What Is a Curriculum Developer and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

A curriculum developer or instructional coordinator helps a school develop and implement a teaching plan with lessons designed to meet the educational standards of the school or district. In this career, you often begin by evaluating the existing system and observing students in the classroom. Your responsibilities as a curriculum developer involve all aspects of instruction, from the textbooks to the teaching methods. You are also involved in staff training programs, whether working with a group or one-on-one to teach instructional techniques. That makes excellent interpersonal skills essential for success in this position. You can find jobs at all grade levels.

To pursue a career as a curriculum developer, you need a master’s degree in education or curriculum and instruction. Additional qualifications may include a teaching license and classroom teaching experience, depending on your employer. You can find curriculum developer jobs with school districts, private schools, and textbook publishing companies. At the school level, you are considered an instructional coordinator. Your responsibilities as a curriculum developer are to create programs of study and teaching materials informed by state and federal grade level standards for each subject. Your job duties include working with teachers and students to evaluate and tweak your products or existing curriculum, so you need excellent interpersonal and analytical skills.

Job Summary

We are looking for a Curriculum Developer to join our instructional design team. This is a wonderful opportunity to create learning experiences and help shape how children develop. As part of our team, you help design and create curriculum materials, and train educators on how to apply these tools through informative workshops. You may also evaluate existing curriculums and help integrate new technology, or adapt them into digital formats. Applicants who have a master's degree, teaching license, and classroom experience are strongly preferred.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Define course objectives
• Design content delivery and assessment methods
• Determine ways to integrate technology into the classroom
• Evaluate and revise existing curriculum as needed
• Adapt existing curriculum into digital formats
• Provide training materials or workshops to educators

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in education, instructional design, or curriculum development
• Valid teaching license (strongly preferred)
• Previous teaching experience (strongly preferred)
• Strong computer skills
• Communication skills