Director, Learning Excellence

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is seeking a Director of Learning Excellence to lead the enterprise learning function with a digital-first, AI-enabled strategy. You will partner with learning leaders across TM, HR, and operations to standardize learning programs, governance, and analytics across the enterprise.

You will drive modern, automated workplace learning architecture and collaborate with executives to shape capability building, AI adoption, and global learning solutions, including

Qualifications

• Education: undergraduate degree in business, learning and development, management or related subject is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partners with peers, learning leaders, HR Operations and Procurement to oversee learning vendors and governance.
• Scans external environment for learning innovations and evaluates new partners for collaboration.
• Ensures effective use of learning technology with TM leaders and digital learning architects.
• Directs the application of automation tools (Power Automate, Power Apps, Gen AI) to improve learner experiences and efficiency.
• Establishes governance standards enabling safe AI and automation integration across TM.
• Captures and analyzes key learning metrics across TM for quality insights.
• Translates learning impact data into executive narratives and data visualizations.
• Leads enterprise learning programs with regulatory and multi-country deployment complexity.

Education

Undergraduate degree in business, learning and development, management, or related

Job description

Job Description Summary

If you’re passionate about becoming a Nationwide associate and believe you have the potential to be something great, let’s talk. At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Ready to make an impact on how associates learn, grow, and develop? Our team plays a critical role in supporting associate development by establishing and maintaining learning standards, ensuring quality and consistency across learning experiences, and driving enterprise-wide capability building. If you are a collaborative communicator with a customer-first mindset and a passion for continuous improvement, we want to know more about you. As Director, you'll lead the enterprise Learning Excellence team, which is part of the broader corporate learning function. You'll work to ensure learning excellence across Nationwide by implementing effective, modern, digital-first and automated workplace learning architecture, standards, guidelines and processes in support of key strategies and programs. We'll count on you to partner and collaborate with leaders and associates both inside and outside Talent Management (TM) to advance consistency and excellence for learning programs across the enterprise. Supports and aligns enterprise learning solutions to AI, Future of Work, and talent development strategies, championing responsible adoption of generative AI, intelligent learning tools, and human-centered experience design across TM learning programs.

Job Description Key Responsibilities

• Partners with peers, learning leaders, HR Operations and Procurement to provide oversight and governance of learning vendors, contractors, and suppliers.
• Scans external environment for latest learning innovations and technologies and evaluates new partners for potential collaboration.
• Partners with TM leaders, digital learning architect, and other key partners to ensure effective use of learning technology.
• Knowledge of modern digital design solutions, including but not limited to Power Apps, Power BI, and emerging AI technologies.
• Directs the application of automation tools (e.g., Power Automate, Power Apps, Copilot Studio, Gen AI/agentic workflows) to simplify learner and content-owner experiences, reduce manual processes, and improve operational efficiency.
• Establishes governance standards enabling learning designers across the enterprise to safely and consistently integrate AI and automation into their work.
• Responsible for capture, analysis and reporting of key learning metrics (efficiency and effectiveness) across TM. Strong data-mindset with ability to investigate output to ensure quality.
• Partners with other TM and enterprise learning leaders to ensure the ongoing internal and external professional development related to learning expertise.
• Translates learning impact data into compelling executive-level narratives, data visualizations, and storytelling that support strategic decision-making and stakeholder influence.
• Leads or contributes to external benchmarking and award submissions (e.g., Training Magazine, ATD BEST, Learning Elite) to elevate Nationwide's reputation as an enterprise learning leader.
• Chairs and sustains enterprise learning communities of practice (e.g., Learning Leader Advisory Committee, Learning Accelerator, LEARNx series, Learning Leader Exchange) to build learning professional capability, share innovation, and advance consistent practices (including adoption of learning architecture, standards, metrics, technology, vendors, professional development and learning award submissions) across business units.
• Coordinates and delivers AI and automation learning experiences specifically for learning professionals, positioning TM as a trusted guide for responsible innovation in L&D.
• Directs the design and development of large-scale, enterprise learning solutions through a variety of digital delivery methods to efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the learner populations at all levels based on identified and prioritized needs.
• Lifts the expertise of the team around human-centered design approaches—including persona development, journey mapping, and iterative user research—to ground learning solutions in real learner needs and ensure measurable performance outcomes.
• Guides the team in front-end design thinking, UX principles, and agile/iterative design to elevate the learner experience across digital modalities.
• Serves as program lead and strategic owner for enterprise required learning, overseeing the deployment calendar, compliance standards, and cross-functional governance (Privacy, Legal, Compliance, HR Ops) for high-stakes programs.
• Oversees design and deployment of required learning programs with country-specific regulatory requirements, including India-specific mandates, managing vendors and ensuring accessibility and compliance across global associate populations.
• Owns and continuously evolves digital learning hubs and enterprise knowledge environments (e.g., Learning Accelerator Teams space, Learning Excellence Project Repository) as strategic access points for learning content, governance standards, and professional resources.
• Ensures intuitive navigation, current content, and a cohesive associate and leader experience across owned digital properties.
• Coaches, mentors, engages and motivates a team of digital learning experience designers that advance best practices and modern learning solutions within their own work, across TM and across the company.
• Hires and develops talent, provides consistent coaching and feedback and completes leader administrative functions.
• May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships

Reports to Associate Vice President, Associate Development Experience.

Manages a team of four-to-five digital learning experience designers and may supervise vendors, consultants and other third parties.

Typical Skills and Experience

• Education: An undergraduate degree in business, learning and development, management, business, human resources, organization development or related subject is preferred.
• Graduate studies in related field is a plus.
• Experience: Ten or more years of demonstrated experience in human resources, business consulting, organizational development and/or learning and development, including at least five years of proven experience in leading teams in a large, complex environment.
• Experience partnering with other learning and human resources leaders to formulate and execute a coordinated strategy through a matrixed structure.
• At least three years of demonstrated experience in learning analysis, solution design and development.
• Experience in multiple learning solution techniques and methodologies.
• Large program initiation and management experience.
• Corporate centers of excellence and/or shared services experience, as well as experience in a Fortune 100 company, is preferred.
• Experience interacting with and influencing executives and peers to achieve desired outcomes.
• Experience designing, deploying, and governing AI-enabled and automated learning solutions—including generative AI authoring, agentic workflows, and Power Platform tools—in a large, complex enterprise environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise required learning programs with regulatory, compliance, and multi-country deployment complexity.
• Experience founding or sustaining professional learning communities and governance structures across matrixed organizations.
• Background in human-centered experience design, including user research, persona development, journey mapping, and iterative design processes.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Have extensive business, technology, industry and profession awareness.
• Solid understanding of learning and development methodologies, people management and business/process management concepts.
• Understanding of modern workplace instructional technology, design techniques and solution development.
• Ability to identify, select and manage vendors to support any aspect of solution development.
• Have solid knowledge of learning measurement methodologies and their appropriate use.
• Performance consulting, learning solution design and development and program management.
• Able to analyze needs and then design and develop learning solutions to meet those needs.
• Possesses solid verbal and written communication skills in various mediums to interact