Assistant Director, Learning & Development

WPI•Worcester, MA

About The Position

The Assistant Director, Learning & Development reports to the Senior Director of Labor & Talent Programs and partners with the WPI community to advance learning and development and promote a culture of continuous learning for employees, faculty, and staff. The role designs, delivers, and evaluates university-wide learning initiatives—including learning pathways, leadership and manager development, onboarding, and professional development—to strengthen organizational effectiveness and individual and institutional performance. As a strategic partner and trusted advisor to campus leaders and Talent Strategy Partners, the Assistant Director uses facilitation, learning-design, and data-informed evaluation expertise, and manages the University's learning management system and related technologies. The work is intended to improve employee learning, engagement, retention, and belonging. The position develops and facilitates learning experiences in person and online; supports leadership, talent, and organizational development; evaluates programs and employee feedback; promotes inclusive, continuous learning; administers learning technologies and required training; and coordinates operational and vendor activities. The role performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Education, or a related field.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in learning and development, talent development, organizational development, training, human resources, higher education administration, or a related field.
Experience designing and implementing employee development programs.
Experience facilitating training, workshops, or development programs.
Experience working with learning management systems or learning technologies, such as LinkedIn Learning, Workday, or Vector Solutions.
Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, programs, and timelines simultaneously.
Ability to maintain confidentiality, discretion, and professionalism consistent with an HR environment.
Excellent communication, consultation, and stakeholder-management skills, with ability to influence across organizational levels.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Organizational Development, Adult Learning, Human Resources, or a related field.
Experience supporting leadership development and manager effectiveness programs.
ATD (CPTD/CPLP), SHRM-CP/SCP, or equivalent professional certification.
Experience with AI-enabled learning tools and emerging instructional technologies.
Background in higher education or similarly complex institutional environments.
Familiarity with Human Capital Management systems such as Workday and behavioral or leadership assessment tools.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and deliver workshops, learning series, cohort-based programs, and learning pathways in in-person and online formats.
Partner with senior leaders, Talent Strategy Partners, and academic and administrative leaders to assess learning needs, recommend solutions, and develop a forward-looking learning and development strategy.
Facilitate learning for faculty, staff, individual contributors, managers, and senior leaders, and train internal facilitators and subject matter experts as appropriate.
Monitor emerging practices, adult learning methodologies, and AI-enabled learning technologies to evolve program offerings.
Design, coordinate, and facilitate leadership and manager development programs that strengthen coaching, communication, and supervisory effectiveness.
Develop learning experiences for new supervisors, emerging leaders, and faculty in leadership roles.
Create tools, frameworks, and resources for performance management, feedback conversations, and career development.
Manage talent programs, including succession planning and performance management.
Partner with Talent & Inclusion to develop onboarding curriculum and orientation resources.
Collaborate with Talent & Inclusion and divisional partners on talent management and retention strategies, performance recognition, and career development.
Support organizational development initiatives, including change management and team-effectiveness interventions.
Develop and deploy measurement systems to track and report program effectiveness, learner participation, and institutional impact; use findings and feedback to improve programs.
Conduct needs assessments and gap analyses to identify and prioritize development opportunities and inform program design and talent strategy.
Design, administer, and analyze employee engagement and pulse surveys, translating findings into dashboards, executive summaries, and actionable recommendations for culture and retention strategies.
Promote awareness, participation, and engagement in learning resources and professional and career development opportunities.
Establish and support communities of practice that encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing, innovation, and ongoing professional learning.
Design and implement employee experiences and resources that foster an inclusive, equitable, belonging-centered work environment.
Partner with Talent & Inclusion and organizational leaders to embed belonging and equity principles into learning and development programming and talent practices.
Manage and administer the University's learning management system and related technologies, including course administration, governance, and user support.
Curate digital learning content and libraries so employees can find and access learning resources.
Coordinate required and compliance-related training with university content owners, including assignment, completion tracking, and reporting.
Coordinate scheduling, logistics, and communications for learning initiatives and events.
Manage external vendor, facilitator, and consultant relationships, including contracts, invoicing, and performance expectations.
Maintain program documentation and contribute to process improvements supporting HR and learning and development.
Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor.