Director, Learning and Development

Spencer Stuart is one of the world’s leading executive search consulting firms, placing C-Level and Board of Directors in the most successful companies across the globe.

As the leading search firm, Spencer Stuart prides itself on the ability to innovate and deliver superior, customer-valued solutions. Over the past several years, the Firm has significantly enhanced its offerings and capabilities. As this evolution continues, increased change management and professional development support will be needed to ensure the success of the Spencer Stuart team. There is a significant commitment and investment associated with equipping consultants, associates, analysts and the support team with the best learning and development in the industry. We have boldly embarked on a substantial and aggressive learning and development agenda. As such, we are very selectively looking to add a world-class learning expert to our team. The Learning and Development function within Spencer Stuart is responsible for learning strategy, curriculum, and delivery for all internal employee development across 56 offices in 30 countries. Since the inception of the function, learning and development within the Firm has grown considerably, impacting all elements of the business. The Director, Learning and Development serves as a business partner to key senior leaders and leads learning and development plans for targeted employee groups. The role also supervises teams to design, develop, and implement new learning initiatives. The Director, Learning and Development will work in conjunction with other learning team leaders on best practice sharing and global initiatives. The role reports to the Global Head of Learning and Development. This critical and highly visible position will have extensive exposure to all levels of the Spencer Stuart workforce across the regions and worldwide offices. The chosen candidate will play a key role in recommending programs that continue to foster Spencer Stuart’s reputation as an industry leader.

* Partner with extended business stakeholders to assess needs and develop learning and development plans. * Lead the design strategy, development, and implementation of key learning initiatives and training programs. * Coach and develop direct reports and lead project teams to ensure successful execution of learning and development solutions * Provide leadership and oversight on global projects and programs as needed. * Develop communication plans and customize messages for stakeholders. Ensure consistent and targeted communication with business leaders and training participants. * Collaborate with the extended learning team to prioritize learning and development initiatives based on business needs. Contribute to the overall strategic direction for learning and development within Spencer Stuart. * Lead external vendor relationships and work with content experts both inside and outside of the firm to create customized learning solutions. * Lead and facilitate training sessions of various types. This includes classroom and remote training, small groups, large groups. * Evaluate the success of training programs using various types of formal and informal techniques. Continually assess the longer-term effectiveness of programs and processes. Develop improvement plans where needed

* A bachelor’s degree coupled with a minimum of 10-12 years of business experience and 7-10 years of training experience, either as an in-house learning and development professional or consultant. A master’s degree or M.B.A. is preferred. * A minimum of 7-10 years of experience leading and managing teams of learning and development professionals. Must have strong intrinsic and working knowledge of learning theory, performance consulting, curriculum strategy, instructional design and delivery processes. * Knowledge of best-in-class practices for learning and development, including experience in developing or customizing various training modules on a variety of learning and development topics. * Experience leading training sessions on a variety of topics and in a variety of formats (classroom or remote), ranging from small-group facilitation to large-group presentations. * Experience in a professional services environment, with a variety of clients and individuals at all levels within the organization. * Has successfully managed complex projects involving multiple stakeholders across multiple geographies. The successful candidate will have a consistent track record of delivering on-time, high quality results. He/she must have demonstrated results in driving operational impact, bringing a strong mix of strategic and tactical skills. * Current expertise in determining the appropriate learning vehicles and delivery channels to achieve desired performance (instructor-led courses, eLearning, blended, informal resources, or other performance improvement interventions). * Experience developing and delivering learning programs to experienced, discerning professional workforces, with a bias toward experience in a partnership model that exists within professional services firms. He/she must have the ability to establish peer credibility with senior firm leaders. * Must be an experienced people leader with strong coaching and mentoring skills. The successful candidate will be able to provide motivating direction to the team. * Interest and willingness to travel, including occasional global travel. **Critical Competencies for Success** * Leadership/Team Management: Lead and motivate direct reports and project team members * Clearly articulates goals and objectives, and manages individuals to achieve them by partnering and collaborating with colleagues to get the best results; providing individual coaching; and offering timely feedback. * Uses management experience and business knowledge to leverage strong legacy relationships, informal networks and diversity of work, in the midst of steep individual development. * Project and Organizational Leadership: Deliver all projects in a timely manner and on budget, in an environment where there is a high degree of change and competing demands for time by: * Being clear about the scope of the project, deadlines, deliverables and resources, and communicating these to those impacted (e.g., team members and sponsors). * Being a credible business partner through understanding the Firm’s needs and the business generally, and maintaining a big-picture perspective. He/she must proactively identify potential issues that impact the business, and be sought after for guidance/input from “line” roles. * Engaging Firm leaders by thinking from their perspectives, tailoring communication style accordingly, and prioritizing content of communication effectively. * Learning and Development Expertise: Demonstrate domain expertise in the areas of learning and development. He/she must understand individual development life-cycle, and have a track-record of designing and delivering effective learning solutions for professional service organizations. * Leverage a range of formats and input from within and beyond the Learning and Development team, and incorporate these into the finished product. * Demonstrate flexibility in accommodating the clients’ needs, and pushing back appropriately when the clients’ needs are unreasonable or cannot be met. * Continue to build subject matter expertise in new or increasingly complex topics by regularly devoting time to learning, and then using that knowledge to improve and innovate.