◆ Mathematics

What a math curriculum developer
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
47,670in the US (2025)
$79,940median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Prepare lesson plans and materials
Prepare four weeks of lesson plans for Algebra II that align to our de…3 sources agree

The shape of the day

tap a movement to see its tasks

Which one is you, right now?

Pick the moment · no score, no sign-up
Which moment is you right now?
Whichever you pick, the task behind it opens below.

The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work14
Prepare lesson plans and materials+
Prepare four weeks of lesson plans for Algebra II that align to our department objectives, include adaptations for students with dyscalculia, list materials and warm-up activities, and attach ready-to-print worksheets and answer keys by next Wednesday for review.
escojdonet3 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Act as advisers to student organizations.+
Draft a one-page adviser plan for the Math Club outlining meeting frequency, learning objectives, budget needs, and risk guidelines, confirm club officer roles with Priya Shah, and email the plan and a calendar of events to the students by Monday.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Participate in campus and community events.+
Organise participation in the campus STEM fair by reserving a table, drafting a hands-on demonstration on geometric proofs for community attendees, prepare two flyer designs and a signup sheet, and confirm volunteer shifts with three students by Thursday.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Liaise with educational staff+
Send the draft unit plan, the annotated lesson sequence, and the summary of student support strategies to Claire in learning support and to Ahmed, the department head, asking them to confirm alignment with curriculum objectives and flag any access needs by Wednesday so I can adjust pacing.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Post-secondary school procedures+
Share the proposed post-secondary transition procedures, the checklist for assessment equivalencies, and the recommended accommodations with the admissions coordinator Rachel and registrar Tom, request their procedural gaps and a deadline for implementation suggestions by next Friday so we can present to the faculty board.
esco
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students+
Deliver the 75-minute lecture on real analysis proofs tomorrow at 10am, start with the epsilon-delta example, use three solved examples, pause for the mid-lecture quiz at 35 minutes, and end with study tasks tied to next week's problem set.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.+
Facilitate the 50-minute seminar on nonlinear dynamics Thursday at 2pm: open with a 5-minute student summary round, pose two guided questions that link theory to applications, redirect off-topic threads to individual follow-ups, and close with reflection prompts.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.+
Order three required textbooks and two instructor copies for Linear Algebra by Friday, prioritise the latest edition, confirm availability of student-priced bundles, and attach ISBNs and delivery to the department office before term start.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Watch and assess4
Grow the practice2

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
8 tasksGoogle Docscollaborative drafting and sharing of lesson documents for review and printing
7 tasksMicrosoft Outlooksend the adviser plan and calendar to students and officers and track responses
6 tasksMicrosoft Wordcompose formal evaluation narratives and insert rubric tables for signaturesOpen its task library → 4 tasksMicrosoft Excelorganise pacing and materials lists in a spreadsheetOpen its task library →
2 tasksMicrosoft PowerPointdesign a concise demonstration and flyers for the STEM fair
2 tasksBlackboard Learnhosts course materials, schedules lectures, and posts quizzes for students
1 taskSASprepare for subsequent data analysis and descriptive statistics once data are collected
Browse every evidenced software task →

The same task, four heights

this page is height one
ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a math curriculum developer actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $79,940 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $49,180; the top tenth near $139,340
  • 47,670 people employed in this occupation

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job11 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register9 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild8 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures

Close to this work

12 nearby
MathematicsSimulation Engineer25 evidenced tasks MathematicsOperations Research Analyst23 evidenced tasks MathematicsGame Theorist23 evidenced tasks MathematicsMath Content Writer22 evidenced tasks MathematicsMathematician20 evidenced tasks MathematicsApplied Mathematician20 evidenced tasks MathematicsTheoretical Mathematician20 evidenced tasks MathematicsQuantitative Analyst Quant20 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

You’ll split time between writing lesson plans and preparing lectures, usually on Google Docs or Microsoft Word. Mornings often mean drafting course materials and slide decks in PowerPoint, afternoons are for meetings with faculty or committees, and evenings might include grading or updating Blackboard Learn.

Expect a mix of teaching (lectures, classroom demonstrations), curriculum planning, and meetings with colleagues or educational staff. Some days you’ll work on grant proposals or research, and other days you’ll attend campus events or advise student organizations.

You’ll use Google Docs and Microsoft Word for lesson plans and bibliographies, PowerPoint for lectures, and Blackboard Learn to post assignments and monitor student progress. Microsoft Outlook handles scheduling and faculty communications, and Excel is common for tracking grades or enrollment data.

If the role involves research or data analysis you might use SAS. Committee work and grant writing also relies on Word and shared cloud folders. Learn the institution’s LMS (often Blackboard) early.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports 47,670 employed in the category and a median annual wage of $79,940. The lowest tenth earn about $49,180 and the top tenth about $139,340 (BLS, 2025).

Use those numbers as a rough band: pay varies widely by institution type (community college vs. research university), location, and whether you have tenure-track status or heavy research duties.

Yes, AI can draft outlines, generate practice problems, or suggest explanations, but always check accuracy. Use AI outputs as a first draft, then verify solutions step-by-step, edit language, and align items to your curriculum objectives and learning difficulties you expect.

Avoid letting AI create graded questions without human review. Don’t upload student data to tools that lack proper privacy controls. Keep final materials on your institution’s approved systems like Google Workspace or Blackboard Learn.

Clear written communication for lesson plans and grant proposals (Word, Google Docs) and competence with Blackboard Learn to monitor student progress are essential. You also need classroom demonstration skills—being able to explain proofs or examples live.

Organizational skills using Excel for tracking, the ability to work on committees and liaise with staff, and staying current in your field (reading new research and textbooks) matter. Comfort with peer evaluation and mentoring students helps a lot.