Join the PRIDE and Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s mission to ignite emotional connections with wildlife that spark conservation action while leading vital programs to protect endangered species. Our beautiful 235-acre campus offers a living classroom that is home to over 3,500 animals representing 500 species. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is embarking on a groundbreaking, ambitious Next Century Plan to achieve our vision. It is the beginning of an exciting transformative journey!
The Director of Learning & Development is a full-time, salaried position, grade 13 with an expected hiring range of $154,932 $170,600 annually. Please see Compensation and Benefits Summary section below the job description information.
The Director of Learning & Development contributes to the success of Brookfield Zoo Chicago (“BZC”) by partnering with BZC staff, business unit leaders, Subject Matter Experts, and P&C staff to facilitate organizational development and increase workforce performance and employee engagement by designing, administering, coordinating, and evaluating high-quality training experiences.
Related terms: Director of Professional Development, Talent Development, Director of Learning, Professional Development Director, Director of Training, Talent Development Director, Organizational Development, Instructional Design, Leadership Development
PRIMARY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (Essential Functions):
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions of the position.
- Needs Assessment and Strategy:
- Partner with stakeholders to identify skills gaps and training needs across departments to align learning initiatives with operational needs and organizational priorities.
- Build scalable learning frameworks that align with company goals and support employees at every level, from frontline staff to leadership.
- Develop and implement a long-term strategic learning framework that accelerates capability growth and delivers on key institutional objectives. Develop and execute a multi-year organizational learning and capability strategy aligned to enterprise goals.
- Program Development:
- Design, create, and implement comprehensive training programs (in-person workshops, e-learning, onboarding, leadership development)
- Spearhead change management, culture transformation, and leadership development that supports institutional growth. Collaboratively develop talent strategies that solve critical workforce challenges.
- Embed DEAI principles in every facet of learning and development practices.
- Ensure training initiatives strengthen regulatory compliance, mitigate risk, and support operational readiness.
- Facilitation and Training:
- Deliver dynamic training sessions, facilitate interactive workshops, and lead engaging new hire orientation.
- Drive leadership continuity by fostering a culture of internal talent cultivation; coach and advise senior leaders on succession planning and development strategies.
- Evaluation and Improvement:
- Position learning as a driver of operational performance, safety culture, and employee engagement.
- Define and implement strategic L&D KPI’s that connect workforce training to measurable performance, engagement, and retention outcomes.
- Deliver executive-level insights on workforce capability and ROI, utilizing analytics to drive strategic, data-informed talent decisions.
- Oversee LMS strategy and digital learning technologies to ensure scalable, compliant, and high-quality user-centric experiences.
- Budget and Vendor Management:
- Manage vendor relations, content licensing, and training resources.
- Manage the learning budget in partnership with P&C leadership.
Other:
- Actively monitor and adopt emerging e-learning technologies, tools, and industry trends to enhance instructional media and keep pace with best practices.
- Other related duties as assigned to ensure successful achievement of Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s goals and objectives.
- Denotes essential job functions
POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
- High school diploma or educational equivalent (e.g., GED.) required. Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Instructional Design, Business Administration or related field, or eight years of equivalent experience required.
- Five years’ experience in learning & development, instructional design, and/or organizational development that includes supporting senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Expertise in designing and delivering engaging, learner-centered educational experiences that drive performance.
- Skilled in virtual and in-person facilitation that encourages active participation, peer-to-peer learning, and high engagement.
- Experience in full-lifecycle training portfolio from onboarding to leadership development across multiple functional areas of a complex organization.
- Demonstrated capability in instructional design utilizing learning theory and e-learning software.
- Proficiency in designing and executing training needs assessment, leveraging data analytics and evaluation frameworks to track pre- and post- training metrics against organizational performance and ROI.
- English fluency at a professional working proficiency.
- Cultural competency; experience and/or ability to work and interact effectively with a diverse, multicultural audience.
- Valid driver’s license required on date of hire. Illinois residents must possess a valid Illinois driver’s license at the time of hire or must obtain one within 90 days of hire. A valid out-of-state driver’s license is required at the time of hire for out-of-state residents.
