Training Manager/Instructional Designer


America’s Warrior Partnership
Augusta, Georgia

Training Manager/Instructional Designer

Join a Nationally Recognized Veteran Service-Providing Organization – Augusta, Georgia

Smart Work | Network, Inc., a retained search firm, is seeking candidates for our client, America’s Warrior Partnership, headquartered in Augusta, GA, for the position entitled Training Manager.

America’s Warrior Partnership (AWP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that strives to be the leading community integration solution for every American community that is willing to devote the time and resources required to ensure that the men and women who served in the military and their families have every opportunity to succeed. http://www.americaswarriorpartnership.org/

As the Training Manager, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Work with a nationally recognized best-practice organization with a primary mission of supporting Veterans
  • Provide consistent, high-quality online  and in-person training that reflects best practices in adult learning and maximizes the power and flexibility of interactive web-based course delivery
  • Ensure that training for America's Warrior Partnership and its community partners is kept correct, complete, and current, so that everyone involved has the information and skills they need to operate successfully and in accordance with AWP’s Playbook
  • Work in an entrepreneurial environment with a highly motivated team of professionals who continuously demonstrate a passion for helping Warrior Communities become self-sustaining in service to our Veterans upon their transition from active military service

Summary Job Responsibility   

The Training Manager is responsible for partnering with the AWP leadership team to ensure that all AWP internal staff and associates in the Community Integration programs around the US have the knowledge and skills that they need to achieve world-class performance levels. This individual will build on syllabi prepared by the Director of Community Integration and the Director of Internal Projects to create complete online modules and/or in-person, instructor-led courses. Whether online or in-person, all training should reflect best practices in adult learning.

This individual will monitor student behavior and success both during and after training. The Training Manager should look for performance trends that suggest where remediation may be needed, and seek to continuously improve every aspect of the training process. Toward this end, the ideal candidate will have significant experience in measuring training effectiveness and in using the built-in tracking tools provided by the online training development platform.

The Training Manager preferably understands the Social Sciences, enough to appreciate the context in which AWP functions. The Training Specialist must also enjoy exploring and mastering new technology. This individual must work successfully with a variety of different subject-matter experts throughout the organization, and so must be adept at collaborating with a wide variety of personalities and backgrounds. The ideal candidate will be proactive in identifying resources to complement the internally developed training curricula, including articles, books, and pre-existing online training, such as that offered by SalesForce.com.

The ideal candidate will be highly self-managed, and confident in taking ownership, making decisions, and moving forward. The Director of Community Integration has a hands-off management style, and expects individuals on the team to consistently deliver on their goals and objectives on time, within budget, and at a high level of quality with minimal supervision. Candidates with a sense of curiosity and a commitment to their own personal and professional development are highly desired.

The Training Manager is expected to work onsite at the America’s Warrior Partnership offices in Augusta, GA.Telecommuting is not an option.

This is a full-time position with no direct supervisory responsibility; however, the Training Manager will help oversee relationships with outsource providers and volunteers, as well as be responsible for the majority of the training function relative to design and delivery options.

Essential Job Functions

  • Using syllabi provided by the Director of Community Integration and the Director of Internal Projects, the Training Specialist will apply best practices in adult learning to:
    • Determine appropriate instructional methods to use for the content; options include online/self-paced, online/instructor-led, in-person group instruction, demonstrations, webinars, conferences, videos, meetings, and workshops
    • Select or develop teaching aids such as training handbooks, demonstration models, multimedia visual aids, computer tutorials, and reference workshops
    • Administer and evaluate training program qualification tests, measure progress, determine effectiveness of training
    • Report on progress of employees under guidance during training periods; maintain trainee records
    • Implement periodic checkpoints/testing, refresher training, remedial training, and continuing education for all associates
    • Schedule appropriate classrooms for use and prepare physical setup
    • Prepare and distribute training aids such as instructional material, handouts, evaluations, and visual aids; sets up audiovisual equipment
  • Collaborate with AWP staff to create project plans for course development, to include scope, key milestones, and timeframes; coordinate training project plans with other projects across the organization, looking for synergies and for conflicts
  • Collaborate across functional areas to manage and coordinate new course launches
  • Manage, create and maintain setup documentation for compliance purposes for all courses developed (includes using syllabi, literature, and information to develop online courses)
  • Evaluate and update existing courses according to best practices in instructional design for adult learners
  • Develop and formalize robust quality assurance review process for all existing and new training courses
  • Establish a process to include feedback from student end-of-course surveys and evaluations into the quality assurance and course maintenance processes
  • Assist Directors with the development, testing, and implementation of online courses and course assets
  • Support Directors and community groups with uploading and deploying course materials and troubleshooting related issues; includes the build-out of course containers on various online platforms
  • Along with course instructors, monitor online course forums in assigned courses; help identify and resolve technical problems with course assets that occur while the course is active.
  • Prepares course materials for archive and ensures all course documents are complete and archived properly.
  • Serve as the on-staff specialist on all training software and assist training course teams in using the online course platform to prepare and manage courses
  • Analyze data about training usage
  • Manage to tight timelines

Required Experience and Skills

  • Demonstrated success in developing online training; proficiency with online training delivery/e-learning tools is essential 
  • Competence in effective presentation and facilitation skills for identified content, including creative training techniques and activities that are appropriate for and successful with adult learners

Note: The final interview process will include an audition component and a sample of an online module; candidates will be asked to train a module for the interviewers, so that presentation and facilitation skills can be evaluated under realistic circumstances.

Nice-to-Have Experience

  • Prefer a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year College or University with a Training, Instructional Design, Business, or Management focus or strong equivalent experience to offset lack of a college degree; background in training and/or adult learning and trainer certification a plus
  • Veteran or family member of Veteran or active duty military
  • Experience working in or with a nonprofit organization
  • Demonstrated success in communicating and coordinating across all employee levels, working within a participative, fast-paced interactive team environment
  • Proven success participating in high-performance teams where individual leadership and personal self-management are the norm
  • Demonstrated ability to work with little direct oversight, balanced with appropriate upward communication to ensure that the AWP leadership team is kept informed of all “need-to-know” critical information
  • Demonstrated success using interpersonal skills in dealing with a diverse population and communicating effectively with individuals inside and outside of the organization
  • Proven mastery of Microsoft Office products, especially PowerPoint
  • Proven success in managing projects from conception to implementation
  • Demonstrated multi-tasking capability and proven success in fast-paced environment 
  • Consistently meets assigned deadlines
  • Forecasts resource needs accurately to support successful project completion
  • Generates original ideas and uses creativity to complete assigned tasks and solve problems

Success in this role is measured on:

  • Research, design, develop, test, and deliver a specified number of modules
  • Research, design, develop, test, and deliver staff training on technology
  • Development of an orientation program to bring employees on board, positioned for success and retention
  • Development of strong, positive working relationships with internal subject-matter experts throughout the AWP organization and possibly outside of AWP

 Physical/Conditional Requirements

  • Capable of nationwide travel 20% of the time (air, bus, train and automobile)
  • Willing and able to perform in a flexible work schedule—50 to 60 hours per week occasionally
  • Willing and able to attend professional, civic and social events afterhours on occasion
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