Learning & Development Manager

Learning & Development Manager

• Education Program Development: Develop and maintain statewide education programs and accurate content focused on underground utility damage prevention, 811 software use, Colorado legal requirements, and industry best practices. Design curriculum for internal and external audiences across classroom, virtual, self-paced, blended, conference, and event-based delivery channels. 
• Learning Management System: Manage Colorado 811’s online Learning Academy and LMS-based course structure, certifications, content, reporting, and user experience. Partner with internal teams to support LMS selection, implementation, CRM integration, administration, and ongoing platform improvement. 
• Hands-On Course Development: Personally create, revise, and maintain digital, in-person, blended, video, and eLearning materials across multiple learning platforms, , including storyboards, slide decks, facilitator guides, participant guides, instructor notes, classroom activities, discussion prompts, quizzes, job aids, assessments, scripts, quick-reference tools, and LMS-ready content using platforms such as Articulate 360, SkyPrep, Camtasia, Loom, Zoom, Canva, Microsoft Copilot, Mindsmith, Synthesia, Microsoft PowerPoint, and similar tools. 
• Needs Assessment: Work with Data Analytics, Quality Assurance, the Contact Center, Member Services, SMEs, and staff to identify learner, content, performance, and resource gaps. Analyze findings to determine whether a learning intervention is appropriate and recommend learning priorities, audiences, deliver methods, and development solutions to the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director for approval. Lead implementation of approved initiatives. Player-Coach Collaboration: Work directly with SMEs, staff, committees, trainers, and stakeholders to define learning needs, extract critical information, ask targeted follow-up questions, identify gaps or inconsistencies, coach contributors, and rapidly convert raw SME input into clear, practical, learner-ready training materials. 
• Learning Partnership and Consultation: Serve as the primary learning and development partner across Colorado 811. Work closely with the Contact Center, Quality Assurance, Member Services, senior leadership, subject matter experts, and other departments to identify learning needs, gather operational evidence, capture expert knowledge, and develop effective learning solutions for different learner segments.
• Learning Intake and Prioritization: Establish and maintain a consistent process for receiving, documenting, assessing, and prioritizing learning requests. Evaluate requests against organizational priorities, learner needs, operational requirements, available resources, existing curriculum, and expected outcomes. Recommend priorities and sequencing to the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director and manage approved initiatives through implementation.Organization-Wide Training Materials Contact: Serve as the primary training materials and course content development contact across Colorado 811. Work closely with the Contact Center, Quality Assurance, Member Services, senior leadership, SMEs, and other departments to identify content needs, gather operational evidence, capture expert knowledge, organize complex information, and develop robust, evidence-based learning materials for different learner segments. 
• Training Calendar and Events: Develop and maintain the training calendar, including in-person, online, conference, and event-based education opportunities. Support educational training paths for excavator events, committee events, the annual Safety Summit, and other Colorado 811 programs. 
• Facilitation and Train-the-Trainer Support: Facilitate training sessions, workshops, stakeholder education events, staff training, and train-the-trainer sessions as needed. Prepare instructors and internal staff to deliver training consistently across digital, in-person, and event-based formats. 

• Learning Project Planning: Build and maintain practical project plans, workback schedules, task lists, and timelines that translate learning priorities into daily action steps, assigned deliverables, and measurable progress. 
• Daily Project Execution: Manage learning projects day to day from intake through launch, including scope, timelines, task assignments, milestones, stakeholder communication, issue resolution, testing, implementation, and post-launch follow-up. 
• Implementation Management: Drive implementation work for LMS activities, curriculum updates, certification programs, learning campaigns, stakeholder education, and course launches by tracking decisions, dependencies, deadlines, reviews, approvals, and handoffs. 
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate SMEs, vendors, trainers, reviewers, communications staff, technology partners, the Contact Center, Quality Assurance, Member Services, senior leadership, and department leaders on active workstreams, meeting preparation, content reviews, launch tasks, and follow-up items to keep projects accurate, timely, evidence-based, and aligned with learner needs. 
• Learning Adoption and Change Management: Partner with leaders and stakeholders to support adoption of new learning programs, systems, processes, certifications, and performance expectations. Develop communications, implementation of resources, stakeholder support, and reinforcement strategies to promote sustained adoption. 

