Instructional Designer – Black Belt Academy

About Black Belt Academy and Cisco 360 Partner Program

The Black Belt Academy is a cornerstone of Cisco’s integrated partner enablement strategy, aligned with the Cisco 360 Partner Program. It delivers tailored, agile training that accelerates partner growth across Cloud & AI, Networking, Collaboration, Security, and Services. The Academy complements Cisco Career Certifications and other enablement initiatives, helping partners enhance their Partner Value Index (PVI) and unlock greater opportunities within the Cisco ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Instructional Design & Development
• Design and develop instructional materials (e-learning modules, instructor-led training, virtual courses, and blended learning solutions) tailored to IT topics such as Networking, Cybersecurity, Cloud &AI technologies, Collaboration amongst others.
• Apply adult learning principles, instructional design models (ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model), and accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) to create engaging content.
• Incorporate emerging technologies and AI-powered tools to enhance learning personalization and interactivity.
• Collaboration & Alignment
• Partner with Subject Matter Experts to analyze training needs, define learning objectives, and ensure alignment with Cisco’s strategic initiatives and industry certifications.
• Collaborate across multiple groups like Business Entities, Global Partner Engineering (GPE), Go-to-Market (GTM), and Architectures teams to align training strategy with Cisco’s business priorities.
• Map training content to Cisco’s Capability Acceleration Framework for Enablement (CAFE) and Partner Learning Journeys across Foundational, Proficiency, and Focus & Depth stages.
• Program Development & Delivery
• Develop assessments and evaluation tools to measure learner progress and program effectiveness.
• Ensure training is delivered in multiple modalities (video-on-demand, virtual/web-based, and adaptable to instructor-led formats).
• Continuously update training content to reflect IT industry trends, Cisco solutions, and evolving partner needs.
• Evaluation & Improvement
• Collect and analyze learner feedback and course metrics to iterate and improve training programs.
• Support ongoing improvements to the Black Belt Academy content catalog to ensure relevance and partner enablement impact.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in instructional design, preferably within IT or technology.
• Strong understanding of IT concepts: networking, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and software development.
• Excellent ability to translate complex technical topics into clear, engaging learning content.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and project management skills.
• Knowledge of AI in learning design and digital skills training is a plus.
• Familiarity with Cisco’s Black Belt Academy or Cisco 360 Partner Program is highly desirable.

Required Skills

• Instructional Design Models & Frameworks: ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kirkpatrick Model, Adult Learning Theory (Andragogy).
• eLearning Authoring Tools: Articulate 360 (Storyline, Rise), Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, Vyond.
• Learning Management Systems (LMS): Mindtickle, Moodle, Docebo, Cornerstone, or similar.
• Collaboration & Content Tools: MS PowerPoint, Google Workspace, Figma, Miro.
• Assessment & Analytics: Experience designing knowledge checks, simulations, and using data to refine training.
• Accessibility & Standards: WCAG compliance, SCORM, xAPI.
• Emerging Tech in L&D: AI-powered adaptive learning tools, AR/VR (a plus).

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Cisco Networking Academy or similar IT-focused training programs.
• Knowledge of IT industry certifications and pathways (e.g., CCNA, CCNP, CISSP, AWS, Azure).
• Ability to design for diverse learners, including underserved communities and nontraditional students.

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.