Learning & Development Manager

Who we are:

The California Dental Association is a membership organization that represents 27,000 of the state’s best and brightest dental professionals and champions the oral health of the communities they serve. As the largest state dental association in the U.S., CDA delivers remarkable advocacy initiatives, fierce protection, innovative education and expert guidance to our members. Founded in 1870, CDA has innovated and grown into a family of companies that includes the association, The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC), TDIC Insurance Solutions, Rotunda Partners and the CDA Foundation.

We’re a mission-driven organization that’s here to empower our members and support their practices, dental teams, profession and patients. By making today easier and tomorrow better for dentists, our employees make a meaningful and direct impact on the health of others.

At CDA we seek out, welcome and invest in talented individuals across unique specialties and prioritize diversity in our hiring practices. We know our employees are integral to our success, and we value their individual talents while encouraging a collaborative, inclusive, respectful and forward-thinking culture. We’re proud to be recognized as a Best Place to Work for factors like our people practices, work environment and trust in senior leaders.

If you’re excited to share your talents at a dynamic organization that’s leading the way in oral health, we invite you to apply to join us.

Company Benefits:

At CDA, we offer a robust benefits package that enhances overall employee well-being and provides options to meet the needs of our diverse workforce. We listen to our employees on matters of wellness and devote time and resources to continuously evaluate our benefits to ensure we can best support their work-life goals.

• Remote and hybrid flexibility and technology to support remote work
• Generous time off program starting at 22 days of PTO and13 paid holidays (includes a floating holiday and winter closure)
• Highly competitive medical, dental and vision plans, including FSA and HSA account options
• 401(k) plans, with a generous match and safe harbor contributions upon eligibility
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness programs, including incentives and an In-Shape Family Fitness discount
• Opportunities for professional development, training and leadership skill-building
• Critical illness, accident, life, pet, short term and long-term disability insurance options
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for support navigating day-to-day challenges

The Learning & Development Manager, Education & Events, partners with the enterprise of subject matter experts, leaders, and stakeholders to design, deliver, and continuously improve high-quality educational programs for CDA members. This role leads the evaluation, development, and execution of learning experiences across modalities—including online self-study, webinars, instructional video, in-person programs, and blended learning solutions—supporting the professional growth of dental professionals.

Working closely with the Director of Educational Programs, this position aligns learning strategy with organizational priorities, revenue goals, and the CDA member value proposition. The ideal candidate is a strategic, data-driven leader who thrives in a collaborative environment, applies proven instructional design methodologies, and brings curiosity, creativity, and passion to advance learning and development.

Universal Competencies:

• Collaboration: Proactively engages with an iterative mindset to enhance ideas and achieve organizational results; Cultivates relationships, builds partnerships, shares and learns without boundaries.  
• Service: Focusing on meeting needs and exceeding expectations for those served inside and outside the organization.  
• Respect: Embracing others for their true authentic self; nurture and promote an environment that values diversity of thought, input, experience and expertise. 

• Critical Thinking (Decision Making): Decides with intention, reflection and reason while maintaining a big-picture mindset; clarifies purpose, evaluates alternatives and analyzes risks.
• Interpersonal Skills (Influence): Inspires action to achieve organizational goals and desired outcomes; demonstrates expertise and earns respect; socializes ideas and brings others along.
• Innovation Skills (Embraces Change): Contributes to an environment that promotes and enables transformation; pursues new and better ways of working.

Essential Functions – must be able to perform with or without a reasonable accommodation:

Education Strategy & Program Leadership

• Partner with the Director of Educational Programs and key stakeholders to research, forecast, and define future education products aligned with member needs, strategic initiatives, and revenue goals.
• Partner across the CDA Enterprise of collaborators to ensure alignment, increase transparency, strengthen transparency, and develop products and services that serve our member needs.  

