Learning & Development Manager - Product & Process

Employment Type: Salaried
Work Arrangement:  Remote 

Position Summary:

The Learning and Development Manager is responsible for effective execution of the Operations HR Long Range Plan (LRP) and the Operations L&D LRP to deliver capability to the organization by partnering with assigned facilities to help skill building in the areas of process and product knowledge. Partners with Operations, Quality and R&D leaders to identify and address operational product and process knowledge gaps, absence of or unavailable training content, and adequate training resources. Identify knowledge gaps to design and build content and training programs to help plant training resources with content to build skills/knowledge, tools and product knowledge within Functional Excellence initiatives. The Learning and Development Manager will be responsible for partnering with R&D and Engineering to support the identification of development opportunities and to roll out national L&D initiatives.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Partner with R&D and Engineering to ensure that content is available to teach product and process knowledge to prepare plant teams to understand the products that they produce. As part of onboarding, job skills training and ongoing development, ensure that teams understand product chemistry, ingredient functionality, and process steps required to produce our products with consistency and within specification. Incorporate process and product knowledge into job skills training identified through skills gaps resulting from quality and financial data indicating process problems. 
• Identify training delivery methods and modalities to support initial skill gap closure and then incorporate into onboarding where applicable so that every new employee understands products that they are making, ingredient roles and formulations, and the criticality of the order of addition and process steps.
• Responsible for the design, development and production or training materials, documents and training content at each site to ensure consistency, quality of content and delivery methods meet and support the overall L&D plan for Product and Process knowledge and Functional Excellence platforms. 
• Develop program to incorporate Certified Trainer Program to build SME level roles at each facility to ensure that every person producing our products are qualified to produce products and that each plant has the capability to deliver training without external support.
• Ensure that data points are available to indicate the effectiveness of the training built/delivered and work with others to identify ROI on an ongoing basis.
• Support a continuous improvement culture by partnering with operations leaders to identify Continuous Improvement activities.
• Approximately 25% travel required, with more frequent travel in the first year to support projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• 5+ years of relevant work and of increasing responsibility.
• Bachelor's degree preferred in training, education, psychology, business management or related field.
• Experience in a food manufacturing environment is required.
• Ability to present ideas, coach and deliver messages related to performance in individual and/or group settings.
• Experience working with and delivering training/information to peers, hourly teams and management.
• Prefer experience with alternative training methods to help enhance the learner experience and provide a "safe to fail" learning experience.
• Experience with content design software (Articulate or similar programs).

Knowledge and Skills:

• Must be able to take complex material and processes and translate that material to an understandable learning method.
• Organization, self motivation and capability to work in a rapidly changing environment with the ability to effectively interact with and influence all levels of the organization.
• Strong interpersonal, coaching, collaboration and negotiation skill.
• Exceptional written, oral and interpersonal communication skills at all levels of the organization and with individuals and group settings required.
• Ability to be a trusted advisor and consultative business partner to all functions within the facility.
• Self driven and committed to providing the highest level of service while remaining aligned with the overall goals of the L&D organization.
• Demonstrated expertise in utilization of learning systems and capable to design, develop and implement learning programs and strategies.
• Sound knowledge of learning metrics, performance tracking, data integrity and process improvement methodologies.
• Knowledge of adult learning processes, instructional design techniques and evaluation methodologies.
• Effective presentation and persuasion skills are necessary as this role requires the ability to influence without authority.
• Supervisory and leadership skills development for frontline supervision, to aid in career development and succession planning.

Why Join Us:

Ventura Foods innovates and manufactures food solutions for foodservice and retail businesses. We make exclusive products for the world's most iconic restaurants and retailers, we provide ready-to-go product solutions for professional kitchens, and we make consumer brands everyone knows and loves. When you work for Ventura Foods, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth because you invest in ours.

Ventura Foods offers career growth opportunities as well as competitive compensation and benefits:​

• Medical, Prescription, Dental, & Vision – coverage beginning on your 1st day for eligible employees
• ​Profit Sharing and 401(k) matching (after eligible criteria is met)​
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays​
• Employee Appreciation Events​ and Employee Assistance Programs
• Salary Base Range of $95,234.65 - $148,795.48*
• Annual bonus (based on the incentive program terms and conditions)

*The “base salary range” provided above is a good faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position in the specified markets. Ventura Foods reserves the right to pay outside of the given range based on a variety of factors including but not limited to: candidate skills and experience, complexity of the job, budgetary factors, and location/geography. Ventura Foods conducts regular reviews of compensation ranges and therefore reserves the right to alter this range at any given time.

Diversity & Inclusion:
Our commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment in which all employees are treated with respect is evident in our company culture and values. We believe that fostering an environment of inclusion and a focus on diversity across our organization is vital to attracting top talent, driving innovation, and meeting the high expectations of our customers in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.