Learning and Development Specialist

Whitaker Construction, founded in 1953, has over 70 years of experience in the heavy civil and underground utility construction industry. Whitaker, an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) company, has become one of the largest contractors in the intermountain area with more than 600 employees and nearly 70 crews. We perform sanitary sewer, storm drain, culinary water, irrigation, earthwork, roadway construction, dams, landfills, natural gas pipelines, industrial piping, and telecommunication projects primarily in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oregon.

The Learning and Development Specialist will assess and gain an understanding of training needs and develop strategies to help the organization improve the skills, productivity and success of the workforce. The role focuses on retention and improvement strategies of the field employees.

The ideal candidate will have a sound instructional design background with proven experience in the adult training process and be comfortable with engaging in-person and virtual facilitation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Champion Whitaker’s Vision, Mission and Core Values in every action and decision you are part of: Value Safety, Embrace Ownership, Be Honorable and Elevate Team!
• Design and development work in career pathways and succession management.
• Implement employee promotion, mentorship and certification programs.
• Work with field leadership on cross-training plans to ensure growth of employees.
• Develop, review and update course offerings in both soft skills and craft skills to ensure current relevancy and quality.
• Collaborate with various departments on training needs and programs.
• Ability to interface professionally with individuals at all levels within the organization with a solid understanding of adult learning principles.
• Assist the with the outreach to secondary schools, technical/trade schools, and other entities to promote company branding and job awareness.
• Facilitate and present to various sizes and levels of audience.
• Develop and utilization of State and Federal grants or educational programs.
• Follow up with participants after workshops and training to ensure reinforcement of principles and continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of five (5) years training & development experience required. Must have experience developing training programs and materials both in-person and web-based.
• Bachelors Degree in Communication, Human Resources Management, Instructional Design or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Previous experience in the construction and heavy equipment field is preferred.
• Work from office and some travel. (This is not a remote or work from home job)
• Organized and know how to prioritize work.
• Excellent writing skills, including grammar and punctuation, and editing.
• Team player and helpful in building team success and executing the company’s vision and values.
• Utilizes a variety of software tools to develop courses (PowerPoint, LMS software, etc.)
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to speak and write in Spanish a plus.

Physical Demands:

• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The employee is frequently required to stand; sit and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Successful completion of a drug and background screen