Learning Manager - Trades, Craft & Operations Development

Job description

About the Company RNGD is a rapidly scaling organization emerging as a nationally recognized leader in construction through our unique Renegade mindset focused on innovation, creativity, and culture. The team is made up of a highly engaged group of seasoned professionals and emerging leaders. We are creators who believe that what we build drives the growth of our cities and that to fulfill our mission, we must constantly challenge the old way of doing things. Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, we thrive on building communities, building teams, building leaders, and growing the business throughout the Southeast region with additional offices in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. About the Role We’re looking for a Learning Manager, Trades, Craft and Operations Development that will lead RNGD’s trades, craft, and operations development portfolios by building structured pathways that develop, verify, and advance the capabilities employees need to perform safely and effectively. This role works closely with Operations, Safety, process owners, craft leaders, subject matter experts, and business leaders to translate workforce needs, operational systems, technical requirements, and business processes into practical, scalable development solutions. The Learning Manager owns assigned portfolios from identified need through implementation, measurement, and continuous improvement and leads initiatives through shared Renegade Academy resources, including Instructional Design, Learning Operations, program support, facilitators, and subject matter experts. Success in this role means RNGD has structured development solutions that build critical capabilities, verify proficiency, support career progression, strengthen internal talent pipelines, and help employees apply required tools, technologies, systems, and processes on the job. Core Responsibilities Portfolio Leadership and Development Planning Own assigned Renegade Academy development portfolios from identified need through implementation, measurement, and continuous improvement. Translate business priorities, workforce needs, operational requirements, and capability gaps into development priorities and measurable outcomes. Develop and maintain portfolio plans that reflect business priorities, available resources, implementation requirements, dependencies, and anticipated workforce Evaluate current and proposed solutions and recommend what should be built, improved, scaled, purchased, consolidated, replaced, or Lead portfolio initiatives through shared Renegade Academy resources, including Instructional Design, Learning Operations, program support, facilitators, and subject matter experts. Communicate portfolio progress, results, risks, dependencies, and resource needs to the Director of Renegade Academy and key stakeholders. Trades and Craft Development Partner with Operations, Safety, craft leaders, and business leaders to identify current and future craft capability needs. Design and maintain structured trades and craft development pathways tied to proficiency, role readiness, career progression, and business needs. Connect foundational learning, hands-on practice, field experience, practical evaluation, and demonstrated proficiency into cohesive development pathways. Ensure trades and craft programs reflect real work, jobsite conditions, applicable safety requirements, and the capabilities employees must demonstrate in the field. Maintain development pathways as roles, equipment, methods, standards, and workforce needs evolve. Identify gaps in trades and craft development and recommend solutions that strengthen employee capability and workforce readiness. Apprenticeship, Credentialing, and Talent Pipelines Oversee apprenticeship, simulator, certification, credentialing, and continuing craft-development programs within assigned portfolios. Coordinate NCCER and other applicable accreditation, credentialing, or certification requirements in partnership with internal and external stakeholders. Establish program requirements and oversee progression, credentials, records, schedules, and required documentation through appropriate Renegade Academy support Ensure programs align with established external requirements, internal skill standards, and defined role-readiness expectations. Identify opportunities to strengthen internal talent pipelines for critical trades and craft Monitor apprentice and participant progression and address program barriers with instructors, supervisors, Operations leaders, and program partners. Operations Development and Performance Support Partner with process owners, Operations leaders, Safety, and subject matter experts to translate operational systems, processes, tools, technologies, and required practices into practical development solutions. Analyze performance needs with stakeholders to determine whether training, performance support, process clarification, communication, manager reinforcement, or another solution is appropriate. Support employee adoption of new and existing tools, technologies, systems, and processes through learning, communication, reinforcement, and job-based Incorporate real work, operational scenarios, hands-on practice, and demonstrated application into development solutions. Establish expectations and resources for post-training reinforcement and manager follow-through in partnership with operational leaders. Identify barriers that prevent employees from applying learning and communicate those barriers to the appropriate operational leaders or process owners. Maintain clear alignment between Renegade Academy’s development role and Operations’ ownership of performance expectations, reinforcement, and