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Learning Designer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Mercor

Learning Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$125K/yr

About the Role We're looking for a Learning Designer to build the instructional infrastructure that powers Mercor's human data operations - both for our internal teams and the thousands of talent ...

usahs

Learning Innovation Designer

Austin, TX

GENERAL SUMMARY The Learning Innovation Designer is responsible for the creation and delivery of university-level course content for all graduate-level degree programs. The Learning Innovation ...

Uniform Junction

We're hiring across roles in our Learning Services. You can find s for each of them below. If you ... Instructional Designer * STEM Counsellor Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Adobe, Inc.

Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

Good understanding of machine learning, deep learning, or data analytics concepts. * Excellent ... Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording ...

Adobe

Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA

Good understanding of machine learning, deep learning, or data analytics concepts. * Excellent ... Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording ...

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All JobsLearning Designer JobsLearning Designer Jobs in California

Learning Designer information

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$26

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$68

How much do learning designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for learning designer in California is $40.16, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $29.18 and $52.21 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Learning Designer do?

A Learning Designer, also known as an instructional designer, develops educational materials and experiences to help learners acquire specific skills or knowledge. They analyze learning needs, create course outlines, design engaging content, and often use technology to deliver training in schools, businesses, or online platforms. Learning Designers collaborate with subject matter experts and use best practices in pedagogy and instructional technology to ensure effective learning outcomes.

What is a learning designer?

A learning designer develops educational programs, courses, and instructional materials to enhance learning experiences. They analyze learner needs, design curriculum content, and often use tools like learning management systems (LMS) to deliver and assess training effectively.

Is AI replacing instructional designers?

AI is transforming the role of learning designers by automating routine tasks such as content generation and assessment analysis, allowing them to focus more on designing engaging and effective learning experiences. However, instructional designers are still essential for applying pedagogical expertise, customizing content, and ensuring learner needs are met, making AI a tool that complements rather than replaces their skills. Proficiency in learning management systems and instructional design principles remains important in this evolving field.

How do you become a learning designer?

To become a learning designer, individuals typically need a bachelor's degree in education, instructional design, or a related field. Gaining experience with instructional design tools like Articulate or Adobe Captivate, and understanding learning theories, can enhance job prospects; some roles may also require a relevant certification such as the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP).

How do Learning Designers typically collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) during a project?

Learning Designers often work closely with subject matter experts to ensure that instructional materials are both accurate and engaging. This collaboration usually involves conducting interviews or workshops with SMEs to gather content, reviewing drafts for technical accuracy, and incorporating feedback at several stages of development. Clear communication and project management skills are essential, as Learning Designers must balance SME input with pedagogical best practices and learner needs. Building a strong working relationship with SMEs can help streamline the process and result in more effective learning experiences.

What Is a Learning Designer?

A learning designer develops educational activities using a variety of online tools. The goal of this career is to help students acquire knowledge and skills as effectively as possible. As a learning designer, your duties may include creating eLearning experiences and course content that aid in retention, identifying students’ educational needs, conducting research, and documenting the results of each project. You also work toward the fulfillment of state and national educational goals or requirements. To become a learning designer, you typically include a master’s degree in educational technology, instructional design, or a similar field and relevant work experience. Additional qualifications include teaching and technical skills, as well as creative problem-solving ability.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Learning Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Learning Designer, you need expertise in instructional design, curriculum development, and learning theory, often supported by a relevant degree or certification. Familiarity with e-learning authoring tools (such as Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and multimedia production is typically required. Creativity, strong communication, and project management abilities help Learning Designers collaborate effectively and create engaging learning experiences. These skills are vital to ensure educational solutions meet learners’ needs and organizational goals.

What is the difference between Learning Designer vs Instructional Designer?

AspectLearning DesignerInstructional Designer
CredentialsTypically requires a degree in education, instructional design, or related fieldsSimilar credentials, often with certifications in instructional design or e-learning
Work EnvironmentDesigns learning experiences for various platforms, including online, corporate, or educational settingsDevelops instructional materials, often for e-learning, corporate training, or academic courses
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in education, corporate training, e-learning companiesCommon in education, corporate training, government agencies

While both roles focus on creating effective learning experiences, Learning Designers often emphasize designing comprehensive learning journeys, whereas Instructional Designers typically focus on developing specific instructional materials and courses. The roles overlap significantly, but Learning Designers may have a broader scope in experience design.

