About the Role
SME is seeking a hands-on Senior Learning & Development Specialist who can independently turn business needs into effective, practical learning experiences. This is a high-ownership individual-contributor role for someone who can identify a need, recommend an approach, create the content, coordinate the logistics, facilitate the experience, measure results, and improve the program over time.
You will have meaningful autonomy and influence, but this is not a role that manages a team or delegates content creation to an internal production staff. You will personally design and develop e-learning, facilitator guides, job aids, assessments, communications, and other learning materials, while partnering closely with leaders and subject-matter experts across the organization.
The right person brings both sound judgment and a willingness to roll up their sleeves. They are comfortable working from a broad objective rather than a detailed script, can make practical decisions, and take pride in delivering high-quality work from concept through launch.
This position is based in our Plymouth, Michigan headquarters office.
What You’ll Do
- Own the day-to-day design, delivery, administration, and continuous improvement of SME’s learning and development programs as a hands-on individual contributor.
- Meet with leaders and subject-matter experts to understand performance, skill, onboarding, and professional-development needs; translate those needs into practical learning recommendations and project plans.
- Personally create and maintain learning materials, including e-learning modules, facilitator guides, participant materials, job aids, assessments, slide decks, communications, and other performance-support resources.
- Facilitate live and virtual learning experiences for employees and leaders, adapting content and delivery based on audience needs and feedback.
- Coordinate and continuously improve biweekly new-hire orientation, helping ensure each new employee receives consistent, engaging, and well-organized onboarding experience.
- Administer and improve the Schoox Learning Management System, including course setup, content maintenance, assignments, learner support, reporting, and data accuracy.
- Manage the practical details that make programs successful, including schedules, participant communications, materials, vendors, offsite logistics, and follow-up actions.
- Partner with service-group leaders to build customized learning resources and development experiences that support business priorities.
- Lead the execution and improvement of internal professional-development programs, including offsite learning experiences.
- Use participation data, learner feedback, and business input to assess program effectiveness and make informed improvements.
- Manage external training vendors and resources when internal development is not the best solution.
- Contribute to broader talent-development and organizational-effectiveness initiatives, including support for succession-planning processes.
What Will Help You Succeed
- 5–8 years of progressively responsible experience in learning and development, talent development, instructional design, organizational development, or a closely related field.
- Demonstrated experience taking a learning initiative from initial business need through design, content development, launch, facilitation, measurement, and improvement.
- A portfolio or work samples showing personally created learning assets, such as e-learning modules, facilitator guides, job aids, slide decks, learner communications, or assessments. Finalists may be asked to share representative examples of their work.
- Proficiency with e-learning authoring tools, such as Articulate Rise or similar platforms, and comfort rapidly learning available tools and technologies.
- Experience administering or supporting a learning management system; Schoox experience is preferred.
- Strong facilitation and presentation skills across varied audiences, including new employees, individual contributors, and leaders.
- The judgment to determine when a simple job aid, a manager conversation guide, a facilitated session, a digital module, or an external partner is the best solution.
- Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and make progress amid incomplete information.
- Strong writing, visual communication, project-management, and stakeholder-management skills.
- Comfort working in a lean environment where you will personally perform both strategic and detailed execution work.
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Education, Business, Communications, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will also be considered.
SME’s Core Values:
- Honesty and Integrity
- Respect
- Selfless Service
- Teamwork
- Practical Solutions
Benefits:
At SME, we believe that taking care of our employees is the cornerstone of our success. Our commitment to your well-being goes beyond a job — it’s about helping you thrive both personally and professionally. We offer a benefits package that is not simply meeting an expectation, but a key component of your overall job satisfaction.
SME offers its employees:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits after 30 days of employment
- SME covers the premium cost of medical insurance for employees and their families
- 401(k) with company match
- Yearly profit-sharing contributions to 401(k)
- Yearly performance bonuses
- Annual wage evaluations
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Competitive Paid Time Off
- Volunteer Time Off