Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Learning and Development Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Learning and Development (L&D) Specialist designs, delivers, and measures workforce learning programs that accelerate employee performance, support strategic objectives, and create measurable business outcomes. This role blends instructional design, facilitation, training operations, and data-driven evaluation to create engaging, compliant, and scalable learning experiences across instructor-led, virtual, and digital channels.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

HR Coordinator with exposure to training or onboarding programs
Instructional Designer or Training Coordinator
Subject Matter Expert (SME) transitioning into training and facilitation

Advancement To:

Senior Learning & Development Specialist
Learning & Development Manager / Training Manager
Talent Development Manager or Organizational Development Lead

Lateral Moves:

Instructional Designer / eLearning Developer
Talent Management or Succession Planning Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive training needs analysis by partnering with business leaders and managers to identify performance gaps, competency requirements, and priority learning initiatives aligned to business strategy and quarterly objectives.
Design end-to-end learning programs and curricula using adult learning principles (andragogy), blending instructor‑led training (ILT), virtual instructor‑led training (VILT), microlearning, on-the-job learning, and e-learning to maximize retention and transfer of skills.
Develop detailed course materials, facilitator guides, participant workbooks, assessments, job aids, and evaluation instruments that reflect current best practices and are tailored to the target audience’s roles and skill levels.
Create interactive e-learning modules and multimedia content leveraging authoring tools (e.g., Articulate Storyline, Rise, Adobe Captivate) and ensure SCORM/xAPI compliance for seamless LMS tracking and reporting.
Facilitate engaging workshops, webinars, and cohort-based learning sessions that encourage active participation, group problem solving, role plays, and practical application.
Implement and administer Learning Management System (LMS) processes: build courses, manage enrollments, configure learning paths, set compliance reminders, and ensure accurate training records and certificates.
Partner with subject-matter experts and business stakeholders to curate, validate, and update content—ensuring technical accuracy, relevance, and alignment with policies and regulatory requirements.
Manage training project plans end-to-end: define scope, develop budgets, coordinate timelines, secure resources, and communicate status to stakeholders using formal project management practices.
Establish measurable learning objectives and success metrics (completion rates, knowledge gains, behavior change, business impact) and measure outcomes using pre/post assessments, learner feedback, and longitudinal performance data.
Conduct post-training evaluations using Kirkpatrick or equivalent models to evaluate reaction, learning, behavior, and results; synthesize insights into executive-ready reports and improvement plans.
Design competency frameworks, career ladders, and learning pathways that map skills to roles and support performance reviews, succession planning, and development conversations.
Manage vendor selection and relationships for external training providers, consultants, or content libraries—conducting RFPs, evaluating proposals, negotiating contracts, and monitoring deliverables and ROI.
Lead onboarding and new-hire learning programs to accelerate time-to-productivity, standardize foundational knowledge, and embed company culture and policies.
Build and maintain a centralized training calendar and communication plan; coordinate logistics, registrations, facilities, AV, and virtual meeting infrastructure for smooth program delivery.
Create and maintain a content taxonomy and knowledge repository to support on-demand learning, job aids, and refresh cycles; ensure version control and accessibility across devices.
Operationalize blended learning pilots and scale successful pilots to enterprise-wide programs; identify low-cost, high-impact solutions such as microlearning and peer coaching.
Coach managers and frontline leaders on effective development conversations, performance coaching techniques, and how to embed learning in day-to-day workflows.
Monitor training budgets and expenditures, provide forecasting, and recommend cost efficiencies (e.g., reuse of content, in-house facilitation, vendor consolidation).
Ensure compliance training programs meet legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements and that completion is tracked and reported accurately for audits and leadership requests.
Champion a data-driven L&D culture by partnering with People Analytics to correlate learning activities with performance outcomes, turnover, engagement, and business KPIs.
Pilot and iterate on emerging learning technologies including virtual labs, simulation, AI-enabled learning assistants, and adaptive learning platforms to enhance personalization and scale.
Design mentorship, stretch-assignment, and peer-learning programs to accelerate leadership development and cross-functional knowledge transfer.
Curate and promote learning campaigns and internal marketing to drive adoption, engagement, and continuous learning mindsets across distributed workforces.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of trends in learning science, adult education, compliance, and digital learning tools; evaluate and recommend new tools and approaches.

Secondary Functions

Maintain accurate training documentation, standard operating procedures, content inventories, and training metrics dashboards for leadership and audit purposes.
Support ad-hoc training requests from business units, rapidly scoping quick-turn learning interventions and micro‑learning assets for emergent business needs.
Contribute to cross-functional initiatives such as digital transformation, process improvement, and change management by developing targeted learning interventions.
Assist with data collection and exploratory analysis to surface learning trends, gaps, and high-impact opportunities; prepare insights for leadership reviews.
Participate in vendor performance reviews and continuous improvement sessions to ensure training quality and alignment with organizational outcomes.
Provide frontline support for learning platform issues, basic troubleshooting, and learner helpdesk escalations to ensure a positive learner experience.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Instructional design and curriculum development using ADDIE, SAM, or Agile methodologies.
Proficiency with e-learning authoring tools (Articulate Storyline/Rise, Adobe Captivate), and multimedia basics (audio/video editing).
Learning Management System (LMS) administration and configuration (e.g., Workday Learning, Cornerstone, SAP SuccessFactors, Moodle).
Knowledge of SCORM, xAPI (Tin Can), content packaging, and tracking standards.
Strong capability in measurement and analytics: designing assessments, statistical analysis of pre/post data, and building learning dashboards (Power BI, Tableau, Excel).
Familiarity with adult learning theory, blended learning design, microlearning, and cohort-based learning approaches.
Project management skills including scoping, resource planning, budgeting, and stakeholder communication; PMP/Agile exposure is a plus.
Experience with virtual classroom platforms (Zoom, Webex, MS Teams) and webinar production.
Content curation and knowledge management practices for enterprise learning libraries.
Vendor management: RFP development, vendor evaluation, contracting, and performance metrics.
Basic multimedia production: storyboarding, script writing, light video editing, and captioning for accessibility.
Competency mapping and job/skill framework development.

Soft Skills

Strong facilitation and presentation skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences and senior leaders.
Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering; skilled at influencing without authority.
Effective written communication and instructional writing tailored to adult learners.
Strategic thinking with ability to translate business priorities into learning solutions.
Empathy and learner-centric mindset with a focus on user experience and accessibility.
Organizational skills and attention to detail; thrives in a multi-project environment.
Problem-solving orientation and adaptability in fast-moving contexts.
Coaching and mentoring capability to develop managers and high-potential employees.
Collaborative team player who can work across HR, Operations, IT, and business units.
Continuous improvement mindset and curiosity about new learning technologies and methodologies.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Organizational Development, Adult Education, Instructional Design, Learning Technologies, or MBA with specialization in Talent/HR.
Professional certifications such as CPLP, ATD Certified Professional, CPTM, or Project Management certification.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Instructional Design / Educational Technology
Organizational Development / Human Resources
Adult Learning / Training & Development
Business Administration / Management
Psychology or Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience in learning & development, instructional design, training delivery, or talent development roles.

Preferred:

5+ years designing and delivering enterprise learning programs in a matrixed organization.
Proven track record administering an LMS and developing measurable learning outcomes for diverse, distributed workforces.
Experience managing vendor relationships, running RFPs, and overseeing training budgets.
Demonstrable examples of program design that produced measurable performance improvement and business impact.