NOLA Education, LLC | Star Academy · 1 month ago
Science Subject Matter Expert - Middle School
New Orleans, LA
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior LevelNOLA Education, LLC | Star Academy is seeking a Science Subject Matter Expert (SME) for grades 6–9 to enhance their content development team. This role focuses on creating engaging and standards-aligned science curriculum by collaborating with writers and designers to ensure lessons are rigorous and fun while maintaining academic accuracy. The SME will also contribute to innovative curriculum strategies and ensure hands-on activities effectively support learning objectives.
Education Management
Responsibilities
Ensure all instructional content tightly aligns with national and state science standards (especially NGSS) as well as internal learning goals. Maintain up-to-date alignment documentation, including standards mapping, vocabulary lists, and learning goal trackers for each product
Review and vet lesson scripts, storyboards, and slide decks for conceptual clarity, correct pacing, and pedagogical soundness. Identify any gaps or inaccuracies in content and propose improvements or stronger instructional techniques to address them
Collaborate with our kit designer to evaluate and shape hands-on activities and science kits for each module. Make sure each experiment or build directly supports the lesson objectives and standards. Provide feedback on prototypes and suggest refinements to improve student understanding, usability, and excitement
Develop high-level instructional blueprints for lessons and modules. Outline essential questions, learning objectives, and the session flow — for example, mapping out a 30-slide lesson in a concise 5–7 slide framework that guides our scriptwriters. Ensure the planned flow is logically sound and engaging from start to finish
Work closely with curriculum writers, editors, and media/content developers at every stage of development. Serve as a strategic partner during planning meetings and content review sessions, ensuring the instructional intent is clear and consistently carried through in the final product. (You’ll actively participate in creative brainstorming and 'rip-and-tear' sessions to help solve challenges and refine ideas in real time.)
Infuse real-world context and cross-curricular links into every module. Help design activities and examples that connect science concepts to everyday life and, where possible, to other subject areas (math, ELA, social studies), so that learning is interdisciplinary and relevant
Lead the final academic quality checks on each curriculum module. Before a lesson goes live, confirm that all content is scientifically accurate, terminology is correct and age-appropriate, and the material meets our high standards for rigor and creativity. Ensure that every student-facing experience delivers on its promise and aligns with our discovery-based learning framework
Contribute to the broader curriculum strategy by bringing new ideas and insights. You’ll be involved in evolving our curriculum beyond traditional models – brainstorming new approaches, improving our methods, and ensuring we stay ahead of the curve in science education. Your expertise will help shape the future direction of our products in a meaningful way
Roughly one-third of your time will be spent auditing existing content for standards alignment. You’ll identify whether standards are fully or partially met, break down which components are addressed, evaluate the Depth of Knowledge (DOK), and assess overall academic rigor. All findings will be documented in our standards tracking system for future reference and decision-making
Another third of your time will be dedicated to working closely with content writers and editors to ensure new scripts and storyboards align with standards. You’ll help determine the extent of alignment, clarify instructional intent, and support the development of assessments that accurately measure student understanding
The remainder of your time will focus on partnering with the kit engineer to review and shape new hands-on activities. Your goal will be to evaluate how well proposed activities meet educational standards and build out a bank of instructionally sound experiences that can be deployed when new content demand arises
Qualification
Required
Experience in curriculum development for middle school science education
Strong understanding of national and state science standards, especially NGSS
Pedagogical expertise in instructional design and assessment
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
Experience in reviewing and vetting educational content for accuracy and clarity
Creative vision for developing engaging and rigorous instructional materials
Strong communication skills for articulating instructional intent and collaborating with writers and designers
Experience in integrating hands-on activities and real-world applications into science lessons
Preferred
Experience with discovery-based learning frameworks
Familiarity with quality assurance processes in educational content development
Background in science education or a related field
Experience in innovative curriculum development and instructional strategies
Company
NOLA Education, LLC | Star Academy
NOLA Education is an education innovation company that captivates and inspires success through Star Academy's immersive sensory experiences that lead to purpose, responsibility, and self-confidence.
Founded in 2018
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Jay Wehrer
Chief Operating Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase