Director, Learning Experience Design (Hybrid)

Director, Learning Experience Design (Hybrid)

Capital One is seeking a visionary learning and development leader. As a Director of Learning, you will lead a team responsible for the design, development, and continuous improvement of high-impact learning experiences tailored to the specific needs of operations associates.

This is a strategic leadership role where you will be accountable for elevating learning from a support function to a critical driver of operational performance by modernizing our approach. This role will lead the integration of AI to accelerate content creation and maintenance, coach your team to be an innovative, nimble workforce, and transform learning from a static activity to experiential and in the flow of work. Success requires deep expertise in learning science, human-centered design, and the ability to leverage emerging technologies to craft solutions that elevate operational metrics and learner engagement. You will lead a team of people leaders, instructional designers, and creative specialists, fostering a culture of experimentation and agility.

The ideal candidate for this role is...

• A Strategic Partner: Anticipates the specific learning needs of operational and frontline stakeholders by staying current with design trends, balancing long-term vision with operational rigor, and bringing structure to ambiguity.

• An AI-Forward Thinker: Passionate about leveraging generative AI and automation to streamline the creation, maintenance, and enhancement of learning assets. You view technology as an enabler for scaling knowledge and keeping content fresh, relevant and personalized to each learner.

• An Innovative & Nimble Coach: Inspires and mentors the team to adopt agile methodologies, experiment with new technologies, and remain nimble in the face of shifting operational priorities. You create a safe space for innovation and "failing forward."

• A Practitioner of Learning Science Design: Skilled at translating instructional design methodologies into strategies that directly impact operational KPIs and frontline performance.

• A Collaborative Partner: Cultivates strong relationships in a matrixed environment with operational leaders and facilitation peers to ensure learning is integrated into operational solutions.

• An Impact-Driven Strategist: Understands how to connect learning programs to specific business metrics (e.g., call quality, task competence, productivity). Skilled at using data and evaluation models to prove the value of learning investments.

To do this you will…

• Champion AI Integration: Lead the strategy to integrate AI tools into the design and maintenance lifecycle, reducing time-to-market for learning assets and ensuring knowledge repositories are continuously updated and enhanced.

• Foster an Innovative Culture: Lead rituals and coaching sessions that empower your team to think creatively, pilot new design ideas, and adapt quickly to the fast-paced needs of the operations environment.

• Collaborate on Strategy: Partner with operational and frontline stakeholders to co-create the annual strategic learning agenda, ensuring seamless execution across business and learning initiatives.

• Lead the Design CoE: Optimize resource allocation to support the broader operations and frontline strategy, ensuring consistent quality and brand alignment.

• Design for Impact: Leverage adult learning science and human-centered design to build solutions that address frontline trends, while constantly looking for opportunities to innovate on delivery modalities.

• Drive Continuous Improvement: Establish and monitor key learning performance metrics, leveraging data from operational systems to drive ongoing refinements.

• Manage Complexity: Oversee project scope, timelines, and budget, identifying and mitigating risks to support the reality of business constraints while maintaining a high bar for innovation.

Here is what you will need to be successful:

• Experience establishing and leading an Instructional Design Center of Excellence (CoE) within an operations-focused environment.

• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI or automation tools into the learning development lifecycle.

• Proven track record of coaching teams to be more innovative, agile, and nimble in their approach to complex problem-solving.

• Ability to develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for instructional design that serves frontline and operational audiences.

• Strong history of partnering with senior business leaders to translate complex operational needs into effective, scalable, and modern learning solutions.

• Demonstrated success in implementing robust evaluation models and data analytics to measure the impact of learning on operational business results.

• Ability to manage ambiguity, lead through change, and deliver in a highly matrixed structure.

Location: This role is hybrid, where you will be expected to spend 3 days per week working in office and the remainder of the week working virtually.

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 management

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.

Chicago, IL: $173,000 - $197,400 for Director, Learning

McLean, VA: $190,300 - $217,200 for Director, Learning

Plano, TX: $173,000 - $197,400 for Director, Learning

Richmond, VA: $173,000 - $197,400 for Director, Learning

Riverwoods, IL: $173,000 - $197,400 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.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.

No agencies please. 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 regarding criminal background inquiries.

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Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).