About Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing job training, employment placement, and support services for individuals with disabilities and other barriers to employment. With a focus on empowering individuals to achieve greater independence and inclusion in the community, Ohio Valley Goodwill has been serving the Greater Cincinnati area for over 100 years.
POSITION SUMMARY: (WHAT, HOW, WHY)
The Learning Specialist supports their assigned department by coordinating, implementing, and supporting onboarding, training, and continuous development programs for staff across the department’s teams. This role strengthens the capability, confidence, and performance of employees, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and tools required to perform high-quality work.
In partnership with department leadership, the Learning Specialist ensures training aligns with OVGI's mission, service philosophy, operational excellence standards, and regulatory requirements. This role serves as a key contact throughout the onboarding journey and works closely with directors, managers, and cross-departmental partners to cultivate a culture of continuous learning grounded in OVGI Mission: Eliminate Barriers, Empower People, Elevate Human Potential.
This position directly supports Retail Operations. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys helping others learn by doing and is passionate about building strong, capable teams. This position requires travel to locations across our region on a consistent basis.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
TITLE OF SUPERVISOR:
Director, Learning and Development
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
Verbal and written directives
SUPERVISION EXERCISED:
CLASSIFICATION DIRECTLY SUPERVISED:
None
CLASSIFICATION SUPERVISED BY SUBORDINATES:
None
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LICENSING REQUIREMENTS:
- Prior training, coaching, or facilitation experience is required
- Experience at Goodwill is a plus
SKILLS:
- Patience and approachability in working with employees of all skill levels
- Clear and confident communication skills
- Enthusiasm for teaching and empowering others
- Brings high energy and positivity to training sessions; sets the tone by modeling the excitement, curiosity, and commitment expected in the field
- Adaptability and willingness to adjust to different learning needs
- Consistency in delivering expectations and reinforcing standards
- Coachability and openness to feedback
- Basic digital literacy skills
- Basic Microsoft Office (especially Word, PowerPoint, and Excel)skills, with willingness to learn more
- Comfortable learning and modeling use of software programs
ESSENTIAL DUTIES:
Onboarding and New Hire Support
- In collaboration with leadership, maintain and update onboarding materials, manuals, training checklists, and documentation to ensure consistency and quality
- Design and implement a structured 30-, 60-, and 90-dayonboarding plan for new hires, emphasizing skill development, confidence building, and job-specific competencies
- Establish onboarding touchpoints that assess learning needs and provide support, serving as a resource for new hires and their managers throughout the process
- In partnership with managers and the L&D team, create systems and tools to support tracking of onboarding progress and coaching effectiveness
- Train managers to support onboarding and training of new hires within their teams
Training Delivery and Continuous Development
- Deliver hands-on training to new and existing employees
- In collaboration with leadership and the L&D team, coordinate a training calendar and facilitate ongoing professional development opportunities aligned with strategic priorities
- Adapt and adjust training approach to meet different learning needs and employee skill levels
- Build capacity by developing others within the department who can provide ongoing coaching and support when the trainer is not present
Content Development and Quality Assurance
- In partnership with leadership, ensure training content goes beyond compliance requirements and reflects innovation, best practices, and skillful application in day-to-day work
- Collaborate with the appropriate compliance, quality, or regulatory partners to ensure training aligns with applicable requirements and internal policy
- In collaboration with the L&D team, create accessible, user-friendly training materials such as guides, micro-learning videos, e-learning modules, and job aids
- Manage and update digital learning resources, including modules, handouts, and checklists
Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
- Track training participation, outcomes, and feedback to refine learning content and approach
- Audit training effectiveness by periodically observing performance and providing coaching support to managers
- In collaboration with managers and the appropriate compliance, quality, or regulatory partners, support continuous improvement strategies and corrective action training plans
- Contribute to audit, inspection, or review preparation by ensuring staff understand and meet required standards
Collaboration and Strategic Support
- Participate in relevant meetings to align goals and share insights
- Collaborate with leadership and the L&D team to identify ongoing training needs and contribute to continuous improvement of onboarding and training strategy
- In partnership with the L&D Director, contribute to long-term training and development initiatives, such as defining role competencies, supporting career pathway development, and exploring innovations in learning strategy
PERODICAL DUTIES:
- Support new location openings, remodels, or transitions with training and onboarding assistance
- Other duties as assigned
WORK HOURS & BENEFITS
Usually Monday through Friday, but evenings and weekends as needed
WORKING CONDITIONS: (SITTING, STANDING, WALKING, OVERTIME, ETC.)
The hours are typically during normal business hours, but may need flexibility to meet retail scheduling needs.
Environment: ☒Office; ☒Warehouse/Processing; ☒Retail; ☐Manufacturing/Assembly; ☐Outdoors
Please complete application and attach resume with detailed work experience. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the position.
EEO Employer/Vet/Disabled
Skills Required
- Prior training, coaching, or facilitation experience
- Patience and approachability when working with employees of all skill levels
- Clear and confident communication skills
- Enthusiasm for teaching and empowering others
- High energy and positivity when delivering training
- Adaptability to different learning needs and employee skill levels
- Consistency in delivering expectations and reinforcing standards
- Coachability and openness to feedback
- Basic digital literacy skills
- Basic Microsoft Office skills, especially Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
- Comfort learning and modeling software programs
- Experience at Goodwill
What We Do
Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries is an employment and training center serving more than 3000 individuals annually with disabilities and other barriers to employment including our nation's veterans. Goodwill supports its mission of service to the community by raising 90% of its operating funds through its network of 19 retail stores and 30 attended donation center locations. In addition, Goodwill raises vital funds through its weekly Auto Auction on Saturday mornings. See www.goodwillcars.com for more information. The organization not only offers a comprehensive array of services designed to help people to achieve personal success including Vocational Evaluation, Skills Training, Job Placement as well as Job Coaching services, it also offers Business Services through its Industrial Services division. Fulfillment including assembly and packaging as well as Total Facilities Management can be provided through Ohio Valley Goodwill's Business to Business services. See www.goodwillb2b.com for more information. Goodwill has been providing outstanding, award-winning programs and services in the Greater Cincinnati area for more than 100 years and takes great pride in the successes of the men and women it serves. For more information or to schedule a tour, please visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org or call (513) 771-4800.
