Freelancer, Instructional Designer

Overview

CACTUS is a remote-first organization and we embrace an accelerate from anywhere culture. You may be required to travel to our Mumbai office based on business requirements or for company/team events.We are looking for a skilled Instructional Designer to collaborate on the development of e-learning courses across diverse industries such as healthcare, finance, and agriculture. The ideal candidate will have experience designing instructional content for varied audiences and adapting learning strategies to different levels of interactivity and complexity.

Responsibilities

• Analyze client-provided content and design instructionally sound learning experiences
• Develop learning objectives and course outlines aligned with project goals
• Create detailed storyboards and scripts for e-learning modules
• Collaborate with e-learning developers, graphic designers, and SMEs
• Recommend interactivity and assessment strategies (quizzes, branching, simulations)
• Adapt design approach based on domain and target audience
  

Qualifications And Prerequisites

• 3-5 years of experience as an Instructional Designer or Learning Experience Designer
• Strong grasp of instructional design models (e.g., ADDIE, Bloom’s Taxonomy)
• Excellent writing, structuring, and communication skills
• Proficiency in MS PowerPoint, Word, and basic graphic structuring tools
• Experience working with authoring tools like Articulate Storyline, Rise, Adobe Captivate (basic familiarity is fine)
• Ability to design for different interactivity levels and multimedia integration
• Familiarity with SCORM/xAPI standards is a plus
  

Good to have:

• Exposure to different industry domains (healthcare, finance, agriculture, etc.)
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG)
• Certifications in instructional design or e-learning (e.g., ATD, CPTD, or equivalent)
  

Application ProcessBefore applying, please ensure you meet the role requirements listed above and have legal authorization to work in the country where this role is advertised. Our selection process typically involves an initial screening by a recruiter, a technical assessment, and two to three interview rounds. The process for this role includes an initial screening, one interview round and an assessment.

Equal Opportunity

Our hiring practices reflect our commitment to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed. We celebrate the uniqueness of our team members and prohibit discrimination of any kind, based on race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Accelerating from Anywhere

As a remote-first organization, these are essential attributes we look for in all our candidates.

• Taking ownership of your work with minimal supervision, showing strong ability to organize, prioritize and deliver results independently.
• Documenting work that brings everyone on the same page.
• Maturity to choose between synchronous and asynchronous collaboration.
• Effectively collaborating with colleagues across different time zones by setting dedicated hours for collaboration and keeping team members updated through your MS Teams status.
  

About CACTUS

Established in 2002, Cactus Communications (cactusglobal.com) is a leading technology company that specializes in expert services and AI-driven products which improve how research gets funded, published, communicated, and discovered. Its flagship brand Editage offers a comprehensive suite of researcher solutions, including expert services and cutting-edge AI products like Mind the Graph, Paperpal, and R Discovery. With offices in Princeton, London, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, and Mumbai and a global workforce of over 3,000 experts, CACTUS is a pioneer in workplace best practices and has been consistently recognized as a great place to work.