Senior Director - Learning and Development

Position Type:
Full time

State: VA

City:
Arlington

Zip Code: 22203

Overview

Avalon Bay Communities, Inc., an equity REIT, has a long-term track record of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing distinctive apartment homes in some of the best U.S. markets, and delivering outsized, risk-adjusted returns to shareholders. With equal parts experience and vision, we've established a leadership position rooted in our purpose of creating a better way to live and that is always focused on building value for the long term.

Creating a better way to live is the purpose that binds Avalon Bay associates. We take that purpose seriously and expect you will as well. By focusing on collaboration, innovation, and taking ownership of our choices and actions, we act in ways that focus on creating value for our customers, investors and associates. Your positive, professional, and consistent personal interactions make Avalon Bay a great place to work.

The Role

The Senior Director, Learning & Development is responsible for designing and executing the organization's strategy to strengthen talent, leadership, and organizational performance. This role oversees management training, functional training, leadership development, onboarding, and organizational development (OD) with the goal of driving strong organizational effectiveness (OE). This role will also support enterprise-wide change management initiatives through learning programs, upskilling, and organizational design.

The leader will partner with executives and business leaders to build a culture of continuous learning, guide transformation efforts, and ensure the organization is equipped with the skills, capabilities, and mindset needed to thrive in a dynamic business environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

* Develop and execute a comprehensive learning and organizational development strategy aligned to business objectives and talent priorities in support of organizational effectiveness

* Partner with senior leadership to assess capability gaps and organizational needs and create innovative solutions to close them

* Drive initiatives that strengthen organizational effectiveness, resilience, and employee engagement

Learning, Training & Instructional Design

* Oversee the design, development, and delivery of management and functional training programs to support professional growth and operational excellence

* Lead instructional design strategy to ensure learning content is modern, engaging, and aligned with adult learning principles

* Implement digital learning platforms, blended learning solutions, and experiential programs to create innovative, effective learning experiences

* Establish frameworks to measure training effectiveness and learning ROI

* Has the ability to leverage AI for personalized learning paths, content creation, and analytics to effectively serve the organization

Leadership Development

* Oversee leadership development programs across all levels of the organization, ensuring alignment to business strategy and succession planning needs

* Design and manage leadership assessment strategies, including the use of tools such as 360-degree feedback and competency-based instruments

* Evaluate assessment data to identify leadership potential, strengths, and development areas, and integrate insights into talent planning

* Manage coaching engagements as necessary

Organizational Development & Effectiveness

* Lead OD initiatives including optimizing team effectiveness, organizational design, and performance optimization

* Oversee the administration and execution of organizational development programs, ensuring consistent delivery across the enterprise

* Develop, implement, and monitor action plans that drive organizational effectiveness and support cultural transformation

* Manage the design, deployment, and analysis of associate opinion/engagement surveys, translating insights into actionable strategies

* Build strong partnerships with business leaders to ensure learning and change initiatives are integrated with broader transformation efforts

* Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to improve organizational structures, processes, and ways of working that drive agility and growth

* Measure organizational effectiveness and implement strategies to optimize employee experience and productivity

Change Management

* Support enterprise-wide change management initiatives to ensure successful adoption of strategic initiatives and technology through proactive change management

* Develop and apply change frameworks, communication plans, and stakeholder engagement strategies

* Build organizational change capability by training, upskilling, and equipping leaders and managers to lead through change

Team Leadership & Governance

* Lead, mentor, and develop learning and organizational development team fostering a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity within the team

* Oversee administration of learning platforms, systems, and processes for scalability and…