More about Learning Designer jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Learning Designer jobs in California? The most popular types of Learning Designer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Learning Designer jobs in California? For Learning Designer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Learning Designer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Learning Designer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Learning Designer jobs? Cities in California with the most Learning Designer job openings:
What are popular job titles related to Learning Designer jobs in CA? For Learning Designer jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Learning Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Learning Designer job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 73% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 9% Temporary, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 82% In-person, and 18% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $83,540 per year, or $40.2 per hour.
Learning Designer

Learning Designer

Mercor

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$125K/yr

Full-time

Posted 1 hour ago

Job description

About Mercor
Mercor's mission is to organize human intelligence to power the AI economy. We're a leading AI data company, building the layer between human expertise and frontier models. Millions of domain experts on the platform are paid over $4 million per day to train frontier AI models. Mercor's APEX benchmark family measures AI's real-world impact on professional work. Mercor Enterprise brings this same infrastructure to Fortune 500 companies: helping companies capture how their best people actually work, translating that expertise directly back into agents.
Mercor is creating a new category of work where expertise powers AI advancement. Achieving this requires an ambitious, fast-paced and deeply committed team. You'll work alongside researchers, operators, and AI companies at the forefront of shaping the systems that are redefining society. Mercor is a profitable Series C company valued at $10 billion. We work in-person five days a week in our San Francisco, NYC, or London offices.
About the Role
We're looking for a Learning Designer to build the instructional infrastructure that powers Mercor's human data operations - both for our internal teams and the thousands of talent experts who execute complex AI training tasks.
Your work will span three key areas:
  1. Project-level instructional design:
    • Review and improve project guidelines, rubrics, and instruction documents to maximize clarity and task performance for our talent experts to complete data annotation and evaluation work
    • Transform complex task specifications into well-structured instructional materials that talent experts can follow accurately
    • Partner with project teams to identify where documentation gaps are causing quality issues and design solutions
  2. Centralized learning academies:
    • Build centralized academy programs for complex data types related to post-training for LLMs
    • Create structured upskilling pathways that prepare talent experts for increasingly sophisticated project work
    • Develop assessments and certification frameworks that validate readiness for specific project types
  3. Internal training systems:
    • Design and develop training curricula for internal Mercor employees across the full project lifecycle - from onboarding fundamentals to advanced client-facing skills
    • Build competency-based learning paths that progress from foundational concepts to applied expertise
    • Develop evaluation and certification systems to ensure consistent quality and skill development across teams

You'll be designing learning experiences that develop genuine expertise, whether that's teaching an SPL to run a client conversation or helping a talent expert understand the nuances of turning their expertise into a rubric that can evaluate LLM responses. Your work directly impacts the quality of data that trains frontier AI systems.
What We're Looking For
  • 2+ years of experience in learning design, instructional design, curriculum development, or technical writing
  • Strong pedagogical foundation - you understand how people actually learn and can design experiences that build real skills, not just surface familiarity
  • Excellent writing and communication skills - you can make complex concepts clear and actionable for diverse audiences
  • Experience creating task documentation or procedural guides - you know how to write instructions that people can actually follow
  • Ability to diagnose instructional problems - when task quality suffers, you can identify whether it's a training gap, a documentation issue, or something else
  • Experience creating multi-format content (written documentation, video, interactive exercises, assessments)
  • Comfort with ambiguity and rapid iteration - we're building systems in a fast-moving environment, and you'll need to ship and improve continuously
  • Systems thinking orientation - you see how individual skills connect to broader operational excellence

Nice to Have
  • Experience in tech, AI/ML, or data operations environments
  • Experience building training programs at high-growth startups
  • Background in teaching, coaching, or educational leadership
  • Familiarity with data annotation, labeling, or evaluation workflows
  • Background in training for client-facing or sales roles

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