Learning & Development Specialist IV

The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard. A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer‑first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high‑performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer‑first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference? Job Summary: The Learning & Development Specialist is responsible for providing consultative support to L&D and business operations leaders, driving recommendations on training approaches and strategies, design methodologies, training distribution and measurement/evaluation of training content. In this role, you will participate in projects focused on aligning learning and development solutions with strategic business priorities, provide training, guidance and leadership for team members as well as evaluating program effectiveness through surveys, interviews, focus groups and communication with business leaders. Key Responsibilities: Conduct full business and training needs analysis for large groups and department initiatives to determine optimal learning solutions and work phases. Evaluate existing training programs and leverage industry methodologies to design programs and business readiness strategies to meet the unique needs of each project or business area that align with strategic business objectives and initiatives. Manage the strategy, design, and development of new and continuing education courses and curriculum for both formal and informal training solutions using a variety of methods to enable effective learning for both new and experienced team members. Provide mentoring and skills development opportunities within the learning and development team, supporting all levels of peers. Evaluate and forecast team capacity and provide prioritization guidance to ensure timeliness of deliverables to stakeholders. Serve as a business partner to leadership, project teams, change management office, and stakeholders across the organization to facilitate the learning and development deliverables related to the business strategy. Consult with leaders to identify key stakeholders and conduct gap analysis to assess business readiness and provide recommendations to leaders on learning solutions and opportunities for continuous improvement. Conduct research, analyze data trends, identify root cause(s), and provide information to the business or project teams to initiate training action and ensure that each department’s goals are being met. Skills & Background You’ll Need: Education: Master’s degree or equivalent in Instructional Design or Andragogy Certification: Change Management or Project Management Certification is a plus Experience: 10+ years of relevant, progressive L&D experience. Solid understanding of instructional design principles, adult learning theory, and training methodologies with demonstrated experience in the development of training for adults in a business environment. Strong design and development skills to create training outputs in various methods and the ability to deliver training sessions effectively, facilitate group discussions, and engage training participants of varying skill levels. Hands‑on experience in conducting research, strategic planning, data gathering and analysis skills to integrate reports and data to support learning strategies. Strong familiarity with various forms of program evaluation and performance measurement systems and tools and experience managing external vendor partnerships. Prior experience providing coaching and strategic guidance across multiple stakeholder groups to drive successful learning and development programs from ideation to implementation. Skills: 5+ years of digital adoption platform experience (e.g., WhatFix, WalkMe) (required) 5+ year of Articulate experience (required) Advanced skills with MSOffice platform (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Adobe Creative Cloud & Articulate 360, and other learning tools (required) Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate: Winning Together: Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to build trust and effective partnerships with both internal and external stakeholders. Fosters teamwork, maximizes efficiencies, and works to promote collaboration between the L&D team and business partners to ensure team members are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Driving Success: Strong organization and project management skills and ability to effectively manage multiple initiatives simultaneously. Works effectively with leadership & stakeholders to address challenges, help drive process improvements, standards, methods, tools, and competencies. Is viewed as a subject matter expert with the ability to negotiate and influence management decision making. Improvement Mindset: Proactively identifies trends and patterns and provides analysis and recommendations to stakeholders and decision makers, to define, implement, and deliver on learning strategy. Thinks strategically and takes a proactive approach in gaining knowledge across multiple business lines and job functions to create programs that take us “next level.” Adaptability: Adapts quickly to changing priorities and is comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty driven by a fast‑paced environment and new challenges. Why Join The Standard? We have built an enduring legacy of stability, financial strength and exceptional customer service through the contributions of the service‑oriented people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect: A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions An annual incentive bonus plan Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee‑focused benefits support work‑life balance. Learn more about working at The Standard. Eligibility to participate in an incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program and plan. Any award depends on a variety of factors including individual and organizational performance. The actual compensation for this role will be based on a combination of education and experience, knowledge and skills, position budget, internal equity, and market data. Salary Range: $88,000.00 - $129,000.00 Positions will be posted for at least 5 days from original posting date. Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Mortgage Investors, LLC, StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., and American Heritage Life Insurance Company and American Heritage Service Company, marketed as The Standard, are affirmative action/equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. Except where precluded by state or federal law, The Standard will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. The Standard offers a drug‑and alcohol‑free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on The Standard's property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited. The Standard requires a criminal background investigation and employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. After any conditional offer of employment is made, the background check will include an individualized assessment based on the applicant’s specific record and the duties and requirements of the specific job. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain and correct background information. All employees of The Standard must be bondable. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Standard