Manager, Learning Design Solutions

Manager, Instructional Design Innovation & Solutions, Assurant-GCC, India

As the Manager, Instructional Design Solutions, you will be instrumental in helping us to build out and shape our instructional design team which forms part of the broader Learning Design & Technology team that spans and supports the globe.

You will report to the Director, Learning Design & Technology and will be responsible for leading a highly skilled team in the design, rapid development, and delivery of blended learning solutions (i.e, digital, face to face, virtual, social, collaborative) which promote continuous performance support and on-going learning and adoption of transformation initiatives. Collaborating with Learning Consultants (LCs), and stakeholders from across the business and talent organization, you will use your expertise in the design of learning to lead your team to create and deliver simple, yet effective solutions.

This role will be responsible for the advancement of Global learning design, creating and developing holistic strategies and solutions to solve pain points and friction.

You will work in collaboration with the Talent Team and stakeholders to ensure timely delivery of solutions within the framework of the Global talent strategy and priorities. Acting as a consultant, adding value to discussions with business leaders, making compelling business cases for L&D solutions and offers insights and analysis to the business to aid effective decision making. You will support your team to deliver cutting edge learning programs' flawless development and execution.

This role will also act as dotted line manager for other Talent team resources in the geography.

This position will be Remote at our India location but we need candidates only from Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad locations.

What will be my duties and responsibilities in this job?

• People Leader 

Demonstrated leadership capabilities with proven potential to foster an environment of positive employee engagement and trust; excellent organizational and analytical skills and evidence of self-motivation; proven ability to plan, schedule, and work both independently and in teams. Experience leading multiple projects simultaneously, with the capacity to manage heavy workloads, prioritize tasks, effectively elevate risks and navigate obstacles; strong executive presence and stakeholder management skills; experience negotiating quality outcomes in a matrixed organization with diverse stakeholders at various levels of leadership.

• Instructional Design 

Use knowledge of behavior change principles, learning theories and mechanisms and nudge principles to inform the design of solutions across a broad 70/20/10 framework. Intakes, develops and manages end-to-end course development and design processes, for varied learning methods (ILTs, vILTs, Digital, Blended, Simulations, etc.) Works with time-effort estimates and oversees the execution at various phases of the project life cycle Performs high-quality review of all instructional materials, resources and activities Be an L&D specialist continuously championing learning outcomes and guiding stakeholders/SMEs in development of content, taking every opportunity to build purpose and L&D thinking into the solutions you’re delivering.

• Design Leadership 

Solid business acumen and influencing skills with a strategic mindset that result in strong leadership commitment and actions; able to work effectively with senior leaders, the HR community and peers to produce results Consults with business leaders, stakeholders, and SMEs to identify learning gaps, learning outcomes, course modality and high-impact learning practices. Uses this information to design/create impactful and sustainable learning experiences that lead to behavior change impacting business priorities/results Work in partnership with the Learning Consultants/Talent SME’s to fully understand learning needs to ensure solutions developed drive business performance and intended outcomes. Lead the management of projects within your team prioritizing tasks, managing time, cost and resource commitments to demonstrate best value. Drive pace within the team promoting pragmatism over perfection to achieve agility in delivering solutions.

• Innovation

Lead the development and implementation of innovative design strategies and practices to enhance learning experiences and outcomes. Implement emerging technologies and methodologies in instructional design practices to ensure we are offering cutting-edge learning solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams across TDOE to identify and address learning needs, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.

• Data & Reporting

Create and implement robust governance structure for data and reporting across the TDOE Org Partnering with the leadership team to develop automated and insightful dashboards that helps to measure our value and tell our story. Be the SME for all data related queries within TDOE and triage and prioritise needs as they arise.

• Program Management 

Leads end to end program management for assigned learning design projects to support enterprise capability/skill needs. Evaluates and integrates new training strategies, technologies, courses, products, and analytics as required to meet the training needs of all teams.

• Program Evaluation (working in partnership with Learning Consultants); 

Evaluates the effectiveness of learning products and programs by designing approaches to measure learners' reactions, the amount of learning and application that took place, understanding of the change, and the impact on the business results.  Identify and amplify stories of impact to showcase proof points of what's working well and how it is impacting business results. 

• Number of Direct Reports and Typical Job Titles

3 -6 direct reports

Typical job titles that report to the Manager, Learning Experience & Content Creation include: 

• Senior Instructional Designer
• Instructional Designer
• Graphic Designer
• Talent Analyst

What are the requirements needed for this position? 

• 7 + years of experience in a similar level role, executing the learning strategy
• Minimum seven years of recent experience in learning and development with focus on instructional design and development, and developing portfolios of learning solutions that span the depth and breadth of organizational capabilities.
• 6 -10 years’ experience in core instructional design function including training needs analysis, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating training or performance improvement programs
• Experience leading and defining the strategy for talent data analytics
• 2-5 years of leading a team or managing the work of others
• Expertise in rapid development authoring tools and LMS administration experience
• Excellent project management/organization skills with the ability to multi-task and manage time effectively.
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English 
• Experience developing learning program strategies and products that are scalable and sustainable in a high growth business environment
• Attention to detail and eye for visual design
• Strong initiative, consulting skills and drive for results
• Proficiency in the following tools is desired: Microsoft Office Suite, Articulate 360 Suite, Captivate, Camtasia, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Canva, Workday or other LMS systems

Skills and Competencies Include:

• Results Oriented:  Must be metrics driven utilizing benchmarking and analysis to assess program and solution efficacy and then create, revise and reshape L&D strategies and solutions to increase impact.
• Communicates Effectively: Expresses thoughts and ideas in a clear and concise manner and provides information to others in way that considers the needs of the situation and audience.
• Plans and Organizes: Manages work activities to reach a desired business objective on time, within budget and according to specifications.
• Strong Collaborator:  Seeks the opinions of others and engages colleagues, managers and employees to create buy-in, specifically when consensus cannot be reached.
• Influencing Skills: Can build value-based relationships and leverage them to get things done.
• Learn Continuously: Actively seeks out and takes advantage of various ways to quickly gain new skills and expand one’s knowledge.
• People Leadership:  Building, developing, and directing teams, preferably globally
• Customer Focus:  Builds strong relationships and partners to implement fit for purpose solutions to address specific audience needs.
• Resource Management: Able to manage and deliver on a broad portfolio of projects and project capacity and resource needs

What other the Preferred Experience, Skills, and Knowledge?

• Advanced degree preferred in adult learning, instructional design or related field  
• 7 years of instructional design experience in a Fortune 500 organization, preferably in the insurance and/or mortgage services industry 
• 5 – 7 years in a training and development function