Learning/Curriculum Designer [Japanese]

About us

Our mission is to reinvent the way people learn, starting with language. We begin by teaching the next billion people English, Spanish, and French.

English is the global language of business, culture, and communication, and over 1.5 billion people around the world are actively trying to learn right now. Others dream of communicating with the half-billion native Spanish speakers across the globe. The problem is that it's nearly impossible to learn to speak a language without constant access to a speaking partner. Grammar and vocab apps don't really help – you need to actually converse with someone.

Speak is on a journey to fix this. We're creating an AI-powered experience that replicates the flow of a conversation, without needing a human on the other end. The goal is to make it radically more accessible to be able to have conversations in a foreign language and eventually help hundreds of millions of people gain fluency who otherwise wouldn't be able to.

We started on this journey over five years ago and we've still got a long ways to go. We're thoughtfully adding new team members only when we think they can truly play a big role in our mission.

Speak launched first in South Korea where we have quickly grown to become the top grossing education app in the country. We have now delivered this winning product to more than 40 countries globally and are continuing to expand to more markets in the coming months. The company is well funded, and as of December 2024, we've reached a $1B valuation with our Series C round, through key partners like Accel, OpenAI, Founders Fund, Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, Lachy Groom, Josh Buckley, and more. We’re a team of more than 90 based throughout San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana.

About this role

We are seeking a part-time remote Curriculum Designer/Content Writer to join Speak’s content team and help create high-quality language learning materials for our app users. The primary responsibility is to plan curricula and produce educational content for

• English speakers learning Japanese

We are eager to work with world-class linguists/teachers/curriculum designers/content developers who

• have native or near-native bilingual proficiency in English and Japanese; proficiency in multiple languages (especially German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, or Korean) is preferred but not required.

• have a deep understanding of spoken fluency development in the target language and can develop, edit, or localize innovative, engaging, and pedagogically sound materials for the learners.

• have experience successfully teaching or developing learning modules/materials for learners online or in-app.

What you’ll be doing

• Curriculum design and writing: Systematically design curriculums and create learning materials (e.g., lesson scripts, activities, and unit summaries) for learners at varying proficiency levels and participate in content projects from content planning to writing, production, and launch.

• Content maintenance and iteration: Iterate and polish content based on QA, user testing, user feedback, and peer reviews.

• Translation and localization: Perform translation and localization for in-app learning and marketing content as required by the assigned language pair.

• Content prototyping: Participate in developing innovative learning content powered by advanced AI and ML technology.

• Content strategies and data-driven decision-making: Participate in content team meetings and discussions as required; contribute to content strategy by providing insights from the market and its users.

• Communication and collaboration with international team members: Collaborate remotely with other team members. Open to business travel as needed.

What we’re looking for

Required

• Extensive experience and expertise in teaching and curriculum design for English speakers learning Japanese.

• Strong native-level bilingual writing skills; proficient in learning material development and creative writing.

• Familiarity with AI technology, whether personal or professional, along with a strong interest in learning and adopting advanced tech tools for curriculum design, content development, and work communications.

• Strong product sense: understanding learner/user needs with the ability to collaborate with product teams to integrate pedagogy into the app experience.

• Startup mentality: can-do attitude, resourceful, creatively solve problems

• Team player with strong communication skills, capable of conveying insights concisely to various stakeholders.

Preferred

• Proficiency in multiple language pairs (especially German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, or Korean) is highly advantageous.

• Experience using AI tools for lesson or curriculum development is preferred.

• Experience in translation and localization is preferred.

• Prior Ed-tech startup experience is preferred.

• Content project management experience is preferred.

Compensation

• $30.00 per hour

At Speak, our compensation philosophy is based on work experience, interview performance, leveling and other factors evaluated during the hiring process.

Why work at Speak

1. Join a fantastic, tight-knit team at the right time: we're growing very quickly, we've most recently raised our Series C from some of the top investors in the valley, and we've achieved product-market fit in our initial markets. You'd join at a magical time when a single person could significantly change the course of the company.

2. Do your life's work with people you’ll love working with: we care strongly about our craft and want every person at Speak to feel like they're growing every day. We believe in the idea that working with people you both enjoy and have respect for makes everything better. We hire thoughtfully and only work with people we admire deeply.

3. Global in nature: We're live in over 40 countries and launching in a number of new markets soon. We have dedicated offices in San Francisco, Ljubljana, Seoul, and Tokyo, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to users in each of these regions on a regular basis as well as travel.

4. Impact people's lives in a major way: Learning a language is one of the single most life-changing skills one can learn, and right now 99% of people never achieve their goal because the process is broken. We’re helping millions of people achieve their goals and improve their lives.

Speak does not discriminate based upon 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 applicable legally protected characteristics.