Senior Director of Learning and Professional Development

FORESTDALE INC.•Town of Perinton, NY

8h•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Director of Learning and Professional Development will serve as a strategic leader supporting the entire agency by designing, coordinating, and strengthening Forestdale’s comprehensive learning and development strategy for all staff. Anchored in Forestdale’s mission to ensure that children and families have the tools they need to heal, grow, and thrive, this role will ensure that professional learning consistently advances the agency’s goals of strengthening families, building community resilience, and promoting holistic well‑being. The Senior Director will lead the development of an agency-wide learning continuum that emphasizes follow‑up, skill reinforcement, and seamless integration into daily practice. This continuum will equip staff across all departments with the foundational and advanced competencies required for holistic, future-focused work with children, families, and communities. Core training priorities will include Forestdale’s pillars of Strong Families, Strong Mothers, Strong Fathers, and Strong Minds and Bodies, ensuring that staff are prepared to support families through evidence‑based, trauma‑informed, strength‑based practice. Key responsibilities include designing and facilitating internal training curricula aligned with agency priorities; identifying, vetting, and engaging external training providers; and collaborating closely with leaders across departments to coordinate learning opportunities and ensure staff are equipped with the knowledge and tools required to excel in their roles. The Senior Director will also provide consultation and technical assistance to program leadership regarding emerging training needs and best practices. To maintain regulatory excellence, the Senior Director will remain current on all policies, procedures, and training requirements issued by ACS, OMH, DOHMH, DYCD, OCFS, and other relevant governing bodies. This role will work in close partnership with Policy & Planning and Compliance to ensure that all staff are informed of required trainings, that training content reflects updated regulations, and that mandatory learning is scheduled and tracked efficiently. The Senior Director will oversee all training logistics and lead the development of robust evaluation and quality‑improvement processes to measure effectiveness and support continuous learning. This role collaborates extensively with Executive Leadership, Program Leadership, Human Resources, Compliance, and other internal teams to ensure a cohesive, comprehensive approach to professional development, onboarding, and ongoing staff capacity-building. Through strategic leadership, cross-department coordination, and commitment to Forestdale’s mission, the Senior Director will play a critical role in developing a highly skilled, mission‑aligned workforce dedicated to supporting children, families, and communities.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, or Mental Health required, with clinical licensure (e.g., LMSW, LMHC, or LCSW)
Minimum of five years of experience in facilitation, training, or education
Minimum of five years of experience managing social service programs in the child welfare field, with additional direct practice experience serving children, youth, and families
Strong administrative skills
Excellent facilitation and group work skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

Lead agency-wide learning and professional development initiatives serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.
Develop a multi-year L&D strategic plan aligned with Forestdale’s mission and organizational goals.
Establish competency models for staff at all levels; maintain role-specific learning pathways and career progression frameworks.
Serve as a thought partner to Executive Leadership on workforce development, quality improvement, and change management.
Facilitate and co-facilitate core trainings, including: Core 100, Core 200, LGBTQIA+ competency, trauma-informed practice, solution-based casework, best-practice casework, safety, crisis response, and suicide prevention.
Coordinate internal and external contributors for training design and delivery; leverage no-cost/low-cost resources from community organizations, universities, and government entities.
Manage agency-wide training to ensure coherence across departments Strong Families/Mothers/Fathers/Minds & Bodies.
Create specialized leadership development pathways for supervisors, managers, and emerging leaders; provide coaching and technical assistance.
Stay current on ACS, OMH, DOHMH, DYCD, OCFS policies and procedures and other relevant standards; ensure integration into training content and schedules.
Work closely with Policy & Planning and Compliance to communicate required trainings, track completion, and assist with scheduling to meet deadlines.
Collaborate with Compliance to maintain CEU certification and manage a comprehensive catalog of CEU-eligible offerings.
Ensure readiness for audits, reviews, and site visits; prepare training documentation and reports for funders and regulators.
Assist with the Learning Management System (LMS): course development, user support, reporting, data hygiene, and system optimization.
Standardize onboarding curricula for new hires; maintain a centralized training calendar and agency training policies (recertification, refreshers).
Manage end-to-end training logistics: scheduling, communications, enrollment, space/AV needs, materials, and vendor contracts.
Assist with digitization and maintenance of training materials for online/hybrid learning; champion microlearning, e-modules, simulations, and communities of practice.
Use data-informed methods (surveys, QA/compliance findings, outcome metrics, attendance trends, exit interviews) to identify learning needs and design targeted solutions.
Collect, analyze, and apply participant feedback to improve content and delivery; implement post-training reinforcement and skill transfer supports.
Develop dashboards and Key Performance Indicators to measure training effectiveness, practice adoption, regulatory compliance, and staff satisfaction/retention.
Conduct learning audits to align training with field practice expectations and quality standards.
Build and sustain relationships with community partners in Brooklyn and Queens to identify free/low-cost learning opportunities for staff.
Coordinate conference participation (local and national): identify opportunities, manage registration/logistics, and guide post-conference knowledge-sharing.
Represent Forestdale in learning collaboratives, coalitions, and academic partnerships; develop internship and talent pipelines when appropriate.
Partner with foster parent support and recruitment teams to assess and coordinate high-impact training for resource parents.
Collaborate closely with Program Leaders, HR, Compliance, Finance, and Policy & Planning to align learning with priorities and ensure operational efficiency.
Manage external training vendors and consultants; ensure mission alignment, quality standards, and cost-effectiveness.
Oversee the agency-wide training budget; maximize return on investment through grants, partnerships, and no-cost options.
Track and monitor training attendance and adherence to required training timelines; escalate risks proactively.
Perform other duties as assigned to advance Forestdale’s mission and workforce capacity.