Learning Consultant - Freelance

SweetRush • Chicago, IL

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

SweetRush is seeking a freelance Learning Consultant to guide a high-level engagement for a large consulting company. The client wants an adaptive assessment that enables learners to skip training for material they already know. The consultant will lead discovery and design with senior Learning & Development and line-of-business leaders, then create a Solution Blueprint for the client to use in building the learning solution. The blueprint will define the assessment strategy, personalized learning pathways, technology requirements, and implementation roadmap, with Psychometrician review to support assessment validity.

The engagement is 1099 freelance, expected to last 12 weeks and start in November 2026. It is based in the Chicago metropolitan area, with work mostly from home and some travel to the Chicago-based client. Hours typically range from 20–30 per week but vary, including possible weeks with no hours and busier weeks when traveling. The hourly rate is negotiable.

SweetRush is a remote-first organization. Resources must be technically savvy, have a strong internet connection, be comfortable using virtual, instant-messaging, and conferencing tools, and generally be available during established working hours.

Requirements

• 10 or more years of experience in instructional design or learning strategy, with clear ownership of discovery, design thinking, or leading facilitated workshops.
• Strong instructional design and learning experience design skills.
• Strong facilitation skills and executive presence.
• Experience designing assessments that measure performance, not just recall, using scenarios, simulations, and judgment-based items.
• Excellent writing skills and ability to produce blueprints and specifications usable by a build team.
• Credibility with executives, including the ability to hold the room, ask effective questions, and push back constructively.
• Collaborative approach to working with learning, assessment, and technical teams.
• Technical savvy, strong internet access, comfort with virtual, instant-messaging, and conferencing tools, and general availability during established working hours.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of assurance or accounting professional learning, such as CPE rules, NASBA, mandatory training, and competency frameworks.
• Experience with adaptive learning, test-out or competency-based programs, or skills taxonomies.
• Experience working with a Psychometrician.
• Comfort with AI in learning.
• CPA background or prior work with large consulting firms.
• Experience in a consulting environment or at a large consultancy.

Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate on-site and virtual working sessions with senior Learning & Development leaders and line-of-business professionals.
• Guide senior and C-suite stakeholders toward decisions, push back with credibility, and keep scope from drifting.
• Translate discovery findings into an assessment strategy, personalized learning pathways, and an implementation roadmap.
• Own the Solution Blueprint and co-author the build specification with the Psychometrician and the client's build team.
• Work with the Psychometrician to map the assessment and content and design learning journeys.
• Collaborate with SweetRush's Solution Architect and, possibly, a Creative Director.
• Deliver a blueprint defining the assessment strategy, personalized learning pathways, technology requirements, and implementation roadmap, with Psychometrician review to support assessment validity.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed