Technical Trades Talent Development Specialist

Pella Corporation•Pella, IA

About The Position

The Technical Trades Talent Development Specialist partners with colleagues and company leaders to drive innovative, high-impact technical trades talent development programs and initiatives aligned with Pella Corporation’s strategic goals and vision. The role designs, develops, deploys, and measures comprehensive solutions, action plans, and training to improve individual and team performance. It manages the Technical Trades development and placement programs, develops and deploys technical trades curricula, and provides assessment diagnostics and consultative coaching to individuals, teams, and managers in Technical Trades. The position requires up to 25% travel to off-site locations for training, development, and organizational development consulting. The Specialist owns the design, development, implementation, evaluation, and ongoing improvement of Technical Trades development curricula and programs, including the Technical Trades Development and Placement programs. The role manages learning solutions, orientation and onboarding, program measurement, and project implementation; collaborates with HR business partners, the Technical Trades Core Team, internal customers, and leaders; and coordinates curriculum development and external course vendors. It also analyzes workforce trends and program evaluations, manages assessment tools and providers, conducts assessments, and offers coaching and consultation to improve performance and engagement. The role serves as an internal subject matter expert on Technical Trades development practices, keeps current with developments in learning and engagement, and shares evaluation reports on program and course effectiveness. It may directly supervise one or more factory hourly or non-exempt employees, with responsibilities including hiring, training, work direction, performance appraisal, and handling employee concerns.

Requirements

Associate degree or equivalent from a two-year college or technical school, with an emphasis on adult learning and/or Technical Trades, or equivalent related experience in education and training of technical skills.
Demonstrated understanding of current Technical Trades training and development theories, needs analysis, and team dynamics.
Excellent interpersonal, influencing, and communication skills.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with demonstrated success in project management and program implementation.
Working knowledge of adult learning theory and employee development methods, including instructor-led and virtual classroom delivery.
Experience leading teams and/or managing others.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including presentation and facilitation skills.
Ability to navigate difficult people situations and hard conversations with openness, honesty, grace, and integrity.
Trustworthiness and ability to maintain information in confidence.
Objective analytical and reasoning skills, ability to connect information and identify trends, seek varied insights and root causes, and avoid jumping to conclusions.
Ability to build trusting relationships with Technical Hourly team members and earn respect from individuals.
Strong influencing skills.
Computer skills using Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and Oracle Taleo LMS.

Nice To Haves

Facilitator certification.
Curriculum development background.
Bachelor’s degree in Organization Development, Industrial Technology, Human Resources, or a related field, with related experience including professional facilitation and advising or influencing internal stakeholders.
Knowledge of and certifications for personality, strengths, and competency assessments, including HBDI, Strengths Finder 2.0, Myers-Briggs, and EQ360.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, implement, evaluate, and continuously improve Technical Trades development curricula and programs, including owning the Technical Trades Development and Placement programs.
Design, develop, manage, and facilitate learning solutions for technical skills and knowledge development, orientation, and onboarding.
Identify metrics and indicators to evaluate the success and value of development solutions.
Manage assigned programs from goal and scope definition through approvals, content development, implementation, adoption, change management, and communication.
Collaborate with HR business partners, the Technical Trades Core Team, internal customers, and leaders to develop programs and align them with strategic goals.
Lead coordination and oversight of curriculum design and development for internally developed Technical Trades courses.
Evaluate, select, partner with, and manage third-party vendors for externally developed talent development courses.
Analyze workforce trends, program evaluations, and best-practice data to improve program offerings.
Develop strategy for and oversee orientation and onboarding of Technical Trades team members.
Improve talent assessment tools and manage third-party assessment providers.
Conduct individual, team, and departmental assessments to identify interventions that improve engagement and effectiveness.
Provide consultative coaching to individuals, teams, and managers to improve Technical Trades performance and engagement.
Serve as a subject matter expert and internal consultant on Technical Trades development best practices and stay informed about developments in learning methods and engagement.
Share and adopt new approaches to deliver Technical Trades development solutions.
Prepare and share evaluation and measurement reports on the effectiveness of development programs and courses.
May supervise factory hourly or non-exempt employees, including interviewing, hiring, training, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing complaints, and resolving problems.
Travel up to 25% to off-site locations for training, development, and organizational development consulting.