Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Chief of Learning and Development

🎯 Role Definition

The Chief of Learning and Development is a strategic, hands-on leader who defines and executes an enterprise learning strategy aligned to business goals. This role leads the design and delivery of leadership development, technical and compliance training, onboarding, career pathing, succession planning, and talent mobility programs. The Chief L&D partners with HR, business leaders, and external vendors to deploy blended learning experiences, optimize learning technologies (LMS/LXP), measure learning impact through analytics and ROI, and foster a culture of continuous learning and high performance.

Key SEO and LLM keywords: Chief of Learning and Development, L&D strategy, learning and development leader, leadership development, talent development, learning technology, LMS, learning analytics, succession planning, instructional design.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Head of Learning & Development / Director of L&D
Senior Manager, Talent Development or Leadership Development
Director of Organizational Development or People Operations

Advancement To:

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
Global Head of Talent & Leadership
VP of People & Culture / Chief People Officer

Lateral Moves:

Head of Talent Management
Director of Organizational Effectiveness
Chief Talent Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive, enterprise-wide learning and development strategy that aligns with business objectives, workforce planning, and talent management priorities; set clear KPIs and roadmap for learning initiatives across function, region, and level.
Design, implement, and continuously improve leadership development programs (e.g., high-potential programs, executive coaching, multi-level leadership academies) to accelerate bench strength and prepare leaders for critical roles.
Build and operationalize a robust succession planning and talent pipeline framework, including competency modeling, talent reviews, succession slates for critical roles, and development plans tied to readiness metrics.
Oversee the full lifecycle of learning programs—needs assessment, curriculum design, blended delivery (in-person, virtual instructor-led, e-learning, microlearning), evaluation, and scalability—ensuring alignment to adult learning principles and business outcomes.
Own the enterprise learning technology strategy: select, implement, integrate, and optimize LMS/LXP, content platforms, virtual classroom tools, learning record stores (LRS), and API integrations with HRIS/HR tech stack.
Lead a centralized learning operations function that manages program deployment, vendor partnerships, learning administration, budgeting, procurement, and SLAs to ensure efficient delivery and high participation.
Establish and maintain a learning measurement and analytics framework (Kirkpatrick/Phillips models, L&D dashboards); track engagement, competency uplift, behavior change, retention, and financial impact to inform continuous improvement and ROI.
Serve as a strategic partner to business unit leaders and HRBPs to translate business priorities into targeted learning interventions that drive performance, improve productivity, and support strategic growth initiatives.
Develop and manage the L&D budget, forecasting, vendor contracts, procurement strategy, and cost-benefit analysis to ensure optimal investment in learning solutions.
Champion a culture of continuous learning and employee development by launching enterprise-wide learning campaigns, social learning initiatives, mentorship and coaching networks, and career development pathways.
Drive diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through inclusive learning programs, bias training, cultural competency, and programs that improve representation in leadership pipelines.
Lead talent mobility and career architecture work—design career frameworks, competency models, internal mobility programs, and personalized learning journeys to increase engagement and retention.
Manage and develop a high-performing L&D team of instructional designers, facilitators, learning technologists, program managers, and vendor partners; set talent plans, performance objectives, and career development for the team.
Lead change management and organizational development initiatives that accompany major transformations (reorgs, digital transformation, mergers & acquisitions), including role clarity, capability uplift, and communications.
Curate and develop content strategy—balance internal content creation and external vendor content, maintain content governance, ensure up-to-date subject matter expertise and regulatory compliance across curricula.
Oversee global learning delivery and localization: partner with regional HR leads to adapt content for local markets, ensure compliance training meets regulatory requirements, and implement culturally relevant learning approaches.
Implement modern instructional design and learning experience design practices (microlearning, spaced repetition, scenario-based learning, simulations, mobile-first design) to maximize knowledge retention and transfer to job performance.
Manage external partnerships with executive coaches, universities, content providers, and boutique vendors; negotiate terms, scope, SLAs, and performance outcomes to scale capability development.
Lead leadership assessment initiatives, talent calibration, and development planning using assessment centers, 360 feedback, competency assessments, and psychometric tools to inform personalized development.
Ensure compliance and regulatory training programs are effective, tracked, and reported; partner with legal, compliance, and risk teams to meet audit and regulatory obligations.
Establish governance, policies, and standards for learning programs, roles/responsibilities, data privacy, content ownership, and quality assurance across the learning portfolio.
Drive innovation in learning through pilots of AI-enabled learning tools, adaptive learning, learning analytics, and content personalization to improve learner engagement and reduce time-to-proficiency.
Monitor industry trends, benchmarks, and best practices in talent development and apply continuous improvement cycles to keep programs contemporary and differentiation for employer brand.

