Instructional Designer

Build a Safer World.

TRM Labs provides AI-powered intelligence solutions that help public and private sector agencies investigate and disrupt crime. TRM's platforms enable investigators to trace illicit activity, build cases, and construct operating pictures of threat networks. Leading agencies and businesses worldwide rely on TRM to make the world safer and more secure.

The Instructional Designer on TRM Academy designs and builds the courses, certifications and learning paths that help financial institutions, crypto businesses, regulators and law enforcement understand crypto risk, apply compliance principles and combat crypto-enabled financial crime. You turn the expertise of TRM's intelligence, policy and compliance teams into published, assessment-backed training across self-paced courses, live sessions and product documentation, in multiple languages. What makes this role different: you use AI to build faster, and you own the accuracy that government agencies and financial institutions rely on when they train and certify their people.
The impact you will have:

1. Design learning pathways for a widening range of learners. Turn the Academy's catalog into clear paths through self-paced courses, live sessions and scenario-based assessments, with a particular focus on helping compliance teams understand crypto activity, assess risk and apply regulatory requirements in practice.

2. Keep TRM's certifications accurate and defensible. Run the review cycle for the Academy's certification programs. Route content and exam items to subject-matter experts for sign-off, check figures and citations against their sources, and update courses quickly as crypto risks, regulatory requirements and source material evolve.

3. Turn expert knowledge into strong training. Coach subject-matter experts with editorial feedback so their expertise becomes clear, well-built courses, hands-on exercises and trainer toolkits for live delivery. Help learners connect technical and regulatory concepts to everyday compliance decisions.

4. Co-own product documentation and training across TRM's platforms. Keep help content, onboarding and product training accurate and in step with releases, connecting platform capabilities to practical compliance and investigative workflows.

5. Deliver content in multiple languages without losing accuracy. Run the localization workflow: first-draft translation, native-speaker review and SME sign-off for technical and regulatory material.

6. Make the team faster, and prove the training works. Draft with AI and own the verification, so no unsupported figure, source or regulatory detail reaches a learner. Build reusable workflows the Academy adopts, and measure both the build time saved and learner outcomes beyond completions.

What we’re looking for:

• 3 to 5+ years of instructional design or curriculum development for adult learners, with a portfolio of published, assessment-backed courses.

• Experience building on an LMS and writing valid assessments and item banks.

• Ability to translate technical and regulatory subject-matter content into practical curriculum; familiarity with crypto compliance, anti-money laundering, sanctions or financial-crime risk is a strong plus.

• Production AI fluency: you already use AI daily to draft content, generate assessment items and speed up build and research workflows.

• Readiness to build reusable AI workflows others adopt, including item generation checked against source and comparisons of existing modules against new intelligence and regulatory developments, and to own the human verification step.

• Excellent written communication and a track record owning courses end-to-end as the single accountable owner.

About the Team:

• You will join TRM Academy’s Training and Certification team, which builds engaging, mission-relevant content and teaches to every level of expertise.

• The work is intellectually demanding: you keep curriculum accurate across crypto, compliance and investigations, with an emphasis on translating evolving risks and regulatory expectations into practical education and valid certification assessments.

• Mission-first, execution-oriented culture that values speed, high build quality and measurable business impact through education.

• AI-native team: designers use AI daily to build content and ship reusable assets the whole Academy adopts.

Team Operating Rhythms:

• Distributed, not distant: a team that collaborates across time zones with regular overlap for syncs and content reviews.

• Slack-first, async communication; @mention for timely responses.

• Weekly 1:1s and team syncs, plus regular content-build and review rhythms tied to launch windows.

• Close working cadence with SMEs in Intelligence, Policy and Compliance and with Product for accuracy.

Required online and collaboration hours:

• Schedule: Business hours with overlap across US time zones for internal syncs and content reviews.

Travel Requirements:

• Schedule: Minimal; occasional travel for team or customer content sessions if needed.

Onsite Requirements:

• Schedule: None required; distributed role.

Learn about TRM Speed in this position:

• Within your first 30 days, scope a requested course and stand up a V1 using AI to draft the slides, workbook and assessment, so a first version is ready to review that same month.

• Within 60 days, ship a reusable AI item-generation workflow, with items checked against source, that at least one other Academy team member adopts.

• Within 90 days, publish practical crypto compliance or certification content end-to-end, with measurable completion or assessment results, and standardize the build play so it repeats.

The following represents the estimated range of compensation for this role:

• Individual pay is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. The compensation details listed in this posting reflect the US base salary only.

• The estimated base salary range for this role is $155,000–$175,000.

• Additionally, this role may be eligible to participate in TRM’s equity plan.

• Please note – we factor in the different costs for geographies outside the United States.

Application Instructions

If you’re interested in joining TRM, we encourage you to apply directly. Every application is reviewed by our Talent team.

Before applying, review the job description carefully and highlight the experience and impact that best demonstrate the required qualifications. Please also provide thoughtful and accurate answers to the application questions, as these will be used to evaluate your skills and qualifications for the role.

