WHAT DOES A LEARNING MANAGER DO?
Published: Jan 26, 2026 - The Learning Manager partners with leaders to assess skill gaps, design knowledge strategies, and develop training programs that align instructional methods with business needs. This role involves creating and delivering learning solutions, including onboarding, functional training, and technology-enabled learning, while driving continuous improvement through targeted analysis and performance insights. The Manager also oversees a team of trainers and mentors, ensuring consistent, high-quality training delivery and standardization across departments.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Learning Manager
1. Learning Manager Overview
- Learning Strategy: Design and implement a local learning and development strategy aligned with global HR and business priorities.
- Training Needs Analysis: Analyse training and development needs in collaboration with business and HR directors and executives.
- Executive Advisory: Support and advise top management on learning and development matters.
- Program Management: Create and manage the delivery of annual learning and development plans and programs that support business objectives.
- Project Delivery: Ensure all deliverables for agreed learning and development projects are created, approved, and updated on an ongoing basis.
- KPI Management: Ensure all targets and deadlines outlined in KPIs and SLAs are met in line with client expectations and agreements.
- Team Leadership: Manage a learning and development team consisting of team leaders, consultants, trainers, and specialists.
- Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives and deliver value-adding services to the business.
- Training Compliance: Report and monitor mandatory training completion regularly and follow up on any discrepancies.
- L&D Administration: Manage training-related policies, platforms, and documentation.
2. Learning Manager Functions
- Talent Technology Leadership: Lead the design and implementation of critical talent technologies.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Coordinate with talent process owners and subject matter advisors to ensure appropriate representation in preparation, design, and testing workshops.
- User Acceptance Testing: Manage the user acceptance testing process by reviewing test materials, identifying and tracking tester resources and test completion status, and reporting and reviewing testing results.
- Digital Program Support: Support the digital enablement leadership team by contributing to key programs and projects.
- Business Case Development: Create business cases to demonstrate return on investment related to digital solutions.
- Digital Innovation: Collaborate with subject matter experts to propose innovative digital solutions that enhance the customer experience.
- Workshop Design: Design workshops and planning sessions to ensure system configurations, process designs, and testing plans align with talent business needs.
- People Development: Coach, mentor, and provide development opportunities for team members.
3. Learning Manager Accountabilities
- Learning Needs Analysis: Identify departmental learning needs proactively across the organization.
- Training Solutions: Create or source appropriate training solutions to address identified needs.
- Knowledge Sharing: Improve internal knowledge-sharing structures for company tools in collaboration with the Knowledge Specialist.
- Onboarding Support: Support onboarding by strengthening training materials and documentation.
- Content Enablement: Enable support teams to create effective training content and learning resources.
- Trainer Coaching: Support and coach internal trainers to improve delivery quality and consistency.
- Leadership Development: Design and implement a leadership development program for the leadership team.
- Learning Impact: Enhance follow-up and impact measurement for existing learning programs such as LinkedIn Learning and Insights Discovery.
- Performance Management: Improve performance review processes and development planning practices.
- Manager Training: Train managers to conduct effective performance and development conversations and introduce additional learning initiatives.
4. Learning Manager Responsibilities
- Needs Assessment: Complete needs assessment and analysis using voice of customer and data to diagnose, recommend, develop, and implement learning solutions for production and professional employees.
- Performance Solutions: Develop learning solutions that address root cause issues to improve business performance.
- Learning Design: Create engaging learning content and activities for a diverse range of roles spanning career levels and tracks from hourly to professional and individual contributor to manager.
- LMS Leadership: Serve as project lead for North America in the design and implementation of the global learning management system.
- Curriculum Ownership: Act as the key resource in North America for content design and review, curriculum design, and ongoing LMS usage.
- Project Planning: Develop project plans that account for work performance, critical deadlines, and necessary resources.
- Adult Learning Methods: Use various adult learning methods, techniques, and delivery modes to enhance learning and support sustainment.
- Governance Compliance: Review and follow the approval process of developed frameworks prior to beginning design work.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Identify, consult with, and provide updates to key HR and business stakeholders.
- Change Monitoring: Monitor the business environment and adjust developed frameworks throughout the course of projects.
- Training Delivery: Deliver or train the trainer on designed solutions using appropriate channels, including classroom sessions, eLearning, and web-based formats.
5. Learning Manager Details
- Strategic Alignment: Understand Data OPS long-term objectives and incorporate them into the needs assessment.