• Curriculum Mapping: Work with the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director to maintain a practical curriculum map that defines course topics, learner levels, delivery methods, required content, review cycles, and learning outcomes. 
• Instructional Design and Build: Design and build classroom, virtual, self-paced, blended, and LMS-delivered learning with equal capability across digital and in-person formats, using deep knowledge of adult learning theory, instructional design models, cognitive load, learner motivation, accessibility, measurable objectives, scenarios, simulations, practice activities, discussion-based exercises, knowledge checks, assessments, facilitator resources, job aids, and learner-centered content standards. 
• Measurement and Continuous Improvement: Establish and maintain methods for evaluating learning effectiveness, including participation, completion, assessment performance, learner satisfaction, knowledge transfer, behavior change, adoption, stakeholder reach, and applicable operational or performance outcomes. Use data and feedback to identify improvement opportunities and make recommendations to learning programs, content, and delivery methods.  
• Course Standards and Version Control: Create and maintain practical standards for course intake, prioritization, templates, SME validation, approvals, version control, review cycles, publication, and retirement of outdated content. 
• Course Launch and Adoption Support: Develop launch checklists, communication materials, trainer preparation resources, and adoption support for new courses, certifications, platforms, and curriculum updates. Prepare trainers and stakeholders to implement updates consistently. 
• Budget and Vendor Management: Monitor assigned education budgets, vendor work, licenses, content-development expenses, and contractual deliverables. Evaluate external solutions and recommend when work should be completed internally or through qualified partners. 

• Player-Coach Leadership: Manage daily work priorities, instructional design assignments, trainer readiness, content quality, and delivery schedules while remaining directly involved in course design, content development, LMS updates, project coordination, and quality review. Escalate significant strategic, legal, budget, or organizational decisions to the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director as appropriate. 
• Team Supervision: Lead, supervise, and develop education staff, which may include instructional designers, curriculum specialists, trainers, and field-based liaison staff. Coordinate contractors, translation partners, and SMEs as needed. 
• Partnership Coordination: Coordinate with the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director, senior leaders, committees, members, and external partners to support education delivery, project execution, and Colorado 811’s Education and Damage Prevention Program. 
• Trainer Development and Standardization: Observe trainers, provide feedback, develop resources, and ensure consistent training delivery practices across instructors, locations, and learning formats. 
• People Leadership: Set goals, assign work, manage performance, conduct one-on-ones, support accountability, and develop team capabilities in instructional design, facilitation, technology, project execution, and stakeholder service. 

• Learning and Technology Expertise: Stay current on adult learning research, instructional design practices, eLearning standards, accessibility expectations, learning technology, AI-enabled content tools, LMS/CRM systems, 811 center operations, underground utility damage prevention, regulatory changes, and related industry trends. Ensure educational content remains relevant, accurate, accessible, and technology-forward. 
• Bilingual Content and Translation: Work with bilingual SMEs, instructor liaisons, and translation services to create accurate, standardized bilingual educational content and assessment materials across applicable delivery channels.
• Decision authority: This position makes recommendations and manages approved learning initiatives, curriculum updates, LMS activities, vendor coordination, training materials, and day-to-day project execution. Significant strategic, legal, budget, staffing, contract, or organization-wide policy decisions are escalated to the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director or other appropriate leadership for review and approval.
• Key working relationships: This position works closely with the Education and Damage Prevention Program Director, Contact Center, Quality Assurance, Member Services, Data Analytics, senior leadership, subject matter experts, committees, vendors, trainers, bilingual reviewers, and external stakeholders to identify learning needs, develop accurate content, support training delivery, and improve learning outcomes. 

• Location: Hybrid work environment (2 days in office, 3 days remote) based in Golden, Colorado, with a combination of remote work and in-person collaboration as needed. Must be located within reasonable commuting distance to Golden, Colorado. 
• Travel: Statewide Colorado travel is required to support conferences, stakeholder education, field-based training, committee events, internal staff training, and other Colorado 811 programs, or other business needs.   
• After-Hours Work: This role requires the ability and willingness to be available outside standard business hours on occasion, including evenings, nights, weekends, or other non-standard work periods, as needed to support training events, conferences, stakeholder education, LMS or learning platform activities, course launches, project deadlines, vendor or SME coordination, issue resolution, and other time-sensitive education or business needs. 

