Senior Director, Certification & Learning Communities (Hybrid)
SHRM, WorkFromHome, VA, United States
SHRMis a member-driven catalystfor creating better workplaces wherepeople and businessesthrive together.As thetrusted authority on all things work, SHRM is the foremost expert, researcher, advocate, and thoughtleader on issuesand innovationsimpacting today’s evolving workplaces.With nearly340,000members in180countries, SHRM touches the lives of more than362million workers and their families globally.
Summary
The Senior Director, Certification and Learning Communities is an enterprise leader responsible for setting, executing and driving the growth strategy for a multi-million-dollar certification, education, learning and solutions portfolio, inclusive of proprietary and third-party learning products. This role leads innovation, revenue expansion, and operational excellence across instructor-led, self-paced, blended, corporate, and partner-delivered programs.
Reporting to executive leadership, the Senior Director shapes the future of the organization’s learning ecosystem—aligning offerings to industry standards, market demand, and the organization’s strategic priorities to create a career pathway. This leader serves as the audience lead for the Education and Certification Communities through commercialization, ensures exceptional learner experiences, and builds scalable partnerships that expand reach and brand impact.
The role combines P&L accountability, digital learning and direct engagement strategy, portfolio innovation, and cross-functional leadership to accelerate growth in current and adjacent markets. This role reports to the EVP, Membership & Communities.
Key Responsibilities
Portfolio Strategy & Growth
- Lead the strategy, growth, and fiduciary management of a multi-million-dollar certification, education, learning systems business, including 400+ instructor-led programs and a robust self-paced eLearning portfolio.
- Lead the relationship strategy with SHRM’s Education and Recertification partners in securing SHRM business objectives. This includes but is not limited to Certification, Recertification, Learning systems, Specialty Credentials, penetration and sales.
- Define and execute a multi-year product and third-party partnership roadmap aligned to enterprise strategy and marketplace demand.
- Identify new revenue streams, expansion opportunities, and channel synergies to increase participation, retention, and market penetration.
- Develop and present business cases to executive leadership to support investment decisions and growth objectives.
- Lead the design and evolution of the end-to-end learning pathway for HR professionals, ensuring cohesive progression from foundational knowledge through advanced and specialized capabilities. Align learning experiences with the broader product ecosystem and support the full professional lifecycle.
- Lead the organization’s digital learning strategy, leveraging the Learning Experience Platform (LXP) and Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver a modern, scalable learning ecosystem across multiple modalities.
- Lead the identification and development of new learning solutions, partnering with the Product Development team to determine where to build, partner, or acquire offerings that expand the education portfolio and support business and financial objectives.
- Drive the growth of engaged learning communities, integrating community engagement, peer learning, and educational experiences to strengthen the customer and member journey.
- Develop and manage a curated external partner network to support business and financial objectives in learning and certification initiatives. Foster active, engaged learning communities and drive positive customer and member experiences.
- Champion innovation in digital and blended learning, introducing scalable delivery models, emerging technologies, and new approaches that expand access and improve learning outcomes.
- Ensure all learning offerings meet rigorous standards for instructional quality, learner engagement, and measurable impact, using learner insights and performance data to continuously refine and strengthen the portfolio.
- Lead business intelligence and operational analysis to identify growth drivers, buying behaviors, and market trends.
- Monitor KPIs including revenue, margin, enrollment, completion rates, customer satisfaction, and retention.
- Drive continuous improvement across processes, policies, and delivery models to increase efficiency and scalability.
- Partner with Marketing and Sales to develop and execute go-to-market strategies and promotional campaigns.
- Analyze campaign performance and customer insights to optimize positioning and conversion. Leadership & Team Development, mentor, and develop a high-performing team across product, operations, and program management functions.
- Collaborate with team to develop and implement strategic plans that align with the organization's objectives and drive team success.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and professional growth.
- Coordinate with other audience and enabling departments and stakeholders to ensure seamless project integration and alignment with broader organizational goals.
- Serve as a liaison between the team and senior management, ensuring alignment and understanding of organizational goals and priorities.
- Build organizational capability in digital product development and portfolio management.
Required
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in education, learning products, product management, or related business leadership roles.
- Demonstrated P&L ownership with accountability for revenue growth and financial performance.
- Experience managing client relationships, service delivery, or business operations, with increasing levels of leadership responsibility.
- Experience leading multi-modal learning portfolios, including instructor-led, digital, and blended learning solutions.
- Proven ability to develop, launch, and commercialize new products or expand existing portfolios.
- Experience managing or scaling third-party partnerships, channel relationships, or external vendor ecosystems.
- Experience leading and developing high-performing teams and managing talent to achieve business outcomes.
- Demonstrated success developing and executing strategic initiatives through cross-functional collaboration.
- Bachelor’s degree in Education, Business, Human Resources, or a related field (advanced degree preferred).
- Experience working in a professional association, credentialing organization, workforce development, or HR-related industry.
- Certifications or formal training in instructional design, product management, digital strategy, or project management.
- Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to translate data and market insights into growth strategies and portfolio decisions.
- Knowledge of adult learning principles and competency-based education frameworks.
- Ability to lead complex initiatives across cross-functional teams and influence stakeholders at multiple levels of the organization.
- Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance innovation with operational execution.
- Knowledge of digital learning ecosystems, including Learning Management Systems (LMS), Learning Experience Platforms (LXP), and related technologies.
- Ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships that expand learning offerings and support organizational goals.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and executive influence skills.
- Strategic and commercial mindset
- Enterprise thinking and cross-functional influence
- Product innovation and lifecycle management
- Data-driven decision making
- Executive presence and business case development
- Change leadership and operational transformation
- Partnership development and negotiation
This position operates in a typical office environment and requires the ability to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation. Physical requirements may include:
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
- Frequent use of hands and fingers for typing, handling documents, and using office equipment.
- Occasional standing, walking, bending, and reaching.
- Ability to lift and carry up to 30 pounds as needed.
- Clear verbal and written communication skills for effective interaction with colleagues and stakeholders.
Hybrid Position (3 Days In-Office, 2 Days Remote):
- This position follows a hybrid work schedule, with Tuesday through Thursday in office and Monday and Friday remote. Employees must be available during standard business hours, with core hours beginning between 8:00AM – 9:00AM and concluding between 5:00PM – 6:00PM.
The hiring range for this position is $170,000 to $190,000 per year. This range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate's experience, skills, and qualifications. SHRM offers a competitive and comprehensive total rewards package. The benefits for this position include professional growth and development, health, dental, vision, well-being, health savings, flexible spending, retirement, open leave, and annual discretionary bonus and incentives.
Our employment practices are in accordance with the laws that prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, marital status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or any other status protected by applicable law.
SHRM is an equal opportunity employer (Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran).
We do not sponsor applicants for work visas. #J-18808-Ljbffr