Subject Matter Expert (SME) - Data Visualization & Storytelling (Early 2026)

About Ziplines

Ziplines Education is a category-leading education company that partners with universities to deliver industry-focused certificate courses that prepare professionals for today’s digital-first workforce. Each year, we have the opportunity to help thousands of career advancers build the knowledge, skills, and credentials they need to move their careers forward. 92% of learners would recommend our programs, and our net promoter score is consistently in the excellent range. Together, we empower adult learners to confidently pursue the career they’ve always wanted.

Course development schedule

Work on this course will begin in the first half of 2026. We will be recruiting for SME roles on a rolling basis from now until the course enters development, so if you think you're a fit for the role, please fill out an application and we'll be in touch.

About you 

You bring at least 10 years of experience in data science, data visualization, or data analysis, a broad understanding of data storytelling, and a genuine passion for helping early-career professionals thrive and achieve success. You have a point of view on what learners need to succeed in data storytelling, and you’re able to break concepts down and make them accessible to beginners. As a SME for our online course module, you'll have the opportunity to shape our data storytelling curriculum, ensure we’re teaching what matters most, share your expertise with career advancers, and guide them toward achieving their goals. 

SME role objectives

• Create compelling, relevant, industry-aligned courses that give learners what they need to advance in their field

• Record authentic, engaging videos illustrating data storytelling concepts and showing learners how to use AI-powered data visualization technologies and tools.

• Inspire learners, build confidence in their capabilities, and help them understand the impact of data storytelling.

• Optimize learner engagement, learner retention, and learner success 

Our learners

Our learners are driven professionals from diverse fields. Some are just beginning to explore new career opportunities, while others are looking to deepen their expertise. What they all share is a strong desire to acquire new skills that will help them advance their careers—whether that’s stepping into a new role, earning a promotion, or excelling in their current position.

Our courses

Each week, learners:

• Complete on-demand online content created by industry experts (that’s you!) featuring scenario-based learning, industry context, expert videos, and best practices (6-7 hours)

• Apply their skills via a hands-on “Playbook” project that you help create (1-2 hours)

• Attend a live session to learn from a different industry expert alongside their classmates (2 hours)

• Get extra support by connecting with classmates on Slack or reaching out to our Learner Success team for support 

As a SME, you’ll collaborate with our Learning Experience Design team to shape the on-demand content and the Playbook, ensuring that the topical coverage, scenarios, videos, and applied skills are relevant and industry-aligned. Our designers will also ask for your input and review on the live session agenda. Most importantly, you’ll record authentic, engaging videos that make learners feel like they have a supportive, savvy guide to data storytelling.

Your duties and time commitment

• Overall Time Commitment: 35 - 40 hours over 6 weeks.

• Week 1: Kickoff meeting with learning experience designer, review and refine module outline, clarify schedule. 

• Weeks 2 through 5: 1-2 working sessions with learning experience designer. These sessions will focus on mapping out lessons, exercises, and video content. In-between working sessions, you and the designer will work in parallel to flesh out the content and develop detailed outlines for the videos. 

• Week 6: Record and upload your videos. 

• Week 7: Review the module and give feedback.

How We Support You

• You’re partnered with an experienced learning designer. Our designers understand our course format, our learners, and our goals, and can help you bring your knowledge to life.

• You’re not starting from a blank page. Our learning experience designer will come in with a draft outline covering key topics, technologies, and learning objectives. Together you’ll revise and refine this to reflect your insights and experience.

• Our video and slide production team will make you look amazing. When you record, your videos will probably have pauses while you look at your notes and bobbles where you say “cut that, let me try again.” That’s what post-production is for! In addition, we have a talented team of slide designers who step in to illustrate key concepts as you talk about them–you don’t produce those slides, we do. 

Your Compensation

$5,000 per course module

More about this Data Storytelling and Visualizations course

Organizations are drowning in data, but decisions are made through stories. This 5-week program helps professionals transform raw data into compelling narratives that influence action—while using AI to accelerate analysis, generate insights, and refine visuals. Learners will practice designing dashboards, framing insights persuasively, and presenting with impact, supported by the latest AI features embedded in modern BI tools.

The course balances fundamentals of storytelling with hands-on work in Tableau and Power BI, enhanced by AI-powered assistants and narrative generators. By the end, participants will have built a polished, story-driven dashboard and accompanying executive summary—skills that combine the timeless value of communication with the cutting-edge tools of AI.

Qualifications 

• 10+ years of experience in data visualization and related fields, with a deep understanding of industry trends and best practices.

• A genuine passion for learning and helping others grow, with a focus on supporting career advancement and skill-building.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, able to connect with learners from diverse professional backgrounds.

• Strong point of view on what skills and knowledge new people to the field need to succeed, and an ability to break concepts down for learners while explaining the “why.”

• Able to be genuine and engaging on video. 

How To Apply

We’re excited to learn more about you! To complete your application, please submit the following:

• Your resume (PDF)

• A sample teaching video (1-2 minutes)

Because this role involves recording authentic, engaging videos for learners, we’d love to get a sense of your teaching style early in the process. Video is at the heart of our courses - it’s how learners connect with you, gain confidence, and feel supported as they develop new skills. Please record a short 1–2 minute video where you explain a concept of your choice as if you’re introducing it to someone brand new. The topic is completely up to you - we just want to see how you break down ideas in a clear and approachable way. Make sure we can see you on camera and use any platform you like - Loom, Zoom, YouTube, or a shareable video file are all fine. Just share a link we can view.

To ensure a fair and consistent hiring process, we kindly ask that all applicants submit their applications through our job board rather than reaching out directly via LinkedIn, phone, or email. This helps our recruitment team review every application efficiently and equitably. We truly appreciate your interest in joining our team and look forward to considering your application!

Ziplines, Inc. is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other protected characteristics under applicable law.