Learning and Development Specialist

Position Overview

The Learning and Development Specialist plays a key role in fostering employee growth and engagement by overseeing new employee orientation, first-year experience programs, and strengths-based development initiatives. This position designs, delivers, and evaluates training programs to support professional development and enhance workplace effectiveness. The specialist collaborates with internal stakeholders to ensure that learning and development initiatives align with organizational goals and values.

Job Description

New Employee Orientation & First-Year Employee Experience – 60%

• Design and facilitate engaging new employee orientation programs to introduce organizational culture, policies, and expectations and to foster engagement and positive momentum.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive first-year experience program that supports employee onboarding, engagement, and retention for in-person, hybrid and remote workers. Develop and manage outreach and engagement activities, conduct campus tours, etc. Responsible for the coordination of all related events and activities.
• Work with HR teams to develop a cohesive communication plan which integrates messaging, onboarding paperwork, required training, and other activities to make each hire feel valued and integrated into the Jayhawk Community.
• Utilize data analytics to identify growth areas where onboarding subject matter expert(s) can partner with HR Partners to support units in improving localized onboarding/employee experience.
• Coordinate with Public Affairs and other communicators to develop content (i.e., videos, websites, newsletters) and materials that tie to the brand and messaging to new employees.
• Develop, plan, and coordinate new employees and first-year employee experience events. Develop, promote and deliver interventions from a learning and development framework aligning the new employee experience with the local environment.
• Collaborate with HR, Office of Faculty Affairs, department leaders, HR Partners and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition for new employees.
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of onboarding programs through feedback and data analysis.
• May develop programming activities, workshops and coaching sessions on assessment models such as Strengths Finders, Covey, etc. to help employees understand and apply the methods in their work. Partner with managers to integrate skillset into performance and professional growth activities individually and within a team.
  
  
  

Training & Development Support – 20%

• Assist in the design, coordination, and facilitation of additional learning programs, including leadership and supervisory development, compliance training, and skill-building workshops.
• Offer regular synchronous and asynchronous learning and development opportunities for managers/supervisors to help support them in creating a strong experience for new employees as they join their teams. Work with HR Partners to identify focus areas and acquire feedback.
• Maintain and update training materials to ensure relevance and alignment with best practices.
• Track and report on training participation, effectiveness, and employee development metrics.

Development & Assessments – 10%

• Administer and facilitate workshops, assessments and coaching sessions to help employees understand and apply their strengths in the workplace.
• Provide resources and guidance for individual and team development.
• Partner with managers to integrate development into performance and professional growth conversations.
  
  
  

Other Duties as Assigned - 10%

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Education, Psychology, Communications, or a related field.
• Three years of experience in employee training, learning and development, communications, or related roles.
• Experience facilitating training sessions and workshops, both in-person and virtually as evidenced by application materials.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage a wide range of audiences as evidenced by application materials.
• Familiarity with CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) or similar assessment tools as evidenced by application materials.
  
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification in CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder), adult learning, instructional design, or related areas.
• Five or more years of experience in employee training, learning and development, communications, or related roles.
• Experience working in higher education, non-profit, or corporate learning environments.
• Familiarity with KU, Lawrence, and the Kansas City metropolitan area.
• Knowledge of learning management systems (LMS) and e-learning tools.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing training data and assessing program effectiveness as evidenced in application materials.
  
  
  

Additional Candidate Instructions

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume/CV.
• List of three (3) professional references.
  
  
  

Only complete applications will be considered.

Review of applications will begin Monday, April 7th and continue until a qualified pool of applicants is identified.

Contact Information to Applicants

Jeff Chasen

jchasen@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

$63,000 - $68,000

Work Schedule

M-F, 8-5

Application Review Begins

Monday April 7, 2025

Anticipated Start Date

Monday April 28, 2025