Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Cornerstone) and content packaging standards (SCORM, xAPI).
Authoring tools and multimedia production familiarity (Articulate Storyline, Rise, Adobe Captivate, video storyboarding).
Data literacy: ability to interpret assessment data, use analytics platforms, and create dashboards (Excel, Tableau, Power BI).
Accessibility and inclusion practices (WCAG compliance, UDL implementation, accessible content authoring).
Project management skills with familiarity with Agile/Scrum for instructional projects; scheduling, resourcing, and risk mitigation.
Content governance, version control, metadata standards, and editorial QA processes.
Knowledge of adult learning theory, professional development design, and teacher coaching models.
Experience developing competency‑based education models, micro‑credentials, or credentialing frameworks.

Soft Skills

Exceptional written and verbal communication tailored for educators, executives, and technical teams.
Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills to build consensus and steward cross‑functional initiatives.
Analytical and strategic thinking with a focus on continuous improvement and outcomes.
Empathy for teachers and learners; ability to design practical, classroom‑ready solutions.
Attention to detail and high standards for quality, accuracy, and cultural responsiveness.
Adaptability to work across fast‑paced product, academic, or operational environments.
Leadership and mentoring skills to develop junior instructional staff and coordinate external partners.
Problem solving and creativity in designing engaging learning experiences under constraints.
Time management and prioritization to balance multiple curriculum initiatives and deadlines.
Coaching mindset to support adoption and sustainable instructional change.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Psychology, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree or higher in Curriculum & Instruction, Instructional Design, Educational Leadership, Learning Sciences, or an Ed.D/Ph.D.
Relevant certifications such as AECT, ISTE certifications, CPLP, or assessment/psychometrics certificates are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Curriculum and Instruction
Instructional Design / Learning Design
Education Leadership / Educational Psychology
Learning Sciences / Cognitive Science
Subject-specific fields (Math, ELA, Science, Computer Science for content experts)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5 – 8 years of progressively responsible experience in curriculum development, instructional design, or education program design.

Preferred:

7+ years designing curriculum and assessments, with demonstrated success in improving learner outcomes.
Experience across at least one of the following contexts: K‑12 districts, state education departments, higher education, or corporate learning programs.
Proven track record deploying curriculum at scale, leading pilots, and supporting educator professional development.
Experience managing content teams, vendors, and cross‑functional product or implementation partners.
Demonstrated portfolio of curriculum artifacts, assessment items, unit plans, and learning resources aligned to standards or competencies.