Full Job Description
Benesch is proud to announce the opening of a position for Staff Learning & Development Manager in our Chicago office! This position is hybrid and has work from home flexibility.
Position Summary:
Do you thrive on being involved of all facets of professional learning & development? Do you find excitement in providing career development, advising and professional skills training? Do you have experience in law firms, corporate or academic environments and want to take your skill level to the next level? Then our Staff Learning & Development Manager opportunity is the position for you! Benesch is looking for someone to join our HR team and provide support to the firm's staff to reach their professional goals.
The Staff Learning & Development Manager is a key member of the Human Resources team, responsible for leading and executing the Firm's performance management and learning strategy for staff. This role oversees the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the performance review processes, professional development programs, and non-timekeeper staff skill building initiatives. The Staff Learning & Development Manager will partner with firm leadership and HR colleagues to deliver impactful learning programs and strengthen managerial development efforts.
Essential Responsibilities:
1. Partners with leadership to identify skill and competency gaps among support staff and establishes learning and development initiatives that build capability and confidence.
2. Leads the firm's annual performance management process for support staff, including communications, training for managers, cycle coordination, and follow-up to ensure consistency and quality.
3. Capable of managing the design, coordination, delivery, and evaluation of firm-wide learning programs for support staff, including workshops, skill-building sessions, and professional development opportunities.
4. Builds and creates learning modules utilizing various firm systems and tools.
5. Administers the firm's SkillPath learning subscription, including user setup, curation of recommended learning paths by role/level, and regular reporting on enrollments, completions and utilization trends to HR leadership.
6. Partners with managers to promote SkillPath content aligned to performance and development goals, monitoring course completion and incorporating learning data into talent discussions and coaching conversations.
7. Manages the Bundle 1:1 coaching program end-to-end, tracking enrollment, session utilization and feedback, and escalating low participation to department leaders.
8. Generates key takeaways, themes and future development opportunities upon an individual's completion of the individual coaching program.
9. Designs and facilitates HR-specific and managerial trainings that can be delivered in person, virtually, or via the firm's LMS platform.
10. Assists with maintenance and update of the Benesch Learning Center, including reviewing learning modules, designing new on-demand learning content, updating content in the Center, running and analyzing reports, and promoting staff engagement with the Center.
11. Provides administrative and logistical support to training programming as needed. This may include calendaring, reviewing content and collecting program information from presenters, serving as an attendance monitor, handling invitee communications in a highly responsive and organized manner, managing technology coordination, and assisting with catering or room reservations.
12. Manages relationships with external training providers and consultants, as well as with software vendors, to ensure quality programming.
13. Evaluates the effectiveness of training programs with collection and analysis of feedback.
14. Tracks training engagement and assures all training records are thorough and stored properly.
15. Leads the design and implementation of career pathing frameworks for support staff, helping define competencies, growth criteria, and development plans that promote retention and advancement.
16. Stays informed on best practices in learning, performance management, and organizational development, sharing recommendations to strengthen the firm's people programs.
17. Other duties and projects as assigned.
Qualifications
The Staff Learning & Development Manager should hold a bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Learning & Development, Organizational Psychology, Business, or a related field, with a SHRM or HRCI certification preferred. A minimum of seven years of progressive human resources experience, including at least five years focused on learning and development, training, or organizational development. Proven experience managing performance processes, facilitating employee development within a professional services or multi-office environment is required. A strong understanding of coaching principles, and performance management in a professional services setting is essential. The role requires outstanding interpersonal, facilitation, and presentation skills, along with the ability to build trust and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization. Proficiency in Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams is expected. Familiarity with learning or talent development platforms and content creation tools is required.
The salary range for this position is $127K to $160K.
Please note that quoted salary ranges are based on Benesch's good faith belief at the time of the job posting and are not a guarantee of what final salary offers may be. Base pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Base pay is only one part of the Total Rewards that Benesch provides to compensate and recognize our staff professionals for their work. Full-time positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package.
