Sr. Manager, Learning & Development

Upstate Niagara Cooperative•Batavia, NY

39d•$110,000 - $145,000

About The Position

The Senior Learning and Development Manager plays a critical role in working across operations to lead, support, develop, and implement high-quality training systems that meet the essential needs of both the individual and the business, drive employee growth, operational excellence, and organizational success. This person will play a cross functional role in helping to shape and execute the organizational learning strategy at the OATKA location. Throughout 2025-2026, this person will play a key role in our SAP S4/HANNA implementation at the site. This person collaborates with internal and external operational leaders, along with safety, quality, and frontline employees to effectively lead training programs, analyze data, report progress against KPIs, and develop solutions that continuously improve the health of the training department. The candidate must have a passion for developing people and must be experienced in developing programs at scale. The person will play a key role in collaborating and at times leading change management.

Requirements

Prior Training Manager experience or equivalent in education, technical writing, quality assurance, or continuous improvement.
Minimum 2 years' experience in food manufacturing.
Associate degree or higher and/or relevant coursework in education (preferred).
Must be able to stand for long periods and work across multiple shifts.

Nice To Haves

Instructional design experience and familiarity with LMS platforms.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
Strong collaboration and communication skills.
Excellent technical writing and analytical capabilities.
Demonstrated ability to simplify complex processes and communicate them effectively.
Knowledge of SAP or ERP systems and end-user training best practices.
Ability to foster a positive learning culture and motivate others.

Responsibilities

Training Program Development
Competency Mapping.
Develop, design, and execute curriculum for performance-based training programs to support and further develop job training.
Develop content such as SOPs, work instructions, job aids, and e-learning modules.
Strategize and collaborate with cross functional teams to develop and implement a robust UNC Onboarding Program
Assess programs for effectiveness and alignment to UNC standardized formats.
Ensure content aligns with quality, compliance, and safety standards.
Analyze jobs using UNC accepted methodologies, (e.g. DACUM, SCID)
Possess and apply manufacturing skills and knowledge of operational processes.
Assist in leading change management
Oversee and execute end-user training delivery for SAP implementation and sustainment.
Review SAP training materials and ensure they remain relevant to operational needs.
Organize and facilitate weekly SAP change impact meetings and ensure follow-ups are completed.
Create, implement, and document SAP training at the site.
Assist in ensuring stakeholder feedback and training role alignment are incorporated into course design and throughout the change impact effort.
Coordinate and support train-the-trainer efforts to build internal capacity.
Publish finalized SAP training content to the Learning Management System (LMS) as needed.
Conduct training evaluations and measure effectiveness of delivery methods and outcomes.
Report SAP training progress and readiness metrics to leadership and project stakeholders.
Provide on-site end-user support during and after Go-Live, including coordination of updates and post-Go-Live learning needs.
Create and manage content directories.
Ensure training material is up-to-date and meets document control standards.
Manage user groups and learning paths.
Track system utilization and employee qualifications.
Document training that occurs in the plant.
Implement and sustain at the site
Support the training needs of organizational projects, including Continuous Improvement and SAP initiatives.
Actively facilitate change impact sessions with site leadership and cross-functional teams, and document outcomes and action items.
Drive stakeholder engagement and alignment across all levels of the site organization to ensure adoption of organizational initiatives
Collaborate and at times lead the creation and implementation of change management plans.
Assist in upskilling employees through structured training pathways.
Manage apprenticeship programs and employee development programs.
Implement leadership, growth, and succession pathways
Conduct training system health audits.
Perform process and skills gap assessments.
Generate and present Training Department KPI reports.
Other duties as assigned