Instructional Designer – Black Belt Academy

Instructional Designer - Black Belt Academy

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.

What You Will DO

• Build the future of partner enablement at Cisco!
• Design and develop
  - scale instructional training in Black Belt Academy centered around
  - learning, virtual, but that can also be leveraged in an
  - led and hybrid training scenarios focused on IT topics such as Networking, Cybersecurity, Cloud & AI, and Collaboration.
• Apply adult learning principles and (ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model) and ensure accessibility compliance (WCAG).
• Use emerging technologies and AI-powered tools to enhance learning personalization and interactivity.
• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts and
  - functional teams including Global Partner Engineering (GPE), Go-to-Market (GTM), and Architectures to align training strategy with Cisco’s business priorities.
• Map training content in Black Belt Academy to Cisco’s Capability Acceleration Framework for Enablement (CAFE) and Partner Learning Journeys.
• Develop assessments and evaluation tools to measure learner progress and program effectiveness.
• Deliver training across multiple modalities including
  -
  - demand, virtual/web-based, and
  - led formats.
• Update training content regularly to reflect IT industry trends, Cisco solutions, and partner needs.
• Collect and analyze learner feedback and course metrics to improve training programs.
• Work independently on sophisticated projects and contribute as a key member of the instructional design team with opportunities to grow into senior or strategic roles.

Who You Will Work With

• Dive into a collaborative, global environment alongside passionate professionals from Global Partner Engineering, Go-to-Market teams, Architectures, and Cisco’s Business Entities!
• Together, we align strategies and content with Cisco’s technical vision and business priorities.
• You’ll connect with subject matter experts who grow with innovation and teamwork, all committed to building the best partner enablement in the industry.
• This senior role reports to leadership within partner enablement or learning and development organizations and plays a meaningful role in driving partner capability building within the Cisco 360 Partner Program ecosystem.

Who You Are

Required Skills

• 6-8 years of instructional design experience, preferably in corporate or technology environments.
• Solid grasp of IT concepts including networking, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and software development.
• Proficiency in instructional develop models: ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Kirkpatrick Model, Adult Learning Theory.
• Experience with e
  Learning authoring tools (Articulate 360, Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, Vyond) and Learning Management Systems (Mindtickle, Moodle, Docebo, Cornerstone).
• Skilled in collaboration and content tools (MS Power
  Point, Google Workspace, Figma, Miro).
• Ability to build assessments and use analytics to refine training.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG, SCORM, x
  API).
• Familiarity with emerging learning technologies including AI-powered adaptive learning tools is a plus.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with Cisco Networking Academy or similar IT training programs.
• Knowledge of IT industry certifications (CCNA, CCNP, CISSP, AWS, Azure).
• Ability to design for diverse learner populations including underserved communities.
• Familiarity with Cisco’s Black Belt Academy and Cisco 360 Partner Program.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.