Director, Learning and Development

Title: Director, Learning & Development

Overview:
 As the Director, Learning & Development at Barber National Institute, you will support our mission of “Making Dreams Come True” by establishing and advancing an enterprise learning strategy that equips staff with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to provide exceptional, person-centered services to the individuals and families we serve.

In this role, you will provide strategic leadership for the Learning & Development function across Barber National Institute. You will establish learning priorities, oversee the development and evaluation of learning programs, set standards for instructional quality and learning technologies, and align learning investments with organizational goals, workforce needs, regulatory expectations, and operational priorities.

You will lead and develop the Learning & Development leadership team while serving as a strategic partner to senior leaders and service lines across the organization. You will oversee the organizational learning ecosystem, including orientation, onboarding, required learning, role-specific competencies, professional development, leadership development, and certification pathways.

You will establish effective approaches to learning governance, measurement, and continuous improvement, using learning analytics, workforce information, participant feedback, and organizational trends to identify capability gaps and guide decisions. You will also monitor external trends, regulatory developments, and emerging practices to identify opportunities to strengthen BNI’s learning strategy.

As a senior Human Resources leader, you will help address workforce and culture challenges while ensuring Learning & Development resources, technology, and programs support BNI’s broader organizational priorities. Occasional travel between Barber National Institute locations and regional representation with external partners may be required.

Candidates must reside within commuting distance of one of Barber National Institute’s three primary office locations in Erie, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; or Philadelphia, PA.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong strategic thinking and enterprise leadership skills with the ability to translate organizational priorities into clear learning strategies, goals, and measurable outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design, curriculum development, blended learning, competency-based learning, and learning evaluation.
• Ability to build effective relationships with senior leaders and diverse cross-functional partners while influencing decisions and gaining organizational alignment.
• Strong leadership and coaching skills with the ability to develop leaders, establish expectations, provide feedback, and foster professional growth.
• Strong communication, facilitation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to evaluate workforce and learning information, recognize trends, and use insights to guide priorities and investments.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify organizational capability gaps, assess risks, and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Strong understanding of regulatory and agency-mandated learning requirements and their impact on organizational readiness.
• Strong financial stewardship, resource planning, and vendor management capabilities.
• Knowledge of Learning Management Systems, HRIS platforms, learning technologies, reporting tools, and digital learning delivery.
• Ability to establish consistent learning standards, processes, and quality expectations across programs and locations.
• Ability to foster a culture of continuous learning, accountability, psychological safety, and professional growth.
• Ability to represent Barber National Institute professionally with community partners, trade associates, regulatory entities, provider coalitions, and other external stakeholders.
• Commitment to BNI’s Core Commitments, including collaboration, transparent communication, problem-solving, adaptability, confidentiality, and ethical judgement.
• Willingness to travel occasionally between Barber National Institute locations and attend external meetings or events as needed.

What you’ll have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Education, Instructional Design, Human Resources, Learning Technologies, Organizational Development, Business Administration, or related field required.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of eight years of progressively responsible experience in Learning & Development, instructional design, workforce education, learning operations, or related disciplines, including at least four years of leadership experience overseeing learning programs, teams, or complex learning initiatives.
• Experience leading enterprise or multi-site learning programs in a regulated organization preferred.
• Experience overseeing required training, compliance learning, role-specific competencies, professional development, leadership development, or certification programs preferred.
• Experience supervising, coaching, and developing Learning & Development professionals and/or leaders.
• Experience establishing learning strategies, standards, processes, and performance measures across multiple programs or organizational functions.
• Experience managing learning resources, budgets, vendors, technology, and other operational investments.
• Experience using Learning Management Systems, HRIS platforms, learning analytics, reporting tools, and other learning technologies.
• Experience using learning data, workforce information, participant feedback, and performance measures to evaluate learning effectiveness and inform organizational decisions.
• Candidates without a preferred master’s degree may qualify through additional progressively responsible experience demonstrating advanced expertise in learning strategy, instructional design, learning operations, and enterprise learning leadership.
• CPTD, APTD, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or related Learning & Development certification preferred
• Ability to facilitate and participate in in-person and virtual learning activities.
• Ability to occasionally lift and carry materials weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Ability to successfully complete all required regulatory and agency-mandated clearances, including criminal background checks, child abuse clearances, and fingerprinting, as applicable.

A typical day-to-day may include:

• Establishing enterprise Learning & Development priorities, strategies, standards, and measurable outcomes aligned with organizational goals and workforce needs.
• Leading the development and delivery of orientation, onboarding, required learning, role-specific competencies, professional development, leadership development, and certification programs.
• Leading, coaching and developing the Learning & Development leadership team while managing resources and supporting effective execution.
• Establishing instructional design, curriculum, facilitation, and learning technology standards that promote consistent, engaging, accessible, and effective learning experiences.
• Overseeing processes for required learning, including completion tracking, documentation, reporting, and organizational readiness for applicable agency requirements.
• Partnering with Governance, Risk, Compliance and Service Line leadership to assess regulatory changes and determine appropriate learning responses.
• Establishing learning measurement practices and reviewing completion data, competency assessments, participant feedback, and other indicators to evaluate program effectiveness.
• Partnering with senior leaders and service lines to identify workforce capability gaps, performance challenges, leadership development needs, and professional growth priorities.
• Overseeing Learning Management Systems, learning technologies, and related processes to support data integrity, efficient workflows, and positive user experiences.
• Managing Learning & Development budgets, vendors, resources, and technology investments.
• Monitoring external learning trends, regulatory developments, industry practices, and emerging technologies and translating relevant findings into recommendations for BNI.
• Representing Barber National Institute with trade associations, regulatory entities, provider coalitions, community partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Partnering with Human Resources, Organizational Development, Information Technology, Finance, Strategic Communications, and other administrative teams to advance organizational priorities.
• Supporting senior leadership in addressing workforce trends, staffing and culture challenges, engagement, retention, and performance through strategic learning solutions.
• Promoting a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that reflects BNI’s mission, Core Commitments, and commitment to professional development.
• Serving as a strategic representative and brand ambassador for Barber National Institute by strengthening BNI’s visibility, credibility, relationships, and reputation within the community and broader regional market.
• Completing other related duties that support the mission and purpose of Barber National Institute.

Perks with a Purpose 
Our benefits are created with YOU in mind. 

Healthcare 
• Highmark Medical and Mental Health 
• Delta Dental and Davis Vision Coverage 

• Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Accounts 

• Teladoc Virtual Health 
Financial Well-being 
• 401K Retirement Plan with Employer Match   
• On-Demand Pay 
• Employee Referral Bonus Program 
• Student Loan Forgiveness 
• College Scholarship & Tuition Discounts 
• Employee Discounts 
Life & Family Support 
• Company Paid Life Insurance 

• Short & Long-Term Disability Insurance 
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Erie Campus*- discounted on-site weekday childcare 
• Employee discounts for select BNI events and services 

• Generous Paid Time Off  

• Seven Paid Holidays

Who is Barber National Institute?

The Barber National Institute is a non-profit committed to its mission of providing the highest quality services for children and adults with autism, intellectual disabilities or behavioral health challenges and their families. Since our founding in 1952, we have evolved into a multi-faceted organization serving more than 6,200 individuals annually with a wide range of educational, vocational, residential and behavioral health programs.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. If you need an accommodation to apply, please contact HR. EOE

Any consideration of the background check will be an individualized assessment based on the applicant or employee’s specific record and the duties and requirements of the specific job.