Curriculum, Instruction, and Proficiency Verification Partner with subject matter experts and Instructional Designers to translate technical and operational expertise into structured curriculum, practical learning experiences, assessments, and job-based resources. Define learning requirements, objectives, application expectations, and proficiency outcomes based on established business, operational, and safety standards. Establish skill standards, assessments, and practical evaluations in partnership with Operations, Safety, process owners, craft leaders, and subject matter experts. Identify, develop, qualify, and support internal instructors, facilitators, coaches, and evaluators in accordance with established program requirements. Ensure technical content, learning materials, assessments, and evaluation criteria are reviewed and validated by the appropriate operational, safety, and technical Oversee the quality and consistency of learning experiences while ensuring they remain practical, relevant, and grounded in field application. Measurement, Evaluation and Continuous Improvement Establish meaningful measures for participation, progression, skill attainment, proficiency, application, adoption, and program effectiveness. Use learning data, practical-evaluation results, field observations, and stakeholder feedback to assess whether programs are producing the intended workforce and operational outcomes. Identify recurring capability gaps, application barriers, and program weaknesses and coordinate appropriate improvements. Monitor the continued relevance, quality, scalability, and value of assigned programs and development resources. Use available evidence to improve development pathways, delivery methods, assessments, reinforcement strategies, and performance-support resources. Recommend future portfolio priorities, investments, partnerships, resources, and capacity needs for Renegade Academy. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in learning and development, workforce development, education, construction management, operations, business, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered. Five or more years of progressive experience in technical training, craft development, workforce development, apprenticeship, operations learning, or a related field preferred. Demonstrated experience designing and managing structured craft-development pathways, apprenticeship programs, technical training, certification programs, or practical skill Working knowledge of NCCER or comparable credentialing, certification, or accreditation frameworks preferred. Experience supporting learning and workforce development within construction, skilled trades, industrial operations, or another field-based environment strongly preferred. Experience partnering with Operations, Safety, process owners, craft leaders, instructors, and subject matter experts to define capability standards and develop practical solutions. Knowledge of adult-learning principles, performance consulting, field-based learning, curriculum development, assessment, and performance support. Experience developing internal instructors, implementing train-the-trainer solutions, or supporting practical evaluators. Ability to use learning, workforce, and performance data to evaluate program effectiveness and guide improvement. Strong portfolio management, program management, facilitation, communication, data interpretation, and stakeholder-management capabilities. Ability to travel to RNGD offices, training locations, and project sites and comply with applicable safety and personal protective equipment requirements. Core Competencies RNGD Values Alignment Exemplifies RNGD’s core values: Renegade Mentality Sweep Floors Build Together Honor Promises Technical Workforce and Career Pathway Development Designs structured trades and craft pathways that connect learning, field experience, demonstrated proficiency, role readiness, and career progression. Demonstrates a Renegade Mentality by developing practical workforce solutions that respond to evolving business needs and strengthen internal talent pipelines. Apprenticeship, Credentialing, and Instructor Development Oversee apprenticeship, certification, credentialing, simulator, and instructor-development programs with clear standards, requirements, and progression Demonstrates the Sweep Floors mindset by maintaining disciplined oversight of the details that support program quality, consistency, credibility, and compliance. Operational Performance Consulting and Adoption Works with operational leaders and process owners to identify performance needs and determine the right combination of learning, reinforcement, performance support, communication, and process clarification. Builds Together by creating solutions with the people responsible for the work while preserving Operations’ ownership of performance expectations and execution. Skill Standards and Practical Proficiency Verification Translates technical and operational expectations into clear skill standards, practical learning experiences, assessments, and proficiency-verification Honors Promises by ensuring development solutions remain grounded in validated requirements and help employees demonstrate the capabilities needed to perform safely and effectively. Learning Measurement and Continuous Improvement Uses participation data, employee and manager feedback, performance trends, role-readiness indicators, and business needs to evaluate learning effectiveness. Demonstrates a Renegade Mentality by continually challenging programs and resources to deliver greater value. Leads assigned portfolios through cross-functional resources, stakeholder alignment, disciplined planning, measurement, and continuous improvement. RNGD is an Equal Opportunity Employer.