Learning and Development Intern

Position Summary

Optimal Care Services (OCS), New York City’s largest provider of Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) services, is seeking a motivated intern to manage and enhance our Microsoft Viva Learning platform.

This is a hands-on role with real ownership. As the Learning & Development Intern, you will maintain OCS’s central training library, organize onboarding and professional development content, track training completion, and help ensure employees can easily access the resources they need.

A key project for this internship is supporting the launch of OCS’s new Early Intervention (EI) Division. You will help build the EI learning library, develop onboarding pathways for new staff, and track required training and credentialing requirements. This is a unique opportunity to help create a training program from the ground up while gaining experience in learning management, content organization, and workforce development.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Content Curation and Library Management

• Own the Viva Learning library: build and maintain a clear taxonomy of categories, tags, and collections so a SEIT teacher, a billing specialist, and a new hire each find what they need in under a minute.
• Source new learning material on an ongoing basis. from Microsoft Learn, LinkedIn Learning, third-party providers, and OCS's own subject-matter experts, and propose additions monthly rather than waiting to be asked.
• Vet every item before it is published: check accuracy, relevance to preschool special education practice, currency, accessibility, and licensing. Retire content that is outdated, duplicated, or unused.
• Publish internally developed content — recorded trainings, SOPs, policy walkthroughs, and onboarding materials — into the library with consistent titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and metadata.
• Maintain a content calendar so the library refreshes on a predictable cadence and seasonal needs (school-year onboarding, annual policy updates, audit season) are met ahead of time.
• Build the Early Intervention collection from scratch — source, vet, and publish content covering EI program fundamentals, the IFSP process, family-centered and natural-environment practice, and EI documentation standards, working with the EI Division leads to fill gaps as the division grows.

2. Learning Paths and Assignments

• Build role-based learning paths for the roles OCS staffs: SEIT teacher, related-service provider, Early Intervention provider and service coordinator, supervisor, billing and compliance staff, administrative support, sequencing content so each path is a coherent program rather than a list of links.
• Assign required training to the appropriate departments and cohorts, set realistic due dates, and coordinate with department managers before assignments go out.
• Track completions and follow up on outstanding assignments through reminders and escalation to managers, keeping the tone supportive and the records clean.
• Coordinate onboarding paths with the Human Resources Manager so every new hire receives a complete, current first-week learning assignment on their start date.
• Design the EI Division onboarding path as the division launches; a first-day-ready sequence for new EI hires that no one has built yet and revise it as the program takes shape.

3. Compliance Training Tracking

• Maintain the master schedule for mandated and regulatory training - NYSED, NYC DOE, and NYS DOH requirements, mandated reporter and child abuse identification, workplace harassment prevention, HIPAA and confidentiality, health and safety, and OCS internal policy attestations.
• Track Early Intervention requirements as a distinct track: training and credentialing tied to New York State Department of Health Bureau of Early Intervention and NYC Early Intervention Program participation, provider approval and renewal dates, and any EI-specific documentation training. Keep this record audit ready from day one rather than reconstructing it later.
• Track completion status by employee, department, and requirement, and produce audit-ready documentation that stands up to review by NYSED, the NYC DOE, the NYS DOH, or our external auditors.
• Work with the Compliance Manager on training-related audit requests and on evidence retention: what was assigned, to whom, when it was completed, and where the record is stored.
• Surface gaps early: flag approaching deadlines, lapsing certifications, and staff who are at risk of falling out of compliance before a deadline is missed.

4. Usage Reporting and Adoption

Turn Viva Learning analytics into a monthly dashboard covering active users, completion rates, most- and least-used content, and adoption by department.

• Report findings to HR leadership with recommendations: what to promote, what to retire, where a path is too long, and where a department needs a nudge.
• Promote the platform internally through Teams announcements, short how-to guides, and periodic "what's new in the library" communications that staff will open.
• Gather staff feedback through short surveys and direct outreach and close the loop by acting on what you hear.

Qualifications and Requirements

Required

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program — education, instructional design, human resources, information systems, library and information science, communications, or a related field.
• Available for 20–25 hours per week on a consistent weekly schedule during OCS business hours, including at least three days on site.
• Strong organizational instincts and genuine attention to detail — this role is judged on whether records are accurate and content is where it should be.
• Comfort with Microsoft 365, particularly Teams, SharePoint, and Excel; ability to learn Viva Learning administration with training and documentation.
• Clear written communication — you will write content descriptions, staff announcements, and reminder messages that hundreds of employees read.
• Discretion with confidential employee and training records.

Preferred

• Coursework or experience in instructional design, curriculum development, adult learning, or knowledge management.
• Familiarity with learning management systems, SCORM content, or digital content curation in any setting.
• Interest in special education, early childhood, early intervention, or health and human services.
• Basic comfort with data such as pivot tables and simple dashboards.

Success Measures

At the end of the first semester, a successful Site Manager will have:

• a library with a documented taxonomy, no broken or outdated links, and a written content standard others can follow
• published learning paths for at least three OCS roles, with onboarding fully covered
• a working Early Intervention section — content, onboarding path, and compliance tracker — ready for the division's first cohort of staff
• a compliance tracker that gives leadership an accurate completion picture on demand, without a scramble
• a monthly usage report with recommendations, and measurable growth in staff engagement with the platform; brought in new material, on their own initiative, that staff use and ask for more of.

Compensation and Terms

• $20.00 per hour, the OCS standard student rate.
• Paid sick leave in accordance with New York State and New York City law.
• Academic credit supported where the student's institution permits; OCS will complete required school documentation and supervisor evaluations.
• Mentorship from the Human Resources Manager and exposure to compliance, finance, and operations leadership.
• Schedule flexibility around examinations and academic deadlines, arranged in advance.

To Apply

Submit a resume and a note describing a time you organized information for other people to use, and one piece of learning content you would add to a library like ours. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Optimal Care Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applicants regardless of economic, linguistic, and cultural differences or physical, learning, and emotional challenges.