Independent Consultant (1099) – Instructional Design Specialist

Location: On-site at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN
Engagement Type: 1099 Independent Contractor (project-based; temporary defined period)
Travel: Local to ORNL only

Engagement Overview

We are seeking a senior-level Instructional Design Specialist with a strong Business Analysis and requirements enablement background to support an on-site engagement at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

This role focuses on improving the consistency and quality of requirements gathered and documented by Business Relationship Managers (BRMs), Project Managers (PMs), and other stakeholders who perform BA-like functions in an IT environment without a dedicated Business Analyst role. The consultant will design and deliver practical training, develop reusable templates and job aids, and support integration of improved requirements practices into ORNL’s IT project intake and delivery lifecycle.

On-Site Expectation

The consultant is expected to be on-site at ORNL during the engagement for discovery activities, design working sessions, and delivery of instructor-led training and workshops.

Key Responsibilities

Instructional Design & Training Delivery

• Design and deliver instructor-led training focused on:
• Best practices for eliciting business and functional requirements from diverse stakeholders
• Techniques for facilitating effective requirements discussions, including interviews and workshops
• Methods for documenting requirements clearly and consistently without a dedicated BA role
• Developing requirements artifacts that support intake readiness and clean handoff into delivery
• Develop training materials including slide decks, facilitator notes, participant guides, and hands-on exercises
• Deliver engaging, on-site training sessions using real-world scenarios and interactive activities

Requirements Enablement Toolkit (Templates / Job Aids)

• Develop or refine practical tools for use during and after training, including:
• Intake-ready problem statement templates
• Stakeholder maps and elicitation plans
• Interview and workshop agendas with facilitation guidance
• Clear, testable, and consistent requirements documentation templates
• Acceptance criteria guidance and examples
• Requirements quality checklists (clarity, completeness, testability)
• Intake readiness and delivery handoff checklists and summary formats
• Ensure all artifacts are practical, reusable, and easily adopted by BRMs and PMs across projects

Process & Tool Alignment (ServiceNow)

• Align training content and templates with ORNL’s IT intake environment and tools, including ServiceNow
• Provide practical guidance on capturing required information consistently within intake workflows

Reinforcement & Sustainment Support

• Support follow-on reinforcement activities, as scoped, such as coaching sessions, office hours, and artifact reviews
• Provide a lightweight train-the-trainer package to enable ORNL to sustain the approach over time

Required Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required
• 10+ years of combined experience in:
• Instructional design and delivery (preferably for IT, systems, or technical organizations)
• Business analysis and requirements elicitation and documentation
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex requirements concepts into clear, practical training
• Strong facilitation skills for stakeholder interviews, group workshops, and working sessions
• Experience developing reusable templates and enablement toolkits
• Ability to operate independently in a client environment and manage multiple deliverables with minimal oversight

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting IT project intake processes, readiness criteria, or governance checkpoints
• Familiarity with Agile, hybrid, and waterfall delivery environments
• Prior experience aligning training and artifacts to tools such as ServiceNow
• Relevant certifications preferred (not required): CBAP, PMI-PBA, PMP, SAFe, or similar

Work Conditions / Compliance

• Must meet ORNL site access requirements
• Must comply with applicable information-handling and cybersecurity policies
• No security clearance anticipated; onboarding and site access requirements may apply

Engagement Details

• Engagement Type: 1099 Independent Contractor
• Location: On-site at ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN
• Schedule: Project-based for a temporary defined period (dates and hours based on client needs)
• Compensation: Competitive, engagement-based (rates not listed)

Practical AI Application

• Applies AI tools to streamline workflows, enhance analysis, and improve training and documentation outcomes
• Understands the strengths and limitations of AI systems and exercises sound judgment in their use
• Explores opportunities to leverage AI for content development, consistency checks, and knowledge enablement
• Uses AI in alignment with client policies, data privacy standards, and ethical guidelines
• Exercises discretion when using AI with sensitive, proprietary, or government information
• Demonstrates awareness of bias, accuracy, and risk considerations when leveraging AI tools