Development/Content Instructor - Business Thinking Framework

(Job BTF100)

Under the general supervision of Instructor Services, the Development/Content Instructor will partner with various UC Davis support team members to develop one of three online self-study learning experience that will be delivered as the UC Davis Business Thinking Framework Specialization on the Coursera platform. The work is a ‘work for hire” focused on creating the course product. The timeframe will be established as part of the planning for development and will be agreed to by all parties. The Development/Content Instructor will be the principal subject matter expert for this offering. The primary responsibility of the Development/Content Instructor will be to create the curriculum and author all the online digital learning assets for these courses. The Development/Content Instructor must be a highly credible deep domain expert who can work with CPE staff and instructional designers to create a course design of value to the targeted global audience.

The primary audience for this UC Davis Specialization is early to mid-career professionals worldwide who want to develop as whole thinkers, problem solvers, and decision-makers to progress towards specialist, consulting, and leadership roles.

Core Subject Matter Expertise Areas:

1. Strategic Thinking: Working knowledge of core business strategy frameworks and tools such as SWOT, PESTLE, Decision Trees, RICE, MECE, and OKRs. Experience in short and long-term strategic planning starting from ambiguity. Ability to teach decision-making under uncertainty, long-term vs short-term tradeoffs, opportunity cost thinking, system-level thinking, and strategic alignment between goals, resources, and execution.
2. Creative Thinking: Demonstrated ability to apply structured creativity frameworks such as Design Thinking, Lateral Thinking, TRIZ and Scamper. Experience in developing new business ideas, process innovations, products, or organizational improvement. Ability to teach ideation framework, reframing problems, and innovation within constraints.
3. AI Augmented Thinking: Practical experience using Generative AI tools to augment business thinking such (ChatGPT, Claude, CoPilot, etc.), and including more specialized AI-assisted planning, research, analysis, or ideation tools. Ability to teach how AI enhances human judgment, prompting for analysis, synthesis, and decision support, and ethically responsible and critical use of AI in business contexts. Strong understanding of AI limitations, bias, and hallucination risk and Human-in-the-loop decision making.

Overall Specialization Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Demonstrated ability to teach and apply one or more of the above business thinking frameworks, not just describe them theoretically.
• 5 years of professional experience in industry and applying one or more of the above thinking frameworks in business, consulting, entrepreneurship, product development, operations, or strategy roles with demonstrated experience solving complex, ambiguous business problems using frameworks.
• At least 6 months’ experience as a trainer, instructor, teacher, lecturer or faculty with specific experience teaching online OR similar experience as an online content creator (e.g. YouTuber, Video Blogger, Podcaster).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and dependably with a team within a structured development process.
• Track record of on-time delivery of work products.
• Communicative ability to translate complex concepts into engaging, digestible content for global learners with varied experience levels.

Overall Specialization Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in business administration, organizational leadership, innovation, design, systems engineering/design or a related field.
• Proven experience collaborating with instructional designers, program managers, and cross-functional teams.
• Experience in authoring and producing instructional videos or courses for adult learners, particularly for online self-paced learning environments such LinkedIn, Udemy, edX, or YouTube.
• Comfortable developing stand-alone online assessments that demonstrate learner skill attainment.
• Experience in creating and documenting curricula or lesson plans.

Appointment:

The CPE Instructor position is an exempt by-agreement appointment. The incumbent will be hired into the UC Davis payroll title of Teacher-University Extension Contract YR and will be subject to Federal and State Income Tax Withholdings.

Compensation:

Compensation will be a set amount assigned based on the nature of the work, such as course development, instructional services, or coaching sessions.

Benefits:

Position is not eligible for UC health & welfare benefits. As a by-agreement instructor, the employment is considered “part-time” and will participate in the Defined Contribution Plan (the “DC Plan”) as a Safe Harbor† participant. By-Agreement instructors are automatically enrolled in the DC Plan per their eligible appointment. Safe Harbor participants contribute 7.5% of their wages, on a pretax basis, in lieu of contributing to Social Security. Please review the Retirement Savings Program Information for Safe Harbor Participants and the DCP Summary Plan Description for more information.

Apply:

Apply by 4/24/26

Instructor Interest Application-Please enter Job BTF100 in the Job Section

Department Overview

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) is the lifelong learning arm of the university. The division maintains the most diverse portfolio on the campus, with programs spanning pre-college, professional continuing education, workforce development, international academic and cultural exchange, and training services for corporate and agency partners. As a global leader in continuing education, CPE serves learners regionally, nationally and globally, and posts more than 55K enrollments annually making it the third largest UC Extension by enrollment. Beyond its community-facing role, CPE serves as the internal hub for online education in support of other academic units on the campus. CPE employs approximately 180 employees and draws on the expertise of approximately 1,700 instructors.