Director of Workforce & Leadership Development

Newbold•Woodruff, SC

1d•Onsite

About The Position

As Director of Workforce & Leadership Development, you will shape how employees learn, grow, and prepare for greater responsibility across the organization. You will work closely with manufacturing and HR leadership to identify capability gaps, strengthen leadership pipelines, improve technical development, and create clearer career opportunities for employees.

Requirements

12+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, Talent Development, Learning & Development, Organizational Development, or related areas
At least 5 years of significant L&D, Talent Development, or Organizational Development responsibility within manufacturing
Experience supporting multiple facilities, business units, or manufacturing locations
A track record of developing employees from frontline positions through leadership roles
Strong leadership development and succession planning experience
Experience identifying and developing high-potential employees
Knowledge of talent assessment and leadership assessment tools
Experience creating technical or competency-based workforce development programs
Experience with modern learning platforms, digital learning, and blended training approaches
Ability to work effectively with Plant Managers, Operations leaders, Engineering, Quality, Continuous Improvement, Supply Chain, and HR
Experience measuring the impact of workforce development against business performance
Strong facilitation, coaching, communication, and executive presentation skills
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, or a related discipline

Nice To Haves

Experience with Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma
Experience with manufacturing startup, expansion, or significant organizational growth
Experience with apprenticeship or skilled-trades development programs
Experience with Hogan, DDI, Korn Ferry, SHL, or comparable assessment tools
Experience with LMS and digital learning platforms
Experience with Simulation, VR, AR, AI, or emerging learning technologies
Experience with Executive or leadership coaching
ATD, SHRM, SPHR, or ICF certifications

Responsibilities

Create and execute a workforce development strategy supporting manufacturing operations
Build leadership development experiences for supervisors, managers, and senior leaders
Strengthen succession pipelines for critical leadership and operational positions
Facilitate talent assessment and leadership readiness discussions with senior management
Develop programs for high-potential employees and future leaders
Establish career development opportunities that help employees progress from hourly positions into supervisory and professional roles
Create technical learning and qualification programs for manufacturing employees, including maintenance, skilled trades, engineering, quality, and logistics
Develop apprenticeship, mentoring, coaching, and structured on-the-job learning programs
Improve new employee onboarding and job-specific training
Establish partnerships with technical schools, community colleges, and other workforce development organizations
Build internal networks of trainers, facilitators, coaches, and subject matter experts
Introduce learning technologies and delivery methods that make development accessible across shifts and locations
Partner with operations and continuous improvement leaders to ensure workforce development supports plant performance
Help leaders navigate organizational change, growth, restructuring, and workforce transitions
Use employee feedback and organizational data to identify development priorities
Measure whether development initiatives are improving business outcomes, not simply participation or course completion