• Maintain and seek expertise on immerging Learning and Development innovation, educational delivery models and formats.
• Develop, maintain, and manage education strategy, roadmaps, and project plans to ensure initiatives are delivered on time, on budget, and within scope.
• Lead and support internal education workgroups, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, data review, and decision-making to inform program development and prioritization.
• Collaborate with the Market Insights team to analyze industry trends, member data, and research findings to inform program proposals and product strategy.
• Collaborate with marketing and sales teams to support the positioning, promotion, and communication of education programs and products.
• Proactively contributes to organizational initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Stay current about emerging innovations and developments in education and actively share relevant insights and best practices with others.

Instructional Design & Curriculum Development

• Design and deliver instructionally sound learning journeys, courses, and programs using established methodologies (e.g., ADDIE, Agile) across virtual, in-person, and blended formats.
• Partner with internal and external subject matter experts to define learning outcomes, identify relevant content, and develop comprehensive curricula that support organizational goals.
• Support the development and enhancement of CDA Presents, in-house programs, regional offerings, and new education initiatives.
• Conduct program evaluations, analyze performance data, and provide recommendations for continuous improvement and future development.
• Provide on-site educational and production support for speakers and programs at in-person events.
• Collaborate closely with events operations and logistical leads before, during, and after programs to ensure high-quality learning experiences for CDA audiences.

Online Learning & Learning Systems

• Lead and support stakeholders in the development of the annual webinar and online learning calendar.
• Partner with stakeholders to plan, produce, and deliver high-quality virtual learning programs.
• Collaborate with the Director of Educational Programs and LMS Operations Lead to enhance online learning strategy, content, and learner experience.
• Analyze LMS data and key performance indicators; develop dashboards and reports to assess program effectiveness and inform process and quality improvements.
• Develop and maintain learner-facing resources, technical documentation, policies, procedures, and playbooks related education and events.
• Collaborate with Director, Educational Programs to develop curriculum, content and resources for online learning.  

• Partners with the Director of Educational Programs and LMS Operations Lead to: 

• Identify and communicate opportunities for process and quality improvements, providing feedback on usage, defects, and suggested enhancements 

• Analyze LMS data, create reports and dashboards, recommend process improvement solutions.
• Analyze key performance indicators of the online learning library and prepare and deliver reports on a regular basis.    

• Create and update resources to train and support learners on how to use the technology for online and professional development 

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in English, Organizational Development, Communications, or related experience 
• 3-5 years of demonstrated experience in a learning or instructional design capacity  

• Technical proficiency in course authoring tools such as Articulate 360 (Storyline and RISE), Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator), Camtasia, etc. 

• Technical skills in virtual training platform and live training session delivery, such as Webex, Zoom, and Teams 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive knowledge of Instructional Design methodologies and learning principles 

• Demonstrated experience building eLearning strategy and implementing content to further goals and initiatives on behalf of business partners  

• Experience supporting and producing virtual events and programs in sales and marketing of live and virtual events/tradeshows and/or online learning  

• Experience with project management and collaboration tools (Basecamp, Sharepoint, JIRA, etc) 

Working Conditions:       Occasionally (1-33%)              Frequently (34-66%)                Constantly (67-100%)

• Constantly sitting 

• Occasional overnight travel  

• Required to periodically travel to CDA offices 

• Comfortable in a matrix organization 

We Are CDA

Over our 150-year history, the California Dental Association (CDA) has become a leader in oral health throughout California and the country. Today, we continue to support our community of over 27,000 dentists through our family of companies, which include The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC), TDIC Insurance Solutions, Rotunda Partners and the CDA Foundation. At CDA, we value individual talents, encouraging a diverse, collaborative, and innovative work environment fueled by new ideas. As our organization continues to grow, we invite you to be a part of what’s next.

CDA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and providing a safe work environment. CDA does not tolerate discrimination or harassment and all employment decisions are based on job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sex, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, veteran or military status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at View email address on californiadentalassociation.applytojob.com.

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