Secondary Functions

Partner with People Analytics to surface skills gaps, workforce readiness, and program impact through data-driven insights and correlation to business results.
Coordinate with Talent Acquisition to ensure onboarding, early career programs, and new hire learning pathways accelerate time-to-productivity.
Support leadership forums, town halls, and executive communications by designing development touchpoints that reinforce strategic messages and culture.
Maintain vendor performance governance, SLAs, and quarterly business reviews to ensure content quality, delivery effectiveness and contractual compliance.
Provide subject-matter expertise to cross-functional initiatives (digital tools, performance management, employee engagement) to align learning solutions with broader people programs.
Facilitate executive coaching engagements and leadership offsites to deepen leadership capabilities and alignment on strategy execution.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strategic learning & development strategy design and execution — proven track record building enterprise L&D roadmaps and translating to measurable outcomes.
Learning technology selection and administration — LMS/LXP (workday learning, Cornerstone, Saba, Docebo, SAP SuccessFactors), integrations, and LRS experience.
Instructional design & learning experience design — mastery of ADDIE, SAM, microlearning, scenario-based learning, and e-learning authoring tools (Articulate 360, Captivate, Rise).
Learning analytics & measurement — experience with Kirkpatrick/Phillips models, building dashboards (Power BI, Looker, Tableau), and interpreting data to drive investment decisions.
Leadership development & executive coaching — curriculum design for leaders, coaching certifications or vendor management of coaches.
Succession planning & talent review facilitation — competency modeling, readiness assessment, and development plan creation.
Content strategy & governance — content lifecycle management, localization, and vendor/content curation.
Project and program management — Agile or traditional program delivery, budgeting, vendor contracting, and timeline management.
Change management — leading capability uplift, communications, stakeholder adoption and readiness for major transformations.
Compliance and regulatory training management with audit-ready tracking and reporting.

Soft Skills

Strategic thinking and business acumen — ability to align L&D initiatives with business strategy and financial priorities.
Executive presence and stakeholder influence — credible communicator who partners with senior leaders and builds consensus.
Coaching and mentoring — ability to teach, develop and inspire managers and leaders at all levels.
Collaboration and cross-functional partnership — strong relationship building with HR, business units, legal, and IT.
Strong written and verbal communication — compelling storytelling and content curation for different audiences.
Change leadership and resilience — drives adoption in ambiguity and leads teams through complex organizational change.
Innovative mindset and continuous improvement orientation — curiosity for new learning modalities and technologies.
Data-driven decision making — comfort analyzing metrics and translating them into operational improvements.
Cultural intelligence and inclusivity — design programs that meet diverse learner needs across global teams.
People leadership and talent development — ability to recruit, retain and grow a high-performing L&D organization.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Education, Instructional Design, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree (MA/MS) in Organizational Development, Adult Learning, HR, Business Administration (MBA), or related advanced credential.
Certifications such as CPLP, SHRM-SCP, ATD Master Trainer, or coaching certifications are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Human Resources Management
Organizational Psychology
Adult Education / Instructional Design
Business Administration / Management
Learning Technologies

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

10–15+ years in learning & development, organizational development, or HR, with progressive leadership responsibilities.

Preferred:

12+ years of L&D experience with at least 5 years in senior leadership (director/VP) managing global programs, learning technologies, and cross-functional teams. Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide L&D transformations, building leadership pipelines, and delivering measurable business impact.