Training Development Specialist

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 320,000 students in 600+ schools and employing approximately 40,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments - student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.
Located within the Talent Office, the Training and Development Team acts as an employee's compass to career success with CPS. By offering a robust set of professional and leadership development opportunities, this team carries out the district's commitment to developing high-quality, prepared, diverse learners and leaders who are set up for long-term career success.
Reporting to the Training Manager, the Training Development Specialist will be responsible for the development of training programs tailored to the unique needs of the organization and its employees. Working closely with the Training Manager, this position will identify and develop entry-level and advanced-level courses, determine course needs and appropriate delivery methods, assess and enhance the quality of training programs including e-learning, virtual and instructor-led sessions. The Training Development Specialist will also collect and analyze participation and performance data to support continuous improvement efforts in areas such as content and methods of training delivery.
The Training Development Specialist will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Support and participate in the design, evaluation, implementation, administration, and facilitation of district-wide learning programs to support and facilitate the professional development of our staff members, ensuring opportunities available appeal to various adult learning styles.
• Coordinate logistical details surrounding the execution of training, such as organizing content and materials, managing training schedules, and booking trainers
• Collaborate with school-based and central office departments/stakeholders to assess specific training needs, evaluate training solutions, and improve the efficiency of existing course designs; assist with transferring courses into online formats, improving, adapting, and creating course content for multiple delivery methods.
• Consult with subject-matter experts (SMEs) as necessary to ensure the accuracy of training content developed to meet stakeholder needs
• Create learning materials such as courses (including visual and audio aspects of the presentation), curriculum, guides, job aids, and/or learning tools defined with documented learning objectives.

• Continuously improve upon training materials and content, identifying and closing gaps in knowledge through the creative use of various training solutions.
• Design, develop and edit/update instructional materials, training modules, e-learning modules and online courses using YouTube and/or other webinar, video-enabled platforms.
• Write effective and compelling instructional text, audio scripts/video scripts.
• Utilize adult learning theories and practices to foster an environment that is conducive to adult learners.
• Utilize pre- and post-training surveys to gather feedback from trainers and trainees regarding each educational session; maintain an accurate record of participant and performance data collected, and report out on this data as needed
• Develop ongoing methods for utilizing the data captured to measure the success of new and existing trainings, determine the return on investment (ROI), and inform recommendations for continuous improvement
• Collaborate with talent office leadership to support training and development initiatives.
• Perform additional ad hoc duties as assigned.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Training Development Specialist must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is required
• Degree focus in Business or Human Resources is preferred

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience developing and facilitating training and instructional materials utilizing best practices of instructional design and digital marketing, including the following, is required:
• Experience in event planning, project coordination and/or coordinating training logistics
• Experience in digital marketing, human resources, employee development and/or employee programming, preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of adult learning theories and their effective application in the development of trainings, learning tools, and resources
• Highly organized with keen attention to detail; capable of effectively managing multiple projects simultaneously, driving them to completion and successfully meeting objectives
• Results-driven self-starter that demonstrates initiative and produces high-quality work
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills; capable of communicating a broad range of topics with learners/participants of varying skill levels
• Strong active listening skills; capable of interpreting stakeholder needs and translating requests into effective training solutions
• Capable of success as a collaborative member of a team or working independently with minimal supervision
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills; ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps to drive and support continuous improvement
• Ability to develop, maintain and enhance department website(s), tools and resources, including producing high-quality instructional materials
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with a variety of constituent groups, including external partners; commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity Experience with G-Suite, Microsoft Office, Survey platforms, and advanced knowledge of PowerPoint/Google slides required
• Knowledge of multimedia design tools is preferred

Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. "Up-to-date" on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.