If you send your resume directly to someone at TRM, we can’t guarantee it will reach the appropriate hiring team. Applying directly is the best way to ensure your application will be considered.

Interviewing with TRM

Our process is designed to understand how you think, solve problems, and deliver impact, while allowing you to evaluate TRM. Most interview processes include a case study, an AI skills assessment, and a Leadership Principles interview.

• Recruiter Intro: Qualifications, motivations, and alignment with the role.

• Hiring Manager: Deep dive into your relevant experience, skills, and impact.

• First Round: 1–2 interviews focused on the skills most critical to the role.

• Final Round: Hands-on case study. This is usually a panel-style session where we go deeper into your craft, problem-solving, and alignment with TRM.

• References: Former colleagues who can provide insight into your work and impact.

• Offer: Congrats! Your recruiter will present the offer and compensation details.

• Welcome to TRM: We're excited to build a safer world with you!

Your recruiter will share your specific interview plan and preparation guidance along the way.

AI Fluency at TRM

AI fluency is a baseline expectation at TRM.

We believe AI meaningfully changes how top performers operate. We expect every team member to use AI to accelerate and reimagine their craft, not just automate surface tasks.

At TRM, AI fluency means you are among the top 10 percent of operators in your function in how you apply AI to:

• Accelerate repeatable workflows

• Structure and solve problems

• Improve output quality

• Increase speed and leverage

You will be evaluated on applied AI fluency during the interview process.

Life at TRM

We are building a safer world. That promise shows up in how we work every day.

TRM moves FAST. We are a high-velocity, high-ownership team that expects clarity, follow-through, and impact. People who thrive here are energized by hard problems, experimentation, and continuous feedback. If something takes months elsewhere, it will ship here in days.

Our work sits at the intersection of AI, national security, and fighting crime. The problems are complex, the stakes are real, and the environment evolves quickly. The pace and intensity of the work reflect the importance of the mission. As a result, the way we operate requires a high level of ownership, adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

At TRM, you should expect:

• Priorities and targets to change quickly

• Operating with a high degree of ambiguity

• A high level of personal ownership and accountability

• Close collaboration across teams and functions

• Frequent, high-touch communication

• Creative problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking

• A pace that rewards urgency, adaptability, and outcomes

This environment is energizing for people who enjoy building, solving hard problems, and making progress in situations that are not always fully defined. It also requires thriving in ambiguity, adjusting course as new information emerges, and maintaining focus and positivity in a fast-moving and intense environment.

We also recognize that this style of operating is not for everyone. If you are primarily optimizing for predictability or a consistently balanced workload, we encourage you to use the interview process to pressure-test whether this environment is truly the right fit. We want teammates who thrive here, not just survive here.

If you are excited by meaningful problems, motivated by ambitious goals, and energized by working alongside mission-driven colleagues, there is a good chance you will find TRM to be an exceptional place to grow and contribute.

Leadership Principles

We hire and grow against three leadership principles. They’re the standards for how we operate, treat each other, and make decisions.

• Impact-Oriented Trailblazer: We put customers first and move with speed, focus, and adaptability. We treat every plan like an experiment – test, ship, measure, and iterate quickly.

• Master Craftsperson: We care deeply about our craft. We balance speed with high standards, own outcomes end‑to‑end, and invest in getting better everyday.

• Inspiring Colleague: We add clarity and energy, not noise. We bring humility, candor, and a one‑team mindset — giving and receiving feedback to make the team stronger.

Join our Mission

At TRM, we care deeply about our craft. We are looking for individuals who want their work to matter, who experiment with speed and rigor, and who take pride in building a safer world for billions of people. If you’re excited by TRM’s mission but don’t check every box, we encourage you to apply — we hire for slope, judgment, and the will to learn fast.

TRM is a Series C company with $220M in total funding, backed by Goldman Sachs, Bessemer, Y Combinator, Thoma Bravo, and others. Headquartered in San Francisco, TRM operates as a distributed-first company with hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., London, and Singapore.

Privacy Policy and Additional Information

By submitting your application, you agree to allow TRM Labs to process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

We collect the information you provide (such as your resume, work history, and contact details) solely for the purpose of evaluating your candidacy for current and future roles at TRM.

Because our hiring cycles for certain positions may span 24 to 36 months, we retain your personal information for up to 36 months from the date of your application. After that period, your data is deleted unless a different retention period is required or permitted by law.

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data at any time before that period ends. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@trmlabs.com.

To notify TRM Labs that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

The use of AI tools of any kind (including but not limited to notetakers, interview assistants, and real-time coaching tools such as Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, Cluey, or similar) during TRM interviews is not permitted without prior approval from TRM. TRM uses its own internal tools for note-taking to ensure a consistent and confidential experience for all candidates.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this form.

Recruitment agencies

TRM Labs does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to TRM employees. TRM Labs is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company without a signed agreement.