Senior Specialist- Learning and Development

Covista•Lisle, IL

4d•$53,520 - $96,736•Hybrid

About The Position

Walden University is seeking a Senior Specialist in Learning and Development to support the end-to-end design, development, and facilitation of learning solutions. This role will operate as a generalist, serving multiple business units across the university. The Senior Specialist will lead and support project-based work throughout the instructional lifecycle, from needs assessment and design to delivery and evaluation, with a strong emphasis on impactful facilitation and learner experience. Key responsibilities include planning, designing, and facilitating colleague onboarding programs, managing cross-functional learning projects, and partnering with stakeholders for major initiative rollouts. The role requires strong consultative skills to assess needs, recommend learning strategies, and guide execution. The Senior Specialist will contribute to the creation of learning resources and materials, facilitate sessions, and reinforce adoption. This position plays a crucial role in supporting the project workflow and evolving business needs for the Learning, Development, and Enablement function, focusing on product knowledge, processes, skill development, and technical learning. They will also partner with and guide team members to ensure consistency, quality, and scalability of learning solutions and serve as a role model for Covista WE values. Additionally, the role involves serving as a strategic training partner for product, technology, and student recruitment requests, evaluating needs, developing scopes of work, and executing the design, development, and delivery of instruction. The Senior Specialist will be a primary L&D partner in designing and implementing university programming, including setting up and launching various training formats, acting as a consultative point-of-contact for leaders, and analyzing completion reports for decision-making. The role also includes facilitating instructor-led onboarding and technology sessions, ensuring professionalism and business acumen. The Senior Specialist will lead onboarding and training programs for enrollment and student success teams, aligning learning strategies with operational goals. They will ensure a seamless, student-centered process to deliver exceptional business performance in partnership with cross-functional teams, building strong internal relationships and influencing outcomes. Collaboration within the L&D team is essential to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery and alignment with institutional branding and objectives. The Senior Specialist will manage multiple projects and deliverables, monitor progress, and ensure milestones are met according to established SLAs. They will represent the LDE team in meetings and institutional activities, acting as a polished representative. Continuous professional development in learning and development is expected, staying current with industry trends and applying insights to enhance business impact.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree Required.
5+ years of professional experience as a training specialist (or similar role).
Demonstrated experience conceptualizing and creating instructional resources in Rise 360, Storyline, or similar e-learning tools based on best practices for instructional systems design, development, and delivery.
Excellent oral and written English communication skills, including delivering/leading training in both on-ground and virtual environments.
Strong technical aptitude, with demonstrated experience with creating learning resources focused on technology and systems processes.
Demonstrated ability to work in and adapt instruction within a remote work environment, including facilitation of training using Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or other platforms.
Effectively navigate within a highly regulated environment.
Adaptability to continued changes and shifts in business priorities and demonstrated ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects at any given time.
Highly focused on job priorities and customer needs.
Deadline-oriented, with the ability to handle multiple projects at any given time.
Ability to self-manage time and priorities in a remote work environment.
Microsoft Office Suite skills required (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Teams, MS PowerPoint, etc.)

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree Preferred

Responsibilities

Support the end-to-end design, development, and facilitation of learning solutions.
Lead and support project-based work across the full instructional lifecycle—from needs assessment and instructional design through delivery and evaluation.
Plan, design, and facilitate multiple colleague onboarding programs across teams.
Manage cross-functional learning projects, including product partnerships and new program launches.
Collaborate closely with stakeholders to support major initiative rollouts.
Assess needs, recommend learning strategies and modalities, establish timelines, and guide execution.
Contribute to and, at times, lead the creation of learning resources, media, and instructional materials.
Facilitate sessions and reinforce adoption through effective delivery.
Serve as a strategic training partner on product, technology, and student recruitment requests for training or instructional resources directed to the enrollment and student success teams.
Evaluate requests through a consultative lens, recommending and developing a scope of work.
Partner with subject matter experts and stakeholders across the enterprise, and execute the design, development, and delivery of instruction or resources.
Serve as a primary L&D partner in designing and implementing the Walden University learning and development programming.
Set up and launch online, in-person, or hybrid training.
Act as a consultative point-of-contact for leaders of stakeholder groups.
Pull completion reports and other applicable data to inform decision-making and continuous improvement.
Facilitate instructor-led onboarding and technology sessions.
Lead colleague onboarding and training programs for enrollment and student success teams, partnering with business leaders to align learning strategies with operational goals and performance outcomes.
Ensure a seamless, student-centered process to deliver exceptional business performance results in partnership with cross-functional teams.
Build strong internal relationships and influence outcomes.
Work collaboratively across the L&D team to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery.
Reinforce excellence in both team-produced learning solutions and alignment with institutional branding, standards, and business objectives.
Manage multiple projects and deliverables according to established plans.
Monitor and report progress to LDE leaders; ensures milestones are met and work is delivered by all team members in alignment with agreed SLAs.
Represent the LDE team during meetings and participate in institutional activities and events.
Employ continuous development in the field of learning and development by staying current on industry trends, best practices, and innovations through journals, articles, and seminars, and applying insights to enhance business impact.