L&D - Manager/Sr. Manager

CSO HR Services Pvt. Ltd.; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership of L&D function

Autonomy and high impact role

Competitive compensation

Direct influence on culture

Job summary

CSO HR Services Pvt. Ltd. in Bengaluru seeks a Manager/Senior Manager Training & Development who can build an L&D function from the ground up, designing internal frameworks, competency matrices, and capability-building systems.

The role emphasizes hands-on creation of training content and a train-the-trainer ecosystem within a fast-moving tech environment. The ideal candidate has experience shaping internal training for technical, high-growth teams, with a focus on engineering, product, and GTM

Qualifications

• Experience building an L&D function from scratch in a mid-size or startup deep-tech company.
• Designing internal competency frameworks and training content in-house with minimal external reliance.
• Ability to work in ambiguity and establish structure, embedding a learning culture.

Responsibilities

• Design and build end-to-end Training & Development framework from scratch.
• Create competency frameworks and skill matrices for multiple functions.
• Develop internal certification/capability-tiering systems to track growth.
• Develop a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process grounded in business needs.
• Build training content and curricula in-house; minimize external dependency.
• Identify and develop internal SMEs as trainers and facilitators.
• Create onboarding, technical upskilling, leadership, and functional programs.
• Use practical, in-house methods over external courses.
• Pilot training batches, gather feedback, iterate.
• Define and track L&D metrics and ROI.

Skills

L&D framework design

Internal training content

Stakeholder management

Ground-up builder mindset

Technical training delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA/PGDM in HR

Instructional Design certification

Competency Mapping certification

Job description

Manager/Senior Manager Training & Development

Full Time Role

Work From Office 5 days

Bengaluru

About the Role

We are looking for a Training & Development Manager/Director/Head who is a genuine builder - someone who has created a learning and development function from the ground up, not someone who has managed an already-established L&D setup or primarily run external vendor-led programs.

The ideal candidate has hands‑on experience designing internal training frameworks, competency matrices, and capability-building systems from scratch, with minimal reliance on external trainers or off‑the‑shelf content. This person should be comfortable operating in ambiguity, building structure where none exists, and embedding a learning culture into a fast‑moving organization.

Best-fit background:

Candidates who have built L&D functions within mid-size or startup deep-tech companies (engineering‑heavy, product/technology‑driven organizations) are strongly preferred - this role requires someone who understands how to design training for technical, high‑growth, resource‑constrained environments rather than large, process‑heavy enterprises with existing L&D infrastructure and big training budgets.

Key Responsibilities

Framework & Systems Building (Core Focus)

• Design and build the organization's end‑to‑end Training & Development framework from scratch - including learning architecture, governance, delivery model, and measurement systems.
• Create competency frameworks and skill matrices for various roles/functions (engineering, product, sales, operations, leadership) based on ground‑level role analysis, not templated industry models.
• Build internal certification/capability‑tiering systems (e.g., skill levels, proficiency bands) to track employee growth objectively.
• Develop a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process grounded in actual business/team requirements rather than generic assessments.

Internal Training Development & Delivery

• Build training content, modules, and curricula in‑house, minimizing dependency on external trainers, vendors, or generic e‑learning content.
• Identify and develop internal subject matter experts (SMEs) as trainers/facilitators - build a \"train‑the‑trainer\" ecosystem within the organization.
• Create structured onboarding, technical upskilling, leadership development, and functional training programs tailored to the company's actual work and tech stack.
• Use practical, in‑house methods - job shadowing, internal knowledge‑sharing sessions, documented playbooks, peer learning circles, and simulation‑based learning - over paid external courses.

Ground‑Level Execution

• Work closely with department heads and team leads to understand real skill gaps, not rely on assumptions or standard industry benchmarks.
• Personally run pilot training batches, gather feedback, and iterate - this is a hands‑on, not purely strategic/administrative, role.
• Build training documentation, SOPs, and knowledge repositories that did not previously exist in the organization.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track L&D metrics - training effectiveness, skill progression, internal mobility readiness, and business impact.
• Continuously refine frameworks based on organizational growth stage and evolving skill needs.
• Report training ROI and capability‑building progress to leadership.

Culture Building

• Instill a self‑sustaining internal learning culture - reducing long‑term dependency on external training spend.
• Champion knowledge documentation and cross‑functional learning as an organizational habit, not a one‑time initiative.

Key Requirements

Experience

• 8 15 years of experience in Learning & Development / Training, with demonstrated experience building an L&D function/framework from scratch (not inheriting or scaling an already‑mature setup).
• Prior experience at a mid-size or startup deep-tech company strongly preferred (SaaS, product engineering, AI/ML, hardware‑software, or similar technology‑first environments).
• Proven track record of designing internal competency frameworks and training content in‑house, with minimal use of external trainers/vendors.
• Experience training technical and non‑technical teams alike (engineering, product, GTM functions).

Education

• Bachelor's degree required; MBA/PGDM in HR, Organizational Development, or related field preferred.
• Certifications in Instructional Design, Competency Mapping, or Learning Architecture (e.g., ATD, CIPD) are a plus but not mandatory - practical building experience matters more than certifications.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong instructional design and curriculum development skills (in‑house content creation, not curation of purchased content).
• Ability to conduct ground‑level skill gap analysis directly with teams/managers.
• Strong stakeholder management - comfortable working closely with engineering/product leaders to understand technical skill needs.
• High ownership and \"zero‑to‑one\" builder mindset - thrives in ambiguity without existing processes or playbooks.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and content‑creation skills.
• Data‑oriented - comfortable defining and tracking L&D metrics and demonstrating training ROI.
• Resourceful and cost‑conscious - able to build effective training with limited budgets, typical of startup/mid‑size environments.

What Will NOT Be a Fit

• Candidates whose experience is primarily vendor/external‑trainer management (sourcing, scheduling, and coordinating third‑party trainers) rather than building content and frameworks internally.
• Candidates who have only operated within an already‑established L&D system at a large enterprise without ground‑up building experience.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to build a function from the ground up with full ownership and visibility to leadership.
• High‑impact, high‑autonomy role in a growing organization.
• Competitive compensation with performance‑linked incentives.
• Direct influence on organizational capability and culture at a formative stage.