Real command of end-to-end ADDIE and backward design — you've built measurable, job-aligned outcomes and the assessments that prove learners hit them, not just theoretical frameworks on a CV.
A habit of treating "good enough" as a starting point, not a finish line — you notice when learning isn't driving real outcomes, and you take the initiative to fix it.
Genuine fluency with AI-powered tools and prompt engineering, used to accelerate content development and find genuinely new applications in learning design.
The ability to take a genuinely complex generative and/or agentic AI concept and design a learning experience around it that actually works — for a range of different learner personas
The confidence and track record to influence peers and senior stakeholders toward a specific, measurable curriculum improvement — not just raise a concern and move on.
Resilience when things don't go to plan — you can point to a time a project hit a real obstacle (a blocker, a shifting SME, a launch that missed the mark) and describe exactly what you did about it, and what you learned.