Professional Development Specialist

About the role:

At Clayton Early Learning, we are dedicated to fostering a dynamic, inclusive environment that supports the growth and development of young children. As a Professional Development Specialist, you will play a vital role in coordinating the organization's overall professional development functions while also developing and implementing programs and initiatives to maximize employees' professional learning and growth. You'll have the opportunity to work with the Learning and Professional Development manager to foster employee satisfaction and retention through engaging, outcomes-based programs and resources, designed to meet the needs of diverse adult audiences and address organization, departmental and individual training requirements. If you are passionate about early childhood education and want to be part of a team that's making a difference, we encourage you to apply today!

Who we are:

Clayton Early Learning is a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing early childhood education and improving family outcomes through high-quality programming, comprehensive research and evaluation, and community-driven initiatives. We directly serve over 500 children annually through our school, home-based programs, and community sites, while our external coaching, professional development, policy and advocacy, and quality assessment teams impact hundreds more educators and families across the state and nationally. As a proud member of the Educare Learning Network, we are deeply committed to the whole-child, whole-family approach, with high quality early childhood education as the foundation of our work. Our unique location on a 20-acre historic campus in Denver provides many opportunities to serve our families beyond the classroom and school walls.

We know that our future rests in the hands of the youngest generation and that the experiences of inclusion and belonging they have in early childhood make a lasting impression that remains well into their adult lives. Our team of almost 200 dedicated professionals works in a supportive environment of collaboration, innovation, and personal growth. The atmosphere is not just about work; it's about building a community where individuals are valued, supported, and empowered to reach their fullest potential. At Clayton, we believe that a great place to work isn't just about the job but the people who create success together.

What we want you to do:

• Coordinate, develop, implement and evaluate overall professional development plan including resources, trainings, workshops, and events
• Oversee development and use of related tools, systems and materials as delegated
• Lead activation of organization-wide onboarding procedures; Provide a welcoming, fun and supportive experience for all new hires from acceptance through first year of employment
• Partner with hiring managers, coaches and teams to ensure fulfillment of consistent and strategic transitional support for all staff
• Identify train and/or collaborate with internal and external guest trainers or subject matter experts on content creation and delivery
• Develop and lead project plans to execute training programs within required timelines
• Document attendance and records training progress in appropriate systems
• Evaluate impact, satisfaction and effectiveness of professional development and onboarding initiatives
• Provide effective coaching and feedback to promote participant reflection and growth
• Advocate for continuous improvement and implementation of programs and practices with focus on best practices in engaging adult learners
• Proactive problem solving and inclusive decision-making to contribute to the development and direction of the department and its strategy for professional development programming
• Performs other duties as assigned

What you must have:

• Education: Must possess a Bachelor's Degree in Education, Human Resources, Organizational Development or similar field
  
  • Candidates must possess or be willing to obtain the Colorado Early Childhood Trainer Credential within 6 months of hire
  
  
• Experience: Minimum of 1 year or more working in L&D or Corporate Training
• Skills:
  • Extensive knowledge of training design, instructional strategies and assessment techniques
  • Analytical skills essential for assessment and evaluation with the ability to understand and interpret data changes and trends
  • Interpretation of complex levels of information as well as prepare and transmit information to varying individuals at all levels
  
  
• Background Check: Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, including CBI/FBI fingerprinting. MVR and a national sex offender registry check
• Other: Bilingual preferred

The perks:

• 16+ paid company holidays
• Accrued vacation time, starting at 10 days per year up to 30 days per year, based on years of service
• Paid sick time
• Medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage
• Life, AD&D insurance
• Mental health support through our medical coverage and our employee assistance program (EAP)
• Long-term disability coverage
• 401(k) with 5% employer match after 1 year of employment
• FSA plans
• College 529 investment plans
• Identify theft and protection plans

Compensation:

• $54,000-$57,000 Annually

Clayton's Core Values:

At Clayton Early Learning, we believe that our core values help to drive actions and create habits that allow our belief in the unlimited potential of young children to become a reality. We seek candidates who demonstrate our core values and are motivated by a values-driven environment.

• Collaboration builds trust and relationships and brings new ideas, skills, and knowledge to help us do better work.
• Community fosters belonging, resiliency, stability, and strength. We are committed to creating a caring, trauma-informed, professional community at Clayton and to being a positive member of the many communities we partner with and serve.
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging leads us to reflect the communities we serve and bring the widest variety of ideas and innovation to our work.
• Fun reduces stress, keeps us motivated, builds connections, and models for our children the joy that can come with learning and working together.
• Growth allows us to develop as professionals and to provide the best services we can to the children, families, and educators we serve.
• Stewardship enables us to have the greatest impact we can with the resources we have.

Clayton Early Learning is an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants or employees on the basis of physical or mental disability, race, creed, color, sex, pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, marriage to a co-worker, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, genetic information, legal off-duty conduct, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.