Senior Manager, Capability Development (Talent, Learning & Development)

Real Chemistry•Chicago, MA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Capability Development is a strategic capability consultant and trusted business partner who helps leaders build the skills, behaviors, and capabilities needed to drive performance and achieve business goals. Reporting to the Senior Director, Talent Development & Employee Engagement, this role partners closely with business leaders, people leaders, and People Business Partners to diagnose performance challenges, uncover root causes, and design practical, scalable solutions that improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness. This role views learning as one of many tools to accelerate capability and performance. Success is measured not by training delivered, but by the impact created—whether that is stronger leadership, improved team effectiveness, increased client impact, accelerated adoption of new ways of working, or measurable business outcomes. The ideal candidate brings a consulting mindset, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence stakeholders while building capability in a fast-paced, client-centric environment where innovation, commercial thinking, and measurable results matter.

Requirements

6 to 8 years of experience in learning and development, capability building, or organizational development
Strong consulting and stakeholder influence skills, with experience partnering with senior leaders
Demonstrated ability to diagnose root causes and design targeted, practical solutions
Strong business acumen and understanding of commercial drivers
Experience designing and embedding learning into the flow of work
Deep knowledge of adult learning principles and modern learning approaches
Exceptional facilitation, communication, and collaboration skills
Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a matrixed environment

Nice To Haves

Experience in an agency, consulting, or other billable environment is strongly preferred
Experience supporting customer-facing or commercial teams is strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Act as a trusted advisor to business and capability leaders, identifying root causes behind performance challenges and shaping solutions that align with commercial priorities.
Build strong partnerships that ensure shared ownership of capability outcomes.
Design and deliver targeted capability initiatives that support both immediate business needs and longer-term skill building.
Co-create practical, scalable experiences that connect directly to how teams work.
Enable teams to build skills while delivering work, minimizing disruption to billable time.
Apply creative thinking to develop engaging, non-traditional learning approaches.
Move beyond standard training to design solutions that address real business challenges.
Define clear success metrics tied to behavior change and business performance.
Track progress and continuously refine approaches based on data and feedback.
Partner closely with People Business Partners (PBPs), SMEs, and global and local stakeholders to align on priorities, scale solutions, and drive consistency across teams.
Explore and implement AI-powered tools, learning technologies, and performance support resources to accelerate capability development.