Associate Director, Learning Development & Culture

Share this job SVGs not supported by this browser. Description Job Title : Associate Director, Learning Development & Culture Team : People & Operations Location : In-Person in Chicago (IL) Employment Type : Full-time FLSA Classification : Exempt About Braven Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs Report. About the Role As Braven scales toward serving 80,000–100,000 Fellows, our People & Operations team must execute culture, learning, and engagement strategy with precision and consistency. The Associate Director, Learning, Development & Culture serves as a cross-functional execution partner across the Director of Learning & Development, Director of Learning & Culture, and the Head of People. This role operationalizes strategy, manages key initiatives, builds assets, and ensures that culture, learning, and engagement priorities are implemented effectively. This is a highly collaborative role that blends project management, facilitation, data analysis, and systems execution. The Associate Director will ensure that strategic priorities translate into high-quality experiences for staff across onboarding, learning, engagement, retention, and collective experiences. This role is on the People & Operations team and reports directly to the Head of People. What You’ll Do Learning & Capability Execution (35%) Partner with the Director of Learning & Development to design, build, and facilitate workshops, toolkits, and learning experiences aligned to organizational priorities. Support manager capability-building efforts, including the development of materials tied to culture carrier expectations and values-based leadership. Manage onboarding programming logistics and delivery in partnership with People leads to ensure a high-quality new staff experience. Develop and maintain learning materials, resources, and facilitator guides. Evaluate learning effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative data and recommend improvements. Culture & Engagement Implementation (30%) Support the execution of the annual Culture Action Plan in partnership with the Director of Learning & Culture and Head of People. Administer Culture Amp surveys, support reporting processes, and assist in translating findings into team-level action planning. Gather and synthesize engagement, retention, and attrition data to identify themes and inform action steps. Support retention strategy implementation, including data tracking and follow-through on action items. Assist in codifying and reinforcing Braven’s values across rituals, communications, and staff-facing materials. Help steward onboarding and offboarding processes by organizing feedback data and tracking trends. Retreats, Stepbacks & Collective Experiences (20%) Support planning and execution of Staff Retreat in partnership with the Director of Learning & Culture. Coordinate logistics, materials, vendor management, and communications for retreats and stepbacks. Support People & Culture and broader People & Operations (P&O) team retreats and planning sessions. Develop assets, session materials, and run-of-show documents to ensure seamless execution. Gather and analyze post-event feedback to inform continuous improvement Project Management & Systems Support (15%) Manage cross-functional project timelines and ensure deliverables across culture and learning initiatives remain on track. Maintain documentation, trackers, dashboards, and resource hubs related to culture, engagement, and learning efforts. Support vendor coordination and LMS or learning system administration. Troubleshoot learning and engagement system issues as needed. Requirements Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree 4–6 years of experience in learning & development, organizational culture, employee engagement, organizational effectiveness, or related field. Preferred Qualifications Experience working in nonprofit, education, or mission-driven environments. Experience with Culture Amp or similar engagement survey platforms. Experience managing onboarding or retention initiatives. Proficiency in Google Suite, Slack, Jira, LMS platforms, and learning tools. Demonstrated experience managing complex projects from planning through execution. Experience facilitating workshops or leading group learning experiences. Strong analytical skills, including the ability to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data into actionable insights. Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and support senior leaders in operationalizing strategy. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Exceptional written communication skills and strong design instincts. You exemplify Braven’s core values. Your experiences have informed your belief in Braven’s mission and prepared you to contribute meaningfully to our student Fellow population. Work Demands Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL) Ability to travel 2–3 times per year for retreats or team gatherings. Additional Requirements Authorized to work in the U.S. Braven does not offer employment visa sponsorship. Application & Interview Process While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be: Phone screen with Talent Team member Performance Task Interview with Hiring Manager Panel Interview with Key Partners Reference Checks Benefits Compensation and Benefits Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $62,700-$78,300. This is based on a 50-hour work week. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity. Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year) Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents 12 weeks of paid parental leave A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. Location We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of the Chicago hub. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week. Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply. Apply for this job