- Role-Based Assessment: Complete needs assessment for each role within Data OPS to ensure employees on each team have what they need to perform in their roles.
- Continuous Assessment: Maintain learning needs assessment using feedback from existing learning programs and new content areas.
- Learning Program Design: Design learning programs to address identified needs.
- Learning Methodologies: Investigate and recommend various learning methodologies.
- Budget Management: Present budgets and cost-benefit analysis for investments in learning tools.
- Project Planning: Build learning program and project plans to present costs and time or effort to complete.
- Training Development: Create and maintain training material, including experiential hands-on learning.
- Learning Metrics: Build a metric-based model with quantifiable business results for time to competency.
- Learning Scheduling: Develop a comprehensive learning calendar to include learning events and coordinate activities to ensure seamless delivery of training.
- Onboarding Training: Complete learning activities to onboard new analysts and provide refresher training.
- Assessment Management: Run the established temp assessment program already in place.
- Manager Coordination: Coordinate with managers on results, including verbal overview of candidates' scores, attitude, professionalism, and related aspects during assessment.
- Program Evaluation: Measure and report on the effectiveness of learning and development programs and adjust on demand.
- Competency Management: Establish tools and processes to continually assess competencies.
6. Learning Manager Duties
- Team Leadership: Provide direction to a team of Learning Specialists through matrixed or direct reporting lines.
- Talent Development: Build high-performing teams by hiring, training, and retaining diverse talent and applying emotional intelligence to foster a culture of respect and engagement.
- Coaching Development: Coach and develop direct reports based on individual needs across areas such as instructional design principles, adult learning theory, performance analysis, relationship management, project management, measurement and evaluation, digital development principles, and learning innovation.
- Digital Learning: Encourage modern delivery methods and promote new training technologies and approaches with a strong emphasis on digital-first design to create effective and efficient learning solutions.
- Capacity Management: Oversee team capacity and assign projects based on capability and availability.
- Backlog Management: Actively adjust the backlog of work according to shifting priorities and team capacity.
- Process Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and implement digital innovations.
- Project Oversight: Monitor project progress and review key documentation, including performance agreements, training outlines, and storyboards, to ensure timely delivery and speed to market.
- Quality Assurance: Ensure all learning deliverables meet internal team and compliance standards, including quality, layout, templates, and required Legal and Compliance approvals.
7. Learning Manager Details and Accountabilities
- Skills Gap Analysis: Partner with leaders to determine skill gaps across resources and identify knowledge needs.
- Learning Delivery: Establish new methods of employee learning and training delivery, including online and just-in-time formats.
- Call Center Training: Train and develop call center specialists.
- New Hire Training: Train and develop new hires to perform effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Learning Technologies: Engage in the design and development of both existing and new learning technologies, such as knowledge bases.
- Training Program Design: Design, develop, and coordinate training programs including onboarding, functional training, uptraining, campaign-specific or ad-hoc training, and career path development.
- Continuous Improvement: Act as a liaison and advocate for continuous improvement based on insights from center performance programs.
- Learning Needs Analysis: Partner with internal departments to analyze learning needs and ensure training programs maximize knowledge transfer and align instructional theory with business strategies.
- Training Evaluation: Lead targeted analysis and evaluation of training initiatives to drive continuous improvement.
- Knowledge Management: Design knowledge management strategies that effectively leverage internal and external learning media, including technical documentation, videos, computer-based training modules, diagrams, process maps, and other formats.
- Team Management: Manage a team of trainers and mentors, including oversight of development, performance, and productivity.
- Customer Alignment: Ensure the team’s work remains aligned with the needs of internal customers.
- Process Standardization: Drive standardization and implementation of best practices across all departments.
- LMS Utilization: Utilize knowledge of learning management systems to track and record training progress and skill development.
Editorial Process and Content Quality
This content is part of Lamwork's career intelligence platform and is developed using structured analysis of real-world job data, including publicly available job descriptions, skill requirements, and hiring patterns.
Lam Nguyen, Founder & Editorial Lead, defines the research framework behind Lamwork's career intelligence platform, including job role analysis, skills taxonomy, and structured career insights.
All content is reviewed by Thanh Huyen, Managing Editor, who oversees editorial quality, content consistency, and alignment with real-world role expectations and Lamwork's editorial standards.
Content is developed through a structured process that includes data analysis, role and skill mapping, standardized content formatting, editorial review, and periodic updates.
Content is reviewed and updated periodically to reflect changes in skills, role requirements, and labor market trends.
Learn more about our editorial standards.