Training Manager

Join the Associated Materials Innovations team at Associated Materials, LLC, and be AMazing with us!

Who We Are

At Associated Materials Innovations, we combine our rich history in innovation with an unwavering commitment to continuous improvement of the customer experience. For decades, we have provided vinyl windows, siding, and metal building products that have helped build homes and communities across North America.

As a leading manufacturer of exterior building products and preferred product manufacturer for Alside, you'll have the opportunity to contribute ideas in a welcoming and supportive work environment driven by safety and our core values. Join the AMI team where you can be AMazing as we shape our future together.

Position Summary:

Associated Materials (AMI) makes exterior building products for new construction and repair and remodel. ASCEND® Composite Cladding is a premium brand in our portfolio and a priority for growth. ASCEND already has deeper training inventory than any other AMI brand. We are building ASCEND University to turn that inventory into a program that trains AMI sales, distributors, builders, and installers, and in time helps customers train their own teams. We are looking for a senior training leader to build it and lead it.

The manager owns the "what and why" of ASCEND University: the multi-year plan, what gets built and for whom, the quality bar for every course and certification, and the results training delivers in adoption, sales effectiveness, and installation quality.

The manager works as a peer with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Technical leaders, leads the Trainer, and answers to executive sponsors for results. About 30 to 40% of the role is spent in the field delivering training and visiting customers, so every decision stays grounded in what happens on sales calls and jobsites. When a program is not working, the manager sees it first and changes course.

This is a people-leader role with one direct report.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and roadmap

• Own the multi-year ASCEND University plan, built in three phases: Foundation (Year 1), Scale (Year 2), and Sustain & Enable (Year 3).
• Decide what gets built, in what order, and for which audience. Approve all new courses, tracks, and certifications.
• In Year 1, audit and repackage existing ASCEND content by audience, survey Sales and customers on needs and gaps, and finalize the ASCEND Value Story.
• Stand up ASCEND University as a branded program with a clear catalog, learning paths, and certification tracks.
• Lead the path to customer self-service, where distributors and key customers train their own teams.

Governance and standards

• Hold final decision rights on curriculum quality, certification rigor, and content lifecycle review.
• Shape the curriculum across commercial capability (selling skills, customer engagement, competitive positioning, value proposition, launch readiness) and technical enablement (product knowledge, installation best practices, assessments, digital content library).
• Make sure every module frames the competitive set and every technical claim has approved proof behind it.

Content strategy and development

• Own the ASCEND University content strategy: what is taught, to which audience, in what format, and how courses build into learning paths and certifications.
• Lead content development from needs analysis through design, build, pilot, and release, drawing on subject matter experts, Technical Services, and outside vendors.
• Build a reusable content library of modules, facilitator guides, job aids, assessments, and certifications, packaged by audience.
• Develop launch training for every product and color launch as part of the stage gate process.
• Set content standards with the ASCEND brand team and Technical Services: templates, voice, and accuracy review.
• Plan content for mobile and customer self-service delivery as the program scales.

Deployment and delivery

• Define what each audience gets: internal sales teams, new hires, field teams, distributors, builders, installers and contractors, and key customers. Each has its own depth, format, and certification path.
• Match delivery to topic and audience: live virtual, on-demand, instructor-led corporate, regional workshops, on-site customer training, and jobsite coaching. High-touch where it matters, digital scale everywhere else.
• Build and lead the train-the-trainer program. Certify AMI sales as field trainers first, then extend to distributors and key customers.
• Launch the full corporate 2 to 3 day training program.
• Own the deployment plan: rollout sequence by audience, region, and channel, with targets for reach, completion, and certification.
• Set the deployment calendar with Sales leadership and channel partners so training lands when it drives sales.
• Launch onboarding tracks for new AMI hires and for distributors.
• Direct the Trainer's execution of the plan, review results, and adjust where programs fall short.

Field delivery

• Spend a defined share of time, about 30 to 40%, delivering training and visiting customers, distributors, and jobsites.
• Bring what the field shows back into curriculum, product, and launch decisions.

Stakeholders and launches

• Serve as the accountable owner to executive sponsors. Report progress and results to senior leadership.
• Partner with the ASCEND brand team so launch training is ready on day one and is part of the stage gate process.
• Partner with Technical Services so installation and spec content stays exact.
• Partner with digital and IT teams on the learning platform, including LMS access through Compass and mobile delivery.

People, budget, and results

• Lead the Trainer. Set priorities, decide where delivery time goes, and coach for growth.
• Own the ASCEND University budget. Manage training as an investment, not a discretionary cost.
• Own the measures: adoption, certification, and business outcomes such as product adoption, sales effectiveness, installer engagement, warranty and service cost, and launch success.
• Report outcomes, not activity. Show what training drove and what will change.

Minimum Qualifications

• 10 or more years in training, sales enablement, or technical training, with at least 5 years leading programs or people. Ideally in building products, home improvement, or another category sold to pros through distribution.
• Has built a training or certification program from the ground up and can show the adoption and business results it delivered.
• Has led a train-the-trainer program that extended reach well beyond the core training team.
• Has designed curriculum that covers both commercial skills (selling, value story) and technical skills (product, installation).
• Knows how distributors, dealers, builders, and pro contractors buy, learn, and install.
• Has the standing to work as a peer with sales, marketing, and product leaders, and to present to executives.
• Is at ease with numbers. Can set up a measurement framework, read learning platform and sales data, and explain what it means in plain words.
• Is a strong facilitator who can teach a room of sales reps or a crew on a jobsite.
• Writes clearly and edits others' work hard.
• Bachelor's degree in business, education, marketing, or a related field. Instructional design certification or MBA a plus.
• Willing to travel about 30 to 40%.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong knowledge of adult learning principles and instructional design, including blended learning models.
• Experience designing certifications and assessments that measure real capability, not just completion.
• Experience with learning management systems, virtual delivery tools, and on-demand content production.
• Ability to turn business priorities into a focused training roadmap with clear measures of success.
• Experience with exterior cladding or other building envelope products. Hands-on installation knowledge a plus.
• Experience supporting products through a stage gate launch process.
• Ability to lead change across sales teams and channel partners who do not report to you.

About Us

When you join AMI, you are part of a leading North American manufacturing business of vinyl windows, cladding, metal siding, trim and other essential exterior building products for residential, light commercial and multifamily projects. In 2022, we introduced our composite cladding system, a first-of-its-kind solution featuring exclusive (GP)2 technology. Headquartered in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, AMI is part of Associated Materials, LLC, which owns and operates 10 manufacturing facilities in North America including a distribution center.

Associated Materials Innovations ... Building Products Better

Associated Materials, LLC. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by local law, regulation, or ordinance. We also make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees and applicants, as required by law.

Additional Information