• Work is primarily performed in office, remote, training, classroom, conference, and stakeholder-event environments. 
• Regularly remain in a stationary position for extended periods while performing computer-based work, attending meetings, designing learning materials, or facilitating virtual activities. 
• Regularly operate a computer, keyboard, mouse, phone, headset, and other standard office or presentation equipment. 
• Regularly communicate verbally and in writing; read, review, and prepare documents, digital content, training materials, and reports. 
• Occasionally stand, walk, bend, reach, carry, set up, or move training materials, laptops, presentation equipment, supplies, or event materials, generally weighing up to 25 pounds. 
• Use visual and auditory abilities sufficient to access computer systems, review written and digital materials, communicate with employees and stakeholders, and facilitate or support training activities, with or without reasonable accommodation. 
• Navigate office, training, conference, and stakeholder sites as needed to perform assigned responsibilities during statewide Colorado travel. 

• Demonstrated success developing and implementing digital, in-person, blended, LMS-based, virtual, classroom, and event-based training, including eLearning modules, instructor-led materials, facilitator guides, participant guides, classroom activities, assessments, job aids, and adult learning content. 
• Advanced ability to interview SMEs, ask targeted clarifying questions, synthesize technical or operational information, resolve gaps and inconsistencies, organize raw expert input, validate accuracy, and quickly convert SME knowledge into accurate, practical, learner-ready content for multiple audiences and delivery formats. 
• Demonstrated ability to consult with leaders and stakeholders to diagnose learning and performance needs, distinguish training needs from non-training issues, and recommend appropriate learning or performance solutions. 
• Ability to facilitate training sessions, workshops, stakeholder education events, staff training, and train-the-trainer sessions as needed. 
• In-depth knowledge of adult learning principles, instructional design methodologies, learning science, curriculum standards and version control, needs assessment, learner motivation, accessibility, assessment design, evaluation practices, and customized training pathways. 
• Demonstrated ability to apply models such as ADDIE, SAM, backward design, or comparable approaches to independently create measurable objectives, engaging digital and in-person activities, scenario-based learning, microlearning, assessments, facilitator guides, participant materials, job aids, learner communications, and polished learning materials. 
• Strong hands-on project management capability, including daily planning, scheduling, task tracking, milestone follow-up, issue resolution, cross-functional coordination, vendor follow-up, budget awareness, stakeholder updates, and delivery of multiple concurrent learning initiatives. 
• Proven people management capability, including delegation, feedback, accountability, workload planning, performance support, team development, and creation of clear standards and repeatable processes. 
• Ability to balance hands-on production work with team leadership by prioritizing daily deliverables, coaching staff, reviewing work products, removing barriers, maintaining project momentum, and stepping in directly on high-priority design, LMS, or implementation tasks when needed. 
• Ability to develop learning analytics, dashboards, reports, survey summaries, and evaluation methods that measure participation, completion, assessment results, learner satisfaction, adoption, knowledge transfer, stakeholder reach, and program effectiveness. 
• Ability to evaluate learning technologies for usability, scalability, learner experience, accessibility, reporting capability, implementation effort, cost, data security, and fit with assigned learning projects and operational needs. 
• Demonstrated ability to responsibly use generative AI and digital content development tools while preserving subject-matter accuracy, organizational voice, data security, and human oversight. 
• Demonstrated willingness and ability to learn, understand, and support Colorado 811’s mission, the damage prevention industry, and evolving stakeholder needs. 
• Ability to develop learning content that supports compliance-sensitive topics by using approved source material, validating content with subject matter experts, maintaining accurate records, and escalating legal, regulatory, or policy questions to the appropriate internal decision maker. 

• Bachelor’s degree in instructional design, education, learning and development, organizational development, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education, certification, and professional experience. 
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in adult learning, curriculum development, instructional design, training project management, or training program operations, including substantial hands-on course design/build experience and at least two years of formal people supervision or comparable team leadership. 
• Experience using specific learning, project management, communication, content development, LMS, CRM, and AI-enabled platforms such as Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Planner, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com, SkyPrep, Absorb, Articulate 360, Mindsmith, Camtasia, Synthesia, Canva, Loom, Scribe, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoom, or comparable tools to design, build, manage, track, and report on learning projects. 

• Experience in partnership management, vendor coordination, contract negotiation, or implementation of third-party learning solutions. 
• Certification in learning and development, instructional design, project management, change management, LMS administration, or related discipline. 
• Nonprofit, association, utility, construction, safety, compliance, or stakeholder education experience.