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Senior Associate Director, Learning and Development

University of Chicago

Chicago, ILHybridPosted 52 days ago$90,950.00 - $107,000.00
Full TimeSenior LevelCorporate FunctionsAcademic
Original posting ↗

Summary

Provides strategic direction and direct management for the design, delivery, and evaluation of frontline training programs related to fundraising, alumni relations, campaign education, systems, and data. Develops scalable, evidence-based learning solutions across multiple delivery formats and partners with key stakeholders to ensure training remains current, effective, and aligned with organizational needs and goals.

Job description

Responsibilities

  • Provides strategic direction and direct management of the design, implementation, and delivery of frontline training programs related to fundraising, alumni relations, and campaign education.
  • Assesses organizational needs to establish training priorities and partners with gift officers, alumni relations staff, business analysts, and leadership to tailor curricula and training initiatives accordingly.
  • Develops session agendas, learning materials, tools, case studies, guides, and facilitation strategies grounded in adult learning principles and evidence-based practices, with an emphasis on data, reflection, and practice.
  • Creates training storyboards and videos, and assists subject-matter experts with writing scenarios and implementing new learning activities, providing feedback as necessary.
  • Delivers training through multiple modalities, including in-person, virtual, blended, self-paced, workshops, and boot camps, and creates scalable learning solutions, such as e-learning modules and toolkits, that extend reach and reduce reliance on live facilitation.
  • Ensures training content remains current and aligned with industry best practices, organizational goals, and evolving business needs.
  • Maintains professional expertise in online teaching and learning, electronic pedagogy, and technology-based course delivery, including learning management systems, multimedia and instructional course software, adaptive learning tools, multimedia presentations, web conferencing, and classroom technologies.
  • Incorporates University-approved AI tools ethically and responsibly to enhance the work.
  • Proactively learns new technologies, plans associated roadmaps, and anticipates emerging issues that may affect training or require additional support.
  • Defines, measures, and communicates relevant success metrics to stakeholders, demonstrating the value of training programs, learning experiences, and investments in employees.
  • Continuously refines professional learning offerings based on participant feedback, reflection, and outcomes.
  • Proactively recommends audits, adjustments to existing training, or new training to improve the effective and accurate use of systems and data.
  • Serves as the internal liaison between Advancement and external consultants engaged in delivering frontline training.
  • Manages training logistics, including scheduling, communications, materials, and attendance tracking.
  • Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions and with an eye towards broadly diversifying the advancement profession.
  • Manages front-end needs assessments, identifying key learning outcomes, writing training objectives, applying and modifying various instructional design methods, designing practice activities and scenarios, sequencing instructional content, and writing tests and learning assessments.
  • Develops and updates online manuals and user reference documentation.
  • Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Work Experience: 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s or advanced degree. Experience: Minimum five years of experience designing and facilitating professional learning for adult audiences. Minimum five years of project management experience. Minimum three years of experience designing or delivering training in a fundraising or sales environment. Partnering with practitioners and organizational stakeholders to develop professional learning experiences.

Technical Skills or Knowledge

Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management Salesforce System. Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. Ease and facility with technology systems and descriptive data reporting.

Preferred Competencies

  • Excellent presentation, interpersonal and customer service skills with a strong orientation toward helping others succeed.
  • Creativity and comfort with teaching and public speaking in classroom, small group, and one-on-one formats.
  • Strong organizational, project management, and detail-oriented skills.
  • Dedication to reviewing and using team performance data.
  • Build, lead, mentor, and motivate a diverse team, and to encourage growth and change in both people and programs.
  • A strong commitment to personal and professional development, and foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment.
  • Excellent translator of technical or complex information.
  • Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
  • Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
  • Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
  • Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
  • Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
  • Self-motivated and take initiative.

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
  • 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
  • Minimum five years of experience designing and facilitating professional learning for adult audiences.
  • Minimum five years of project management experience.
  • Minimum three years of experience designing or delivering training in a fundraising or sales environment.
  • Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management Salesforce System.
  • Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
  • Ease and facility with technology systems and descriptive data reporting.
  • Excellent presentation, interpersonal and customer service skills with a strong orientation toward helping others succeed.
  • Creativity and comfort with teaching and public speaking in classroom, small group, and one-on-one formats.
  • Strong organizational, project management, and detail-oriented skills.
  • Dedication to reviewing and using team performance data.
  • Build, lead, mentor, and motivate a diverse team, and to encourage growth and change in both people and programs.
  • A strong commitment to personal and professional development, and foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment.
  • Excellent translator of technical or complex information.
  • Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
  • Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
  • Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
  • Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
  • Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
  • Self-motivated and take initiative.

Benefits

  • Health insurance
  • Retirement plan
  • Paid time off

Company overview

The University of Chicago is a world-renowned private research university founded in 1890 and located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. As a premier academic institution, it operates one of the most comprehensive biomedical research enterprises in the United States through its Biological Sciences Division, which includes over 1,100 faculty members across 10 basic science and 14 clinical departments. The university manages extensive research infrastructure including the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, multiple specialized research institutes, and maintains affiliations with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. With research funding exceeding $450 million annually and more than 3,300 patents filed since 1987, the institution is a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation. The Biological Sciences Division alone supports over 500 research-active faculty who secure an average of $588,000 in NIH funding per principal investigator, focusing on areas including cancer biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular metabolism, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology. The university's commitment to interdisciplinary research and its unique position as manager of national laboratories creates unparalleled opportunities for translational research and scientific advancement.

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