Director, Learning & Development

Brookfield Zoo Chicago•Brookfield, IL

23h•$139,265 - $154,932•Onsite

About The Position

Join the PRIDE and Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s mission to ignite emotional connections with wildlife that spark conservation action while leading vital programs to protect endangered species. Our beautiful 235-acre campus offers a living classroom that is home to over 3,500 animals representing 500 species. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is embarking on a groundbreaking, ambitious Next Century Plan to achieve our vision. It is the beginning of an exciting transformative journey! The Director of Learning & Development contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago (“BZC”) by partnering with BZC staff, business unit leaders, Subject Matter Experts, and P&C staff to facilitate organizational development and increase workforce performance and employee engagement by designing, administering, coordinating, and evaluating high-quality training experiences.

Requirements

High school diploma or educational equivalent (e.g., GED.) required. Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Instructional Design, Business Administration or related field, or eight years of equivalent experience required.
Five years’ experience in learning & development, instructional design, and/or organizational development that includes supporting senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
Expertise in designing and delivering engaging, learner-centered educational experiences that drive performance.
Skilled in virtual and in-person facilitation that encourages active participation, peer-to-peer learning, and high engagement.
Experience in full-lifecycle training portfolio from onboarding to leadership development across multiple functional areas of a complex organization.
Demonstrated capability in instructional design utilizing learning theory and e-learning software.
Proficiency in designing and executing training needs assessment, leveraging data analytics and evaluation frameworks to track pre- and post- training metrics against organizational performance and ROI.
English fluency at a professional working proficiency.
Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.
Valid driver’s license required on date of hire. Illinois residents must possess a valid Illinois driver’s license at the time of hire or must obtain one within 90 days of hire. A valid out-of-state driver’s license is required at the time of hire for out-of-state residents.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience using a Learning Management System and administration functions preferred.
Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.

Responsibilities

Partner with stakeholders to identify skills gaps and training needs across departments to align learning initiatives with operational needs and organizational priorities.
Build scalable learning frameworks that align with company goals and support employees at every level, from frontline staff to leadership.
Develop and implement a long-term strategic learning framework that accelerates capability growth and delivers on key institutional objectives. Develop and execute a multi-year organizational learning and capability strategy aligned to enterprise goals.
Design, create, and implement comprehensive training programs (in-person workshops, e-learning, onboarding, leadership development)
Spearhead change management, culture transformation, and leadership development that supports institutional growth. Collaboratively develop talent strategies that solve critical workforce challenges.
Embed DEAI principles in every facet of learning and development practices.
Ensure training initiatives strengthen regulatory compliance, mitigate risk, and support operational readiness.
Deliver dynamic training sessions, facilitate interactive workshops, and lead engaging new hire orientation.
Drive leadership continuity by fostering a culture of internal talent cultivation; coach and advise senior leaders on succession planning and development strategies.
Position learning as a driver of operational performance, safety culture, and employee engagement.
Define and implement strategic L&D KPI’s that connect workforce training to measurable performance, engagement, and retention outcomes.
Deliver executive-level insights on workforce capability and ROI, utilizing analytics to drive strategic, data-informed talent decisions.
Oversee LMS strategy and digital learning technologies to ensure scalable, compliant, and high-quality user-centric experiences.
Manage vendor relations, content licensing, and training resources.
Manage the learning budget in partnership with P&C leadership.
Actively monitor and adopt emerging e-learning technologies, tools, and industry trends to enhance instructional media and keep pace with best practices.
Other related duties as assigned to ensure successful achievement of Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s goals and objectives.

Benefits

Paid Time Off (PTO)
Eight paid holidays per year
Medical Insurance (Blue Cross-Blue Shield HMO or PPO Plan)
Dental Insurance (PPO plan)
Vision Care Coverage (employee-paid)
Mental Health Support (EAP - Perspectives)
Retirement Savings (automatic enrollment at 6%, employer match up to 3% after one year of service)
Short-Term Disability benefits
Long-Term Disability benefits
Basic Term Life insurance
Basic AD&D insurance
Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for healthcare and/or dependent care expenses
Supplemental Term Life Insurance
Supplemental Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
Supplemental Dependent Life Insurance
Group Accident Insurance
Group Critical Illness Insurance
Identity Theft Protection