Training Development Director

Day to day, you're leading the content side of training — deciding what gets built, how it's designed, and whether it works. The work is more focused on the craft of learning design than on program operations: developing learning objectives, building instructional frameworks, designing content that applies to real job scenarios, and working with subject matter experts to translate expertise into learnable content.

The rhythm mixes design work (developing curriculum, writing learning objectives, producing content) with review and iteration cycles (SME review, stakeholder feedback, pilot delivery and adjustment) and production management (working with vendors, LMS teams, and content development partners). Each major program moves through a development cycle that can take months from needs analysis to launch.

The core challenge is the gap between what subject matter experts know and what learners can actually absorb and apply. SMEs often want to include everything; designers must make difficult decisions about scope, sequence, and depth. Keeping content focused on what learners need to do differently — rather than what experts find interesting — is the discipline that makes training actually work.