Director, Learning & Development

Director of Learning & Development

Join the PRIDE and Brookfield Zoo Chicago's mission to ignite emotional connections with wildlife that spark conservation action while leading vital programs to protect endangered species. Our beautiful 235-acre campus offers a living classroom that is home to over 3,500 animals representing 500 species. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is embarking on a groundbreaking, ambitious Next Century Plan to achieve our vision. It is the beginning of an exciting transformative journey!

The Director of Learning & Development contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago ("BZC") by partnering with BZC staff, business unit leaders, Subject Matter Experts, and P&C staff to facilitate organizational development and increase workforce performance and employee engagement by designing, administering, coordinating, and evaluating high-quality training experiences.

Primary Job Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Partner with stakeholders to identify skills gaps and training needs across departments to align learning initiatives with operational needs and organizational priorities.
• Build scalable learning frameworks that align with company goals and support employees at every level, from frontline staff to leadership.
• Develop and implement a long-term strategic learning framework that accelerates capability growth and delivers on key institutional objectives. Develop and execute a multi-year organizational learning and capability strategy aligned to enterprise goals.
• Design, create, and implement comprehensive training programs (in-person workshops, e-learning, onboarding, leadership development)
• Spearhead change management, culture transformation, and leadership development that supports institutional growth. Collaboratively develop talent strategies that solve critical workforce challenges.
• Embed DEAI principles in every facet of learning and development practices.
• Ensure training initiatives strengthen regulatory compliance, mitigate risk, and support operational readiness.
• Deliver dynamic training sessions, facilitate interactive workshops, and lead engaging new hire orientation.
• Drive leadership continuity by fostering a culture of internal talent cultivation; coach and advise senior leaders on succession planning and development strategies.
• Position learning as a driver of operational performance, safety culture, and employee engagement.
• Define and implement strategic L&D KPI's that connect workforce training to measurable performance, engagement, and retention outcomes.
• Deliver executive-level insights on workforce capability and ROI, utilizing analytics to drive strategic, data-informed talent decisions.
• Oversee LMS strategy and digital learning technologies to ensure scalable, compliant, and high-quality user-centric experiences.
• Manage vendor relations, content licensing, and training resources.
• Manage the learning budget in partnership with P&C leadership.
• Actively monitor and adopt emerging e-learning technologies, tools, and industry trends to enhance instructional media and keep pace with best practices.
• Other related duties as assigned to ensure successful achievement of Brookfield Zoo Chicago's goals and objectives.

Position Requirements:

• High school diploma or educational equivalent (e.g., GED.) required. Bachelor's degree in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Instructional Design, Business Administration or related field, or eight years of equivalent experience required.
• Five years' experience in learning & development, instructional design, and/or organizational development that includes supporting senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Expertise in designing and delivering engaging, learner-centered educational experiences that drive performance.
• Skilled in virtual and in-person facilitation that encourages active participation, peer-to-peer learning, and high engagement.
• Experience in full-lifecycle training portfolio from onboarding to leadership development across multiple functional areas of a complex organization.
• Demonstrated capability in instructional design utilizing learning theory and e-learning software.
• Proficiency in designing and executing training needs assessment, leveraging data analytics and evaluation frameworks to track pre- and post- training metrics against organizational performance and ROI.
• English fluency at a professional working proficiency.
• Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.
• Valid driver's license required on date of hire. Illinois residents must possess a valid Illinois driver's license at the time of hire or must obtain one within 90 days of hire. A valid out-of-state driver's license is required at the time of hire for out-of-state residents.

Desirable/Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience using a Learning Management System and administration functions preferred.
• Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.

Additional Information: This position description summarizes the primary duties and functions of this position, but should not be considered a complete listing of every duty the incumbent may ever be called upon to perform. Must be able to work within a very fast-paced environment with rapidly shifting priorities. The position may require early mornings, evenings, and occasional Saturdays to meet the training needs of the organization. This position involves safely operating a golf cart to transport training equipment and materials to various locations within the Zoo.

Occupational Requirements: See Occupational Requirements Form.

Benefits Summary

We are pleased that you are considering joining our team at Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC). Below is a summary of the benefits we offer.

Non-Union Full-Time Employees

Time Away from Work: Paid Time Off (PTO): PTO is accrued based on Years of Service and pay grade on a per-pay-period basis starting on the date of hire.

Years of Service - Positions in Grades 01H-06 - Positions in Grades07H-14-14MT-15MT - Positions in Grades16H-17MT - Positions in Grades07H1-081 (10hr/day)

New hire- 5 years - 21 days - 26 days - 31 days - 18 days

Holidays: Non-union employees are eligible for eight paid holidays per year.

Employee Benefits: Coverage begins on the date of hire.

Medical Insurance: Employees may choose from one of two medical plans: Blue Cross-Blue Shield HMO or PPO Plan.

Benefit - Coverage Tiers Available - HMO Employee Cost (biweekly) - PPO Employee Cost (biweekly)

Medical Insurance - Employee, Employee + Spouse, Employee + Child(ren), Family - $48.82- $199.53 - $75.12- $296.58

Common Medical Event - HMO - PPO

Annual Deductible - $250 Individual/ $500 Family - In-Network: $750 Individual / $1,500 FamilyOut-of-Network: $1,500 Individual / $3,000 Family

Out-of-pocket-maximum - $1,500 Individual / $3,000 FamilyPrescription drug expense limit: $1,000 Individual / $2,000 Family - In-Network: $2,000 Individual / $4,000 FamilyOut-of-Network: $4,000 Individual / $8,000 Family

Doctors Visits - $40/ PCP visit$60/ Specialist visitNo Charge: Preventive care/screening/immunization - $30/ PCP visit; deductible does not apply$50/ Specialist visit; deductible does not applyNo Charge: Preventive care/screening/immunization; deductible does not apply.

Hospitalization - Facility Fee: $250/admission plus 20% coinsurancePhysician/surgeon fees: No charge - Facility Fee: 20% co-insurancePhysician/surgeon fee: 20% co-insurance

Dental Insurance & Vision Care Coverage: A PPO dental plan and an employee-paid vision care plan are available.

Mental Health: Support, counseling, and resources for life issues at no cost to you. Eligible employees and their immediate family have access to Perspectives, a dynamic Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) which provides 24/7, confidential care and resources to address work and life stressors.

Retirement Savings: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled at 6% on a pre-tax basis as soon as administratively feasible following date of hire. Employee Pre-tax and/or Roth after-tax contributions available. First of the quarter following one year of service, eligible employees receive regular matching contributions of up to 3%. The employer match for full-time employees is immediately vested.

Employer-