Director of Adult Learning and Development

Description
About Noble Schools

Noble's mission is to ensure that all students have equitable and positive school experiences that equip them to complete college and lead choice-filled lives. Noble serves more than 12,000 students and 23,000 alumni across 17 open-enrollment, free, public charter schools in Chicago. We are proud to be recognized nationally for college access and persistence. 98% of our graduates are accepted into college and the graduating classes typically earn over $500 million in college scholarships.

At Noble "antiracism" isn't a buzzword. We have made significant policy and structural changes to demonstrate our commitment to anti-racism and fighting the systemic inequities in the communities we serve. These changes include building curricula that welcomes and affirms each student's unique identity, and ensuring that all our community members - including students, families, and staff - have the space to be their authentic selves, ensuring that their voices are heard. Join Noble in supporting the growth of our students, staff and communities!

Role Overview

At Noble, we know that great people are at the heart of our success. We are seeking our first Director of Adult Learning and Development (L&D) to shape and elevate how we grow and develop our talented staff. Reporting to the Chief People Officer and as a member of Noble's People Team, this leadership role will set the vision for adult professional learning and development across Noble, ensuring our people have access to high-quality, impactful development opportunities at every stage of their careers.

At Noble, a lot of our development work happens inside of departments with the technical experts in that department at the helm. While the Director of Adult L&D may execute on development personally, this role is more about finding connections between what we already offer, developing new offerings, and creating a strategy and vision to ensure all development offerings meet our criteria of excellent development and will positively impact the broad experience for our 1,600+ staff.

The Director of Adult L&D will:

• Shape and Innovate : Create Noble's Adult Learning & Development Strategy
• Curate and Strengthen Learning Experiences : Ensure Noble offers a mix of in-house training, external partnerships, and best-in-class development programs, meeting the diverse needs of our employees.
• Support and Influence Adult Learning: Ensure internal and external opportunities are well-designed, aligned to our mission, excellent adult learning, and outcomes driven.
• Foster a Culture of Growth: Champion a learning mindset across the organization, driving engagement, performance, and retention.

Responsibilities

The Director of Adult Learning & Development will play a critical role in shaping how Noble grows and develops its people. Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

1. Strategic Planning & Systems Alignment

• Develop and implement a comprehensive L&D strategy that aligns with organizational goals, ensuring learning initiatives support both professional growth of our staff and licensure requirements.
• Audit existing programs, identify gaps, and forecast future needs, ensuring Noble's development systems are effective, scalable, and accessible.

2. Centralizing & Elevating Development Opportunities

• Establish a "Center for Excellence"; a go-to resource where employees and managers can easily navigate professional development offerings. Here one will find excellent + vetted learning and development offerings, making all Noble training and growth opportunities visible, accessible, and aligned with a high-impact vision
• Creating a licensure strategy for Noble, to both hit out 75% licensure attainment goals and to ensure licensure pathways are integrated in our vision of development and learning

3. Program Oversight & Continuous Improvement

• Partner with teams executing development initiatives to refine, enhance, and expand offerings that center our vision of development at Noble and are rooted in our philosophies of adult learning.

4. Data-Driven Evaluation & Feedback Loops

• Continuously assess the effectiveness of learning programs using performance data and feedback.
• Leverage insights to drive programmatic adjustments, working in partnership with those designing and leading development initiatives.

5. Potential People Management

• This role may include managing at least one employee responsible for overseeing licensure, though the structure is yet to be determined and may not be immediate.

Qualifications

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; preference for candidates with experience in the education sector or a degree in organizational leadership, adult learning and development, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience, with a strong preference for candidates with deep expertise in learning and development, talent strategy, or professional growth initiatives.

Key Competencies & Skills

• Leadership & Vision: Ability to set a clear vision for learning and development, influence stakeholders, and drive a culture of continuous growth.
• Strategic Thinking & Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills to assess development needs, identify gaps, and design solutions that improve performance and retention.
• Data-Driven Approach: Proficiency in using learning analytics and employee performance data to evaluate the impact of development programs and make informed improvements.
• Project & Change Management : Experience managing multiple learning initiatives, coordinating across teams, and ensuring timely execution of strategic priorities.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills to craft compelling learning experiences, build buy-in, and ensure accessibility of development programs.
• Expertise in Adult Learning: Deep understanding of instructional design, adult learning principles, and training methodologies to develop impactful learning experiences.
• Cultural Competence & Inclusion: Ability to design and implement equitable, inclusive training programs that support Noble's diverse workforce.

This role is ideal for a strategic, results-oriented leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about developing people , shaping culture, and driving impact through learning and development.

Compensation

We strive to be among the best places to work in education, and our employee benefits are thoughtfully designed to support us in this ambition. Compensation for this position typically falls between $110,000 and $125,000 per year, which represents the average for staff in this role. Factors such as years of experience and skill sets may impact placement within, or outside, this range.

Application Timeline & Process

Please direct inquiries about this role to [email protected]

Statement of Non Discrimination

Noble is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, making all employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other characteristic or classification protected by law.