Director, Learning Experience Design

Director, Learning Experience Design

Capital One's enterprise Learning & Development (L&D) team is seeking a visionary leader for our new Learning Experience Design organization. As the Director of Learning Experience Design, you will lead a team responsible for the design, development, and continuous improvement of enterprise-wide learning experiences across the organization. This role will be accountable for establishing the Learning Design center of excellence (COE) and accountable for the quality of learning design across the organization. This is a strategic leadership role where you will be responsible for setting the vision and executing on the creation of impactful learning experiences across the company. You will lead a team of people leaders, instructional designers, and creative specialists.

Your mission will be to elevate learning from a support function to a critical business driver. Success will require deep expertise in learning science, human-centered design, and crafting solutions that elevate both business performance and learner engagement. You'll partner with senior leaders and other L&D teams to ensure every learning program is not just engaging but also has a measurable, data-backed impact on business outcomes. We are looking for someone who has a track record of building and elevating a learning design function. Your ability to raise the bar on quality, upskill your team, and center the learner experience is critical for success in this role. If you are energized by creative problem solving, creating transformational learning, and leading, coaching, and upskilling othersthis role is for you.

The ideal candidate for this role is:

• A strategic learning partner: Anticipates future learning needs by staying current with design trends and research, thinks and solves problems systemically, balances long-term vision with execution rigor, and brings structure to ambiguity while managing competing priorities.
• A practitioner of learning science design: Skilled at translating design methodologies into effective learning strategies.
• Product-minded: Applies iteration, experimentation, and feedback to improve solutions.
• A collaborative partner: Cultivates strong relationships in a matrixed environment with senior leaders, business partners, and L&D peers. Acts as a trusted advisor to foster collaboration and alignment on solutions.
• A storyteller: Communicates with clarity and influence to senior audiences.
• A visionary leader: Defines a strategic direction for how a global organization designs and delivers training. Articulates this vision to senior leadership and rallies a team around it.
• An impact-driven strategist: Understands how to connect learning programs to business results. Skilled at using data and evaluation models to prove the value of learning investments and justify a strong return on human capital.
• An experienced people manager: Has a proven track record of leading and developing teams of instructional designers and creative specialists. Passionate about coaching and mentoring your direct reports and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

This is a visible role with the ability to impact change across the company and drive how learning is built and delivered at Capital One, enhancing the learner experience. To do this you will

• Partner with L&D peers and key business stakeholders to co-create the annual strategic learning agenda, defining vision, OKRs, operating, and governance models, and ensure seamless integration and execution across business and learning initiatives.
• Run a well-managed team to deliver exceptional learning experiences and optimize resource allocation to achieve the broader strategy.
• Design learning experiences and solutions that align with trends and business needs and leverage the principles of adult learning science, experiential learning, and human-centered design to inform innovation.
• Project manage multiple initiatives, calibrating your team to deliver high-quality results against the pace of business needs and reality of business constraints.
• Manage project scope, timelines, and budget, identifying and mitigating risks or escalating as necessary.
• Establish and monitor key learning performance metrics to measure and enhance business impact, using data to drive continuous improvement.
• Implement feedback loops to gather user insights and measure satisfaction, leveraging this data for refining learning solutions.
• Shape and set the tone for team culture by leading rituals, driving inclusion and engagement, and modeling intentional people leadership.
• Coach and upskill your team and others to adhere to high-quality standards that elevate the experience of learning.
• Keep abreast of learning tech and design trends, empowering your team to craft learning solutions that accommodate diverse learning needs and resonate with learners.
• Collaborate on learner communications and external storytelling, sharing insights and outcomes.
• Balance delivery modalities to optimize learning solutions.

Here is what you will need to be successful:

• Experience establishing and leading an Instructional Design Center of Excellence (CoE)
• Ability to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for instructional design and development
• Strong leadership and management of a team of instructional designers, creative specialists, and leaders
• Strong partnership with senior leaders to understand business needs and translate them into effective learning solutions
• Demonstrated history of defining and implementing robust evaluation models and data analytics to measure the impact of all learning products
• Communicate effectively both written and verbally, with the ability to influence stakeholders, peers, and associates at all levels
• Ability to manage ambiguity, lead through change, and deliver in a matrixed environment
• High level of initiative, ownership, and a customer-centric mindset
• Demonstrated success collaborating with other L&D professionals to drive efficiencies and share best practices
• Extensive expertise in adult learning science to shape learning strategy and products

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree
• At least 5 years of experience in instructional design and development
• At least 5 years of experience in project management, program management, or a combination (planning, executing, tracking, reporting)
• At least 5 years of experience with client consulting
• At least 5 years of experience in people leadership with 3 or more direct reports

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in Instructional Design, Learning and Development, or Organizational Design/Effectiveness
• At least 10 years of experience in instructional design and development
• At least 10 years of experience in project management, program management, or a combination (planning, executing, tracking, reporting)
• At least 10 years of experience with client consulting
• At least 10 years of experience in people leadership including as a leader of leaders

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

McLean, VA: $184,800 - $210,900 for Director, Learning

Richmond, VA: $168,000 - $191,700 for Director, Learning

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter. This role is also eligible to earn performance-based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non-discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial, and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations