Lms Professional Learning Specialist

About Our Organization:

At Youth Guidance, we believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly-trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the youth. We meet kids where they are - physically and emotionally - to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924 today Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 8,500 youth while touching the lives of more than 14,000 youth, parents, teachers, and community members.

Position Summary:

The LMS Professional Learning Specialist is responsible for the oversight of Evolve Central, the Evolve project's virtual learning platform, including technical support for internal and external partners and creating, managing and maintaining eLearning and webinars for school partners. Evolve is Youth Guidance's innovative approach to scaling social-emotional learning circles to improve student outcomes. Youth Guidance virtually coaches and trains 2-3 school staff per school to facilitate Evolve circles while also providing virtual training to school staff on creating healing-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive schools.

The LMS Professional Learning Specialist will lead this effort, working collaboratively with the Systems Administrator, Manager of Curriculum Design, Director of Professional Development and Curriculum Design, Director of District Partnerships, Evolve Evaluation Manager, and design consultants.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities

• Develops a comprehensive virtual training strategy and learner experience that aligns with program core values and social-emotional learning competencies
• Develops training materials consistent with adult learning principles
• Coaches Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum Specialists on effective online training delivery, tailoring for adult learners with diverse educational backgrounds
• Develops and implements metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of trainings and continuously improves content and delivery methods

• Manages LMS enrollment processes for learners, in collaboration with the Evolve Systems Administrator
• Works collaboratively with the Evolve Evaluation Manager to iterate training modules as warranted
• Collaborates with the Manager of Curriculum Design, Director of Professional Development and Curriculum Design and design consultants to ensure that best practices in the fields of social-emotional learning, diversity, equity and inclusion, positive youth development, trauma-informed care and evidence-informed interventions are integrated into virtual learning tools
• Participates in ongoing staff development, as needed, to stay current with ongoing program area trends
• Assures the agency's core values and key concepts are interwoven into program design and implementation, as allowed by program stakeholders
• Supports, builds, and shares best practices for positive student outcomes.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor's degree in education, training and development, course planning, online learning media creation or related field
• 1-3 years of work experience in education, human service, youth development, or social service field with experience in or with an urban education system preferred
• Professional experience in educational/instructional technology, distance learning or related field strongly preferred
• Professional teaching and/or training facilitation experience (in-person and online) preferred
• Previous experience operating a learning management system (LMS) and creating SCORM in eLearning authoring tools (e.g. Articulate Storyline and Rise 360) strongly preferred

Skills/Abilities

• Possesses excellent analytical and organizational skills.
• Proficient with technology and systems with an emphasis on an ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Strong service and support orientation towards students, school staff and school communities.
• Effective communicator, with excellent verbal and written skills to communicate effectively and with integrity across various audiences.
• Demonstrated experience with organizing projects in a fast-paced environment, including excellent follow-up and follow-through.
• Highly organized with proven ability to handle multiple tasks, handle pressure and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adapt during new and shifting priorities with a "can-do," solution-oriented approach to problem solving.
• The ability to work well both independently and cross-functionally.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Demonstrated passion and dedication to the agency's mission and the continuous improvement of service quality.
• Strong coaching skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills that excel in cultural sensitivity and respect for differences.

Competencies

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal and external audiences and stakeholders; demonstrates empathy and listening
• Client orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize impact
• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if change is required; demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn
• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work ensuring delivery of high-quality work
• Mission driven: Demonstrates commitment to the mission of the organization as a whole and alignment with organizational values

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This job operates in a professional office environment, school setting and working with the public, COVID-19 vaccination is required
• Occasional local and national travel

DEI Statement

At Youth Guidance, we understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We celebrate the diversity of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences. At the same time, we acknowledge that many systems and institutions meant to support youth are inequitable and unjust.

As such, we are committed to advancing DE&I through our words and our actions, both internally and externally, by:

• Strengthening cultural competence as well as policies, practices, and organizational structures that foster belonging and leverage the unique backgrounds and talents of staff;
• Offering youth-centered programs that are accessible and responsive to people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, abilities, sexual identity, gender identity and expression, language, and cultural and religious beliefs and practices;
• Influencing systems that youth, their families, and communities are impacted by, such as schools, organizational networks, governmental bodies, researchers, and the funding community, to apply approaches that embrace DEI in addressing the needs and supporting the aspirations of young people.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Youth Guidance does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity along all of these lines. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.