DESIRABLE/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Prior experience using a Learning Management System and administration functions preferred.
- Multilingual ability, Spanish fluency a plus.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: This position description summarizes the primary duties and functions of this position, but should not be considered a complete listing of every duty the incumbent may ever be called upon to perform. Must be able to work within a very fast-paced environment with rapidly shifting priorities. The position may require early mornings, evenings, and occasional Saturdays to meet the training needs of the organization. This position involves safely operating a golf cart to transport training equipment and materials to various locations within the Zoo.
OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: See Occupational Requirements Form.
001394/13/060326
Benefits Summary
We are pleased that you are considering joining our team at Brookfield Zoo Chicago (BZC). Below is a summary of the benefits we offer.
Non-Union Full-Time Employees
Time Away from Work:
Paid Time Off (PTO): PTO is accrued based on Years of Service and pay grade on a per-pay-period basis starting on the date of hire.
Years of Service Positions in Grades 01H-06 Positions in Grades 07H-14-14MT-15MT Positions in Grades 16H-17MT Positions in Grades 07H1-081 (10hr/day)
New hire- 5 years 21 days 26 days 31 days 18 days
Holidays: Non-union employees are eligible for eight paid holidays per year.
Employee Benefits: Coverage begins on the date of hire.
Medical Insurance: Employees may choose from one of two medical plans: Blue Cross-Blue Shield HMO or PPO Plan.
Benefit Coverage Tiers Available HMO Employee Cost (biweekly) PPO Employee Cost (biweekly)
Medical Insurance Employee, Employee + Spouse, Employee + Child(ren), Family $48.82- $199.53 $75.12- $296.58
Common Medical Event HMO PPO
Annual Deductible $250 Individual/ $500 Family In-Network: $750 Individual / $1,500 Family Out-of-Network: $1,500 Individual / $3,000 Family
Out-of-pocket-maximum $1,500 Individual / $3,000 Family Prescription drug expense limit: $1,000 Individual / $2,000 Family In-Network: $2,000 Individual / $4,000 Family Out-of-Network: $4,000 Individual / $8,000 Family
Doctors Visits
$40/ PCP visit
$60/ Specialist visit
No Charge: Preventive care/screening/
immunization
$30/ PCP visit; deductible does not apply
$50/ Specialist visit; deductible does not apply
No Charge: Preventive care/screening/
immunization; deductible does not apply.
Hospitalization Facility Fee: $250/admission plus 20% coinsurance Physician/surgeon fees: No charge Facility Fee: 20% co-insurance Physician/surgeon fee: 20% co-insurance
Dental Insurance & Vision Care Coverage: A PPO dental plan and an employee-paid vision care plan are available.
Mental Health: Support, counseling, and resources for life issues at no cost to you. Eligible employees and their immediate family have access to Perspectives, a dynamic Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) which provides 24/7, confidential care and resources to address work and life stressors.
Retirement Savings: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled at 6% on a pre-tax basis as soon as administratively feasible following date of hire. Employee Pre-tax and/or Roth after-tax contributions available. First of the quarter following one year of service, eligible employees receive regular matching contributions of up to 3%. The employer match for full-time employees is immediately vested.
Employer-Paid Income Protection: Eligible employees are automatically enrolled in Short-Term Disability benefits, Long-Term Disability benefits, Basic Term Life insurance and Basic AD&D insurance.
Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA): Eligible employees may set aside pre-tax dollars from their paychecks to save for pre-tax reimbursement of qualified healthcare and/or dependent care expenses.
Voluntary Benefits:
- Supplemental Term Life Insurance - Group Accident Insurance
- Supplemental Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance - Group Critical Illness Insurance
- Supplemental Dependent Life Insurance - Identity Theft Protection
Brookfield Zoo Chicago is open 363 days each year. Work schedules vary with each position. This position may require the ability to work a non-traditional schedule on-site that may include holidays, weekends, mornings and/or evenings.
The mission of Brookfield Zoo Chicago is to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people to wildlife and nature. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, American Humane, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Please note that portions of our recruitment and selection process may involve the support of AI tools to help ensure efficiency and consistency.
