Associate Director of Learning & Development (AD, L&D)

Associate Director of Learning & Development (AD, L&D) The Hudson Valley Farm Hub is a nonprofit agricultural center dedicated to resiliency in the regional food system. Since the Farm Hub’s founding in 2013, they have converted the approximately 1600-acre farm operation to a multiyear rotation of organically grown grains, cover crops, and vegetables with an intensive focus on soil health. They prioritize partnerships with efforts towards the greater community of regional farmers, Hudson Valley neighbors, and the natural environment – advancing field research and innovation, providing training and informational exchanges for growers and community members, and supporting community resiliency. The land, previously Gill Farms, was purchased in 2013 with funding from NoVo Foundation as part of a broader commitment to sustainable agriculture, natural resource conservation, and thriving local communities. Now a subsidiary of NoVo, the Farm Hub collaborates with an ever-growing number of partners working in food and agriculture across the region, in nearby Kingston, and in the neighboring communities. The Role Hudson Valley Farm Hub is seeking an Associate Director of Learning and Development (AD, L&D). The AD, L&D serves as a key leader in stewarding Farm Hub organizational and employee learning, growth, and connection. This role develops, implements, and oversees the organization’s approach to internal learning programs, staff engagement, language access and inclusion, and reflection processes that strengthen their shared capacity to learn and fulfill their mission together. The AD, L&D focuses on organizational learning, development, and culture—helping staff and teams grow in ways that deepen alignment, connection, belonging, and purpose. In addition, the AD, L&D cultivates opportunities for staff to learn and grow their skills and experience, whether within their existing roles or as a pathway to advancement. In service of the organization’s learning and growth goals, the AD, L&D also leads the strategy, systems, and practices that enable a multilingual workplace, supporting staff to contribute, collaborate, learn, and feel a sense of belonging across English and Spanish. This role is distinct from the Farm Hub’s People Operations department, with the AD, People Operations leading recruitment, payroll/benefits, HR compliance, or employee relations work. The AD, People Operations and the AD, L&D are in deep collaboration to support the full employee experience at the Farm Hub – with each role being integral to fostering employee wellness, purpose in role, creativity, and psychological and physical safety. This role reports to the Vice President of the Farm Hub. Specific Responsibilities Include the Following: Learning, Growth, and Organizational Development Design and steward a holistic learning and professional development strategy that supports individual, team, and organizational development Lead internal education and growth programs, such as leadership and supervisory development, both/and complex thinking skill development, feedback training and practice, and role-specific skill building opportunities Develop and guide employee reflection and goal-setting processes, centering growth, purpose, and developmental goals rather than evaluation Foster reflective and experiential learning practices that strengthen communication, collaboration, and continuous improvement across teams Share knowledge of and apply organization development frameworks to deepen team effectiveness, role clarity, and alignment Position Specification Partner with the Vice President and leadership team to design and facilitate retreats, all-team meetings, strategic learning sessions, and organization-wide reflection processes (organizational “pulse checks”) Foster a culture that values curiosity, feedback, and shared accountability Collaborate with the Associate Director of People Operations to align organizational learning with engagement and people practices Align learning and organizational development efforts with the organization’s mission, strategy, and evolving needs Language Access, Inclusion, and Multilingual Workplace Strategy Partner with the Learning & Development Coordinator and Leadership Team to develop and steward the organization’s framework, strategy, and approach to fostering a multilingual workplace culture so that all staff, whether English- or Spanish-speaking, can fully participate in the organization’s work, sharing their wisdom in the language that they feel most comfortable and powerful Develop and iterate systems, tools, and processes that support effective multilingual communication across the organization Oversee the organization’s approach to providing language services (interpretation and translation) whether through contractors or through support from bilingual staff who have dual roles Develop and steward the Farm Hub’s expectations of and support for bilingual staff who do language work Oversee the development of interpretation and translation skills for staff, as relevant Champion and facilitate training on our multilingual strategy and practices Oversee English and Spanish language learning programs for staff as part of the broader L&D portfolio Guide teams in designing multilingual programs, events, meetings, and materials Gather feedback