Director Agent Training & Development

Farm Bureau Financial Services•West Des Moines, IA

About The Position

The Director, Agent Training & Development leads the vision, strategy, and execution of training programs that help Agents, Agency Managers, and agency support staff succeed. The role oversees training professionals who deliver learning experiences in classroom, field, virtual, and coaching environments. In partnership with senior leaders, the Director identifies skill gaps and develops scalable programs to strengthen productivity, sales effectiveness, operational excellence, and business results. The Director leads and develops Regional Field Trainers and centralized training teams; partners across the organization to align learning with strategic priorities; and oversees departmental budgets, resources, and priorities. The role also establishes measures of training effectiveness, supports adoption of agency sales and administration tools, and ensures programs stay innovative, scalable, and responsive to business needs and industry requirements. The position requires approximately 10 or more years of relevant experience, a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, and willingness to travel up to 25%, including overnight travel. Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain applicable insurance licenses. The employer is not considering applicants who require immigration sponsorship now or in the future.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Approximately 10+ years of experience in insurance, financial services, training, education, sales leadership, or a related field.
Proven success leading training, development, learning, or performance improvement initiatives.
Deep understanding of insurance products, sales processes, agency operations, and field distribution models.
Expertise in instructional design, adult learning principles, and modern learning technologies.
Strong leadership experience and a track record of developing teams and influencing organizational outcomes.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to obtain and maintain applicable insurance licenses.
Willingness to travel up to 25%, including overnight travel.
Must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time, permanent basis and not require immigration sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

Industry designation such as ChFC, CIC, CLU, CPCU, or a comparable professional credential.

Responsibilities

Lead and evolve a comprehensive training and development strategy that supports agency growth and business objectives.
Direct and develop Regional Field Trainers and centralized training teams, ensuring effective learning across multiple delivery channels.
Collaborate with business leaders to design and implement training focused on sales effectiveness, product knowledge, compliance, systems utilization, and operational excellence.
Drive adoption and effectiveness of agency sales and administration tools through coaching, classroom instruction, virtual learning, and field support.
Establish performance metrics and measurement strategies to evaluate training effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Manage programs designed to increase productivity and business growth through agent support and development initiatives.
Build partnerships across the organization to align learning objectives with strategic priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team while overseeing departmental budgets, resources, and priorities.
Ensure training programs remain innovative, scalable, and aligned with evolving business needs and industry requirements.