Start a Career in Learning & Development
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Section 3. Learning and Development Roles
What are some popular L&D roles?
Learning and Development career paths can be vertical and horizontal.
Let’s take a look at some definitions and common responsibilities.
Vertical progression roles
Learning and Development Administrator
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Collect learning-related information
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Send invitations to learning events
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Collate participation and feedback reports
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Maintain training and learning materials
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Administer any learning management systems or eLearning
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Coordinate learning promotions
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Manage any learning project documentation
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Book training venues
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Orders training supplies
Learning and Development Specialist / Partner / Expert
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Collaborate with key stakeholders
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Design learning solutions and materials
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Deliver learning interventions
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Partner with external vendors and suppliers
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Create or curate eLearning courses and materials
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Assess the impact of the L&D team's work on the organisation
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Manage learning and development spending
Learning and Development Manager / Director
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Come up with a long-term strategy for L&D initiatives.
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Lead and champion the case for learning throughout the organisation.
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Influence executive leaders to invest in learning.
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Align with the business needs to ensure L&D effectiveness Design and deliver learning solutions for top leaders or peers (in some cases)
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Could act as a coach to executive leaders
Horizontal progression roles
Corporate trainer
Responsible for designing and delivering any training (classroom, virtual, live, pre-recorded) focused on a specific range of hard or soft skills. Hard skills are specific technical knowledge or abilities that are easily measured. Examples include working with MS Excel, new accounting software, Javascript for beginners, etc. Soft skills are personal traits and attitudes that can be more difficult to measure directly—for example, time management, creative thinking, leadership, etc.
eLearning / Instructional Designer
ID is responsible for the process of creating online courses hosted on a Learning Management System. They systematically analyse and develop instructional materials and experiences to respond to the identified learning needs. Note that "instructional design" isn't exclusive to online learning. However, most L&D practitioners use it to describe eLearning authoring.
Leadership and Management Development specialist
This role focuses on developing leaders' and managers' knowledge, abilities and confidence.
Team Development specialist
Facilitation of activities focused on analysing the team dynamic and letting team members collaborate and find strategies for higher productivity.
Coach
The coach supports the learner (usually called "coachee") to achieve their personal or professional goals through guidance, asking questions and listening.
L&D Generalist
This role specialises in one (or more) step(s) of the L&D cycle – analysis, design, delivery or evaluation. This role is typical in large organisations, where L&D teams work on massive projects with lots of stakeholders.
Which role sounds most appealing to you? Which one could have the most significant impact on your organisation?