and consultation from staff to continuously improve the organization’s multilingual workplace practices Staff Engagement and Community Building Act as one of the stewards of the Farm Hub’s Staff Consultative Group, holding space for staff perspectives to shape organizational priorities and initiatives Oversee the planning and coordination of engaging, mission-aligned staff gatherings—including celebrations, cooking and eating opportunities, and community-building events – in alignment and collaboration with the Seeds & Engagement team Develop and steward systems for staff feedback, engagement, and cross-team communication that reinforce connection and shared learning Team Leadership and Administration Manage the Learning & Development team in ways that develop alignment and collaboration with their external programs Collaborate with the Director of Research, Education, and Grantmaking and the Director of Seeds and Engagement to cultivate a dynamic exchange of learning between internal and external programming, so that external program insights inform staff development efforts and internal learning strengthens public-facing work Supervise and mentor the Learning and Development Coordinator and Office Manager, supporting their growth and leadership Lead budgeting and work planning for Learning & Development team to ensure resources are responsibly stewarded and leveraged for the greatest impact, and in alignment with organizational priorities Develop and manage budgets; manage consultants and vendor relationships related to learning and development Actively participate in creating a culture of safety (both physical as well as emotional/psychological safety), including seeking out trainings or resources for themselves or their team Candidate Profile Experiences Candidates for the role must have demonstrated experience: Applying OD frameworks in team or organizational contexts Working within bilingual or multicultural environments; familiarity with and/or experience coordinating communication across languages, understanding of best practices for fostering a healthy multilingual workplace culture Training and collaborating with supervisors on employee development Supervising employees and understanding of best practices related to people management Designing participatory learning experiences across diverse roles, skill sets, backgrounds, and languages They must also have: A commitment to the organization’s mission to foster a resilient regional food system and to cultivating an environment of mutual respect, learning, and belonging A deep understanding of adult learning and organizational systems theory, with demonstrated ability to meet the learning needs of individuals with wide ranging levels of formal education The demonstrated ability to foster a work environment of mutual respect, team building, and collaboration; committed to a culture of continuous learning Strong facilitation, coaching, and group dynamics skills Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, though proficiency or fluency in both English and Spanish is strongly preferred Candidates for the role must: Possess a strong sense of self-awareness, humility, cultural competence, and sensitivity to power dynamics Exhibit high emotional intelligence and an understanding of others that enhances interpersonal communication and management abilities Embrace “both/and” thinking and the complexity of systems/culture change Be trustworthy, have a high degree of judgment, discretion and adherence to confidentiality Listen intentionally, be able to build consensus and navigate complex situations with grace and flexibility and have the credibility to influence the sector and provide critical thought leadership Relate openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people and building an inclusive culture Gain the confidence of others through humility, honesty, empathy, integrity, and authenticity Think creatively, flexibly, relationally, and strategically; has a commitment to fostering innovation and is able to bridge conceptual and practical dimensions of organizational work Be able to collaborate effectively while earning trust and confidence from the Executive, Leadership Team and all-staff Location and Compensation The position is in-person, with the successful candidate needing to be on-site on the Farm Hub (located in Hurley, NY). The compensation available for the role considers a variety of factors including, but not limited to, work location, individual skill set, previous/applicable experience, and other organizational needs. The estimated salary range for this role is $142,000-160,000. This range represents the Hudson Valley Farm Hub’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible base salary range at the time of posting and is one part of the total rewards the Farm Hub provides to employees. Contact Russell Reynolds Associates, the global leadership advisory and executive search firm, has been exclusively engaged to lead this search. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential. Interested candidates are invited to visit the Russell Reynolds Engage platform, accessible through this LINK . Candidates will first be asked to register and create a profile. From the home page, navigate to “Job Post” and enter the following career code: 2601-230NA to submit a resume for consideration. #J-18808-Ljbffr