Learning and Development isn’t a single role; it’s an umbrella term for a tapestry of roles. Sometimes, these roles will be performed by different people, sometimes the L&D team will consist of 1 person, and they will need to don many different hats.
We've scoured the internet and counted 35 different L&D roles.
Animator or motion graphics designer
This role creates engaging visual content or animations to enhance learning materials.
Coach
This role provides personalized guidance to support personal and professional development. We have two wonderful videos (if we dare say so ourselves) on coaching in Learning and Development:
Community Manager
The main purpose is to foster learning communities, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Content Designer
This role focuses on designing educational content with a focus on learner engagement.
Content Strategist
This person plans (and executes) content strategy to meet learning objectives. Basically, for any content that needs to be created, this role ensures there is consistency across everything L&D produces.
Content Writer
Drafts informative and compelling written materials for learning.
Corporate Trainer
As the name suggests, this role is all about delivering training programs within corporate settings.
Facilitator
Guides group learning processes to encourage participant engagement. For example, any sort of team strategy meeting can use a facilitator who guides discussions and makes sure everyone sticks to the rules.
Check out Kerri Price (our favourite facilitator on LinkedIn) and The Facilitators Network.
Game Designer
This role develops educational games to make learning interactive and fun.
Graphic or Visual Designer
Creates visual elements to support and enhance learning content. Basically, any images or graphics that you need for your training or marketing materials are their responsibility.
Head of Learning and Development
This is a more strategic role that oversees the L&D department, setting learning strategies and goals for the entire organization.
Instructional Designer or eLearning Developer
This is one of the most popular roles in L&D. Most often, this is a dedicated person or team responsible for designing and developing online educational modules (also known as eLearning).
Internal Communications Manager
This role is about managing internal messaging to support any company-wide L&D initiatives.
Leadership or Management Development Specialist.
Larger organizations pay a lot of attention to leadership and management development and, therefore, need someone to take charge of it. This role focuses on developing leadership skills within the organization and helping employees with strong potential to jump into a management role with ease.
Learning and Development Administrator
Manages L&D-related finance, procurement, budgeting, and other administrative tasks.
Learning and Development Business Partner
Aligns L&D strategies with business goals. So, if the company wants to take a new strategic direction, the L&D business partner will be there to help them learn and develop the competencies needed to make that a reality.
Learning and Development Manager
Usually a people-management role that is also responsible for leading the development and implementation of L&D programs.
Learning and Development Program Manager
This role oversees specific L&D programs, ensuring their success. For example, if you want to implement a new onboarding program, the L&D program manager will support you in this.
Learning and Development Project Manager
This role is about managing L&D projects from inception to completion. Let’s say you want to implement a new learning management system, you need a project manager to oversee everything – from learning needs analysis through to success measurement.
Learning and Development Specialist
This is the role that specializes in analyzing the learning needs of the organization, developing and delivering learning content, and then evaluating its success.
Learning Experience Designer
This is someone who designs immersive and effective learning experiences. So, instead of employees attending yet another lecture-type training, they are immersed in an unforgettable experience that helps them solve real-world challenges back on the job.
Learning Management System Administrator
This is someone responsible for managing the Learning Management System (LMS) to ensure the smooth delivery of online training.
Learning Measurement Analyst
Analyzes data to measure the impact of L&D initiatives on its employees, managers and overall the organization.
Learning Operations Manager
Oversees the operational aspects of the L&D function. For example, a LOM might streamline the scheduling process for multiple training programs to avoid conflicts, negotiate with software providers for better rates on new e-learning tools, and analyze budget reports to identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising the quality of training or other learning interventions.
Learning Solutions Architect
This is someone who designs comprehensive learning solutions to meet organizational needs. They are different from the learning experience designer in that they focus more on the strategic integration of various learning initiatives across the organization, ensuring alignment with business goals and scalability. For example, a Learning Solutions Architect might develop a multi-year learning strategy that incorporates e-learning, instructor-led training, and informal learning opportunities, all designed to support the company's growth objectives and adapt to future changes in the industry.
Learning Technology Lead
This role, as you’d imagine, guides the adoption and use of learning technologies.
Learning Transfer Agent
Ensures learning is effectively applied in the workplace.
Onboarding Specialist
Designs and delivers programs to integrate new hires into the organization and their teams.
Special Projects Manager
This would be someone who manages unique L&D projects with specific goals. For example, a Special Projects Manager might oversee the rollout of a new leadership development program tailored for mid-level managers, coordinating between content creators, facilitators, and external consultants to ensure the program is aligned with the company's strategic leadership competencies, delivered within a set timeframe, and evaluated for effectiveness against predefined metrics.
Team Development Specialist
Focuses on enhancing team dynamics and performance through targeted training, workshops and other interventions.
Technical Writer
Someone who develops clear and concise technical documentation for learning purposes. These could be manuals, job aids, self-paced guides and so on. For example, a Technical Writer might have to create detailed user guides for a new company-wide CRM system, breaking down each feature into easy-to-follow steps, complete with screenshots and troubleshooting tips, ensuring employees can navigate the system efficiently and effectively from day one.
Training Delivery Manager
Usually oversees the delivery of training programs to ensure effectiveness.
Training Facilitator
This role combines the responsibilities of a corporate trainer and that of the facilitator. What this looks like in practice is someone who leads training sessions but does it in a way that promotes active learning and group participation.
UX Designer
This role is responsible for designing user-friendly learning platforms and materials.
Video Editor or a Producer
This is someone responsible for creating and editing videos to support learning content.
Want to see how you stack up to these roles? Check out our Competency inventory!
Did we miss anyone? Let us know in the comments below!
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