Reser's Fine Foods - Job Description
Title: Director- Learning and Development FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Corporate Job Family: Human Resources
Reports to: VP- Human Resources Career Track/Level: M5
Job Summary:
Responsible for leading the enterprise learning and development strategy, programs, and team in support of business needs across the organization. Provides leadership for team members over three core areas: professional/leadership training and development programs, technical training for key enterprise systems, and oversight of the production skills-based training program. This role partners closely with Operations, HR, and various functional leaders to understand business priorities, identify capability gaps, and design practical learning solutions that support performance, productivity, employee development, and operational excellence.
Essential Position Functions:
1. Leads the enterprise learning and development function, including strategy, program design, delivery, governance, and measurement across professional, leadership, technical, and skills-based training programs.
2. Provides leadership and direction to learning and development team members, including coaching, performance management, prioritization, and alignment of work to business needs.
3. Builds strong relationships with management teams to understand production priorities, workforce needs, skill gaps, and operational challenges that can be supported through effective training solutions.
4. Partners closely with Operations to oversee the skills-based training program, ensuring training requirements, job qualifications, learning paths, and documentation support safe, consistent, and effective performance in production environments.
5. Develops and manages professional and leadership training programs that strengthen employee capability, improve leader effectiveness, and support career growth across the organization.
6. In partnership with the Information Systems team, provides leadership for staff supporting technical training programs for key enterprise systems, partnering with system owners and functional leaders to ensure employees have the knowledge and tools needed to effectively use business-critical systems.
7. Conducts ongoing learning needs assessments with operational, functional, HR, and senior leaders to identify training priorities and ensure learning programs are aligned with business goals.
8. Designs, implements, and continuously improves training programs, learning paths, materials, tools, and delivery methods to meet the needs of diverse audiences, including production, technical, professional, and leadership groups.
9. Establishes metrics to evaluate program effectiveness, learner outcomes, operational impact, adoption, compliance, and return on investment, and uses data to improve programs over time.
10. Oversees learning technology, including learning management systems and related tools, ensuring systems support training delivery, tracking, reporting, documentation, and operational training needs.
11. Manages learning and development projects, including budgets, timelines, resources, communications, vendor relationships, and change management activities.
12. Identifies and manages external training vendors, consultants, and partners where appropriate to support enterprise learning priorities.
13. Collaborates with HR and business leaders to support employee development, succession readiness, workforce capability, and retention through practical and business-aligned learning solutions.
14. Monitors emerging learning trends, tools, and technologies and assesses their value for improving training effectiveness, access, and scalability.
15. Establishes and communicates strategic plans and clear performance objectives for the team to achieve, ensuring understanding and buy-in. Ensures team members have the resources, information, and support needed to achieve objectives.
16. Supports the development and career growth of team members by providing opportunities to learn, regular and timely performance feedback and coaching, ensuring succession planning is in place for the team.
17. Managerial responsibility for staff employment decisions in accordance with company policy.
18. Performs special projects and other related duties, as assigned.
Education and Experience:
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required. Master's degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in learning and development, including program design, delivery, implementation, and evaluation.
• 5+ years of prior management experience leading learning and development teams.
• Prior learning and development experience in a manufacturing environment required, with an in-depth understanding of production operations and how to design and support programs to support a production floor workforce.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with Operations, site leadership, and cross-functional teams to assess business needs, identify skill gaps, and implement practical training solutions.
• Experience supporting technical training for enterprise systems, including partnering with system owners and functional leaders to drive adoption and effective use.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Strong knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design, blended learning approaches, skills-based training programs, and learning measurement methods.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong presentation, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to build trust, influence others, and maintain strong working relationships across a wide variety of audiences, functions, sites, and levels of the organization.
• Works independently and exercises sound judgment in planning, prioritizing, directing, and coordinating learning and development activities.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office products, learning management systems, and general office technology and equipment.
Physical Demands and Working Conditions:
• Office environment.
• Must be able to sit and stand for prolonged periods.
• Travel including local and overnight up to 20%.
Exempt only: This position is eligible for a bonus based on company goals/performance.
