Learning and Development Specialist Journey (Limited Term)

SMUD•Sacramento, CA

2d•$105,456 - $139,651•Hybrid

About The Position

SMUD's DEIB, Learning, & Sustainable Communities department is excited to recruit for a limited term Learning & Development Specialist (Journey) on the Career Development & Learning team. This is an excellent opportunity for a well-rounded learning professional passionate about building effective, engaging employee development experiences and strengthening enterprise-wide workforce readiness, leadership capability, compliance, and organizational performance. This position requires expertise in both classroom/leader-led training and instructional design for digital and blended learning environments. The successful candidate will play a critical role in the end-to-end design, development, delivery, administration, and evaluation of SMUD's learning initiatives. This role is vital to sustaining progress on multiple strategic initiatives while maintaining core business continuity and workforce readiness. As organizational needs and technologies evolve, the Learning & Development Specialist will ensure both classroom and digital training solutions are impactful, accessible, and aligned with SMUD's strategic goals.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Three + years of progressively responsible and relevant work experience in training, learning/development, needs assessment, instructional design, learning program development and delivery, and evaluation and measurement.
Instructional design methods; best practices in employee development and training techniques; procedures and practices for monitoring and managing projects; concepts and systems related to adult learning and trends in development training programs; applicable laws, codes and regulations governing training and development systems, trends and best-practices related to employee coaching and employee/management development and training techniques; business and employee performance improvement methods; Human Performance Improvement HPI gap analysis concepts and techniques, principles and practices for contract management; concepts for cost control and project scheduling; modern office practices and procedures; safety practices and procedures typical in a business environment; standard operating procedures for modern office equipment including a computer and applicable software; English grammar, punctuation and vocabulary standards.
Analyze business strategies and objectives to determine employee learning and development needs, and develop and implement solutions; develop, design and manage learning and development programs; measure, evaluate and quantify the impact of learning and development work efforts; develop and present business cases for such efforts to management; proactively analyze skill-related risks to the business; serve as reference person for other employees; interact with others to influence, motivate and challenge; develop and maintain project budget and schedule; express ideas/facts clearly and concisely, taking into account the audience and nature of information; adapt to changing priorities and requirements; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; determine and analyze the costs and benefits of utilizing external training programs, write requests for proposals RFP, evaluate and select vendors, and manage contracts; proficiently use common MS Office application e.g., Word, Excel, Power Point and learning technology tools; establish and maintain mutually beneficial working relationships; collaborate and coordinate closely with all levels of employees across the organization.

Nice To Haves

Certification/training in instructional design (e.g., ADDIE), or industry-recognized certifications through the Association for Talent Development's CPTD and/or APTD certification; or related SHRM certification(s).
Experience with LMS platforms, including Cornerstone LMS, e-learning tools such as Articulate, Camtasia, and Vyond, and other learning technologies including Microsoft Office and SharePoint.
Experience managing training and LMS administration for enterprise technology system implementations, including associated training project management, and workstream coordination.
Experience designing, delivering, and evaluating learning programs in a corporate setting, both in-person and virtual formats, including leadership development and enterprise-wide training initiatives for adult learners.
Knowledge of instructional design principles and rapid development methods, including ADDIE.
Strong project, event, and vendor management skills, including budgeting, scheduling, and RFP development; process or project management certification or coursework preferred.
Ability to assess business needs, identify skill gaps, recommend learning solutions, and measure training effectiveness using metrics and feedback.
Excellent communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to present to leadership, influence stakeholders, and adapt to changing priorities.
BA/BS degree in Adult Education, Public or Business Administration, Psychology or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience is highly desirable. Successful completion of a formal apprenticeship program or equivalent can be substituted for a BA/BS degree in operations business groups.
Master's degree in Adult Education, Business/Public Administration, HR, Organizational Development, or related field.

Responsibilities

Develop and deliver engaging, effective instructor-led training (ILT) programs for in-person and virtual classrooms.
Apply adult learning principles to create leadership and professional development experiences that build capability across all levels of the organization.
Facilitate, evaluate, and continuously improve training outcomes using best practices in adult learning and feedback collection.
Design, develop, implement, and continuously improve high-quality eLearning modules and virtual training solutions.
Incorporate technology, multimedia, and interactivity to drive engagement and achieve learning objectives for diverse audiences.
Administer, manage, and optimize the Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring seamless training assignments, tracking, reporting, and compliance.
Ensure all content aligns with current instructional design best practices, accessibility standards (e.g., Section 508), and relevant regulations (e.g., OSHA, SCORM).
Partner with subject matter experts, business leaders, external vendors, and other stakeholders to diagnose learning needs, implement solutions, and evaluate program impact.
Support key initiatives including leadership development, system implementations, compliance, procurement, and technology adoption.
Develops and manages a wide array of learning and development programs, projects, services and systems that support and advance SMUD business strategies, and meet identified learning and development needs; coordinates efforts and resources across SMUD.
Manages and delivers career development programs and services to include but not limited to individual employee, team, and peer career coaching services and training; career program management e.g., peer career program; also provides professional employee testing and assessment services, and develops and delivers career development tools.
Designs, develops, promotes and delivers internal online learning and development programs; performs technical requirements analysis, to design, and deliver multi-media trainings; coordinates closely with business unit representatives, end-users and the learning and development community to craft eLearning solutions for training, performance support, social collaboration and professional learning needs.
Incorporates a variety of eLearning methodologies, including synchronous, asynchronous learning, social and other types of informal learning e.g., self-study tools, etc.; utilize a variety of software tools for eLearning training development and delivery.
Manages external training programs and vendor relationships; evaluates the need for contracted vendor led training programs and vendor services on a cost-benefit basis; develops and evaluates requests for proposals RFP, helps select vendors, coordinates and manages work, develops and tracks budgets, analyzes variances, and resolves any contractor related issues to ensure successful program/service delivery; may also work directly with vendors to jointly develop and/or deliver course content.
Partners with SMUD management teams, business unit representatives and more experienced colleagues to assist in evaluating and determining short and long-term learning and development needs based on analyses of business requirements, considering both internal organizational factors and external environmental conditions.
Conducts business and employee performance analysis as an internal performance consultant by working with managers, supervisors and employees to determine performance needs, competencies and KSA knowledge, skill and ability gaps; Proactively identifies skill-related risks to the business and employee performance; Performs root-cause analysis of identified items and designs and delivers learning and development strategies to close gaps.
Monitors metrics and measures to evaluate the quality, cost and impact of learning and development programs and services; Identifies improvement opportunities and makes timely adjustments to optimize service quality and overall costs.
Stays current in profession through maintaining professional memberships, relationships, online education and research, peer networking, and by participating in professional educational and association conferences, seminars, courses and other events.
Performs related duties as assigned.