Director, Sales Learning & Development

Gardner White Furniture & Mattress; Bloomfield Hills (MI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Gardner White Furniture & Mattress in Michigan seeks a Director of Corporate Learning & Development to lead the learning strategy, design, and measurement of training programs aimed at boosting sales performance, productivity, and new-hire ramp-up. The role oversees field coaching and scales leadership, compliance, HR, and enterprise-wide learning initiatives.

The position drives onboarding, certification, and performance management across multiple locations, with a focus on measurable business

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; ATD certification a plus
• 10+ years in retail sales leadership, learning and development, or sales enablement, including 5+ years leading a training or enablement function with direct reports; retail, home furnishings, or commissioned in-store sales strongly preferred
• A track record of training programs tied to measurable sales results, not completion counts alone
• Hands-on instructional design skill (adult learning, microlearning, blended programs) and LMS administration
• Credibility on the sales floor: comfortable selling, observing, and coaching in front of associates
• Strong data skills: able to build scorecards, read POS data, and isolate training impact
• Clear executive communication and the ability to drive adoption across store operations without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the organization’s learning and development strategy, with a primary focus on Sales, ensuring alignment with business goals and growth objectives.
• Design and maintain comprehensive learning pathways, including seller development, leadership development, and enterprise-wide training programs.
• Build multi-year curricula covering selling processes, product knowledge, design, financing, protection plans, coaching, communication, performance management, and other critical business competencies.
• Assess organizational learning needs and implement innovative development solutions that improve employee capability, engagement, and business performance.
• Lead onboarding programs with certification requirements, skill assessments, and readiness milestones prior to independent job performance.
• Manage post-onboarding hypercare programs through the first 180 days of employment, including scheduled coaching sessions, performance reviews, and retention-focused interventions.
• Improve time-to-productivity, employee engagement, and early-tenure retention through targeted initiatives.
• Create, curate, and deploy scalable learning content, including training videos, facilitator guides, leader toolkits, role-play exercises, job aids, and performance support resources.
• Develop modular, field-ready training programs that can be effectively delivered across multiple locations/audiences.
• Ensure training materials remain current, relevant, and aligned with business priorities and operational requirements.
• Design and lead the field coaching model, establishing standards, methodologies, tools, and performance expectations for Sales Performance Coaches.
• Define coaching visit cadence, observation frameworks, and meeting structures to drive consistent execution.
• Monitor coaching effectiveness and implement continuous improvements to enhance performance and employee development.
• Partner with field leaders to support skill development, performance improvement, and best-practice adoption.
• Equip store and sales leaders with the skills, tools, and resources necessary to coach employees effectively and sustain training outcomes.
• Develop leadership training programs focused on coaching, communication, accountability, performance management, and talent development.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning by supporting leaders in reinforcing key behaviors and operational standards.
• Oversee development, delivery, and tracking of required and recommended compliance and enterprise training programs.
• Partner with Human Resources and Legal teams to ensure training content reflects current policies, regulations, and organizational requirements.
• Manage programs related to harassment prevention, wage and hour compliance, workplace safety, policy updates, and other mandatory training topics.
• Monitor completion rates and ensure accurate reporting and compliance documentation.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Marketing, Operations, Human Resources, and other stakeholders to support organizational initiatives through training and communication.
• Develop and deliver training programs for new products, collections, promotions, financing offers, and operational process changes.
• Ensure employees and leaders are prepared to successfully execute new initiatives prior to launch.
• Establish learning and performance metrics to evaluate program effectiveness and business impact.
• Develop baseline measures and reporting processes to track improvements in productivity, retention, compliance, sales performance, and other key outcomes.
• Present regular reports and recommendations to senior leadership on training effectiveness, return on investment, and future opportunities.
• Design and evaluate pilot programs before broader organizational implementation.
• Oversee learning technologies and systems, including the Learning Management System (LMS), content libraries, certification tracking tools, and digital learning platforms.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, training partners, and technology providers.
• Develop and administer the Learning & Development budget, ensuring efficient use of resources and alignment with strategic priorities.
• Identify and implement technology and process improvements that enhance the employee learning experience and operational efficiency.

Skills

Retail leadership

Learning & development

Sales enablement

Instructional design

LMS administration

Data analysis

Executive communication

Coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree

ATD certification (a plus)

Tools

LMS

Job description

Gardner White Furniture & Mattress in Michigan seeks a Director of Corporate Learning & Development to lead the learning strategy, design, and measurement of training programs aimed at boosting sales performance, productivity, and new-hire ramp-up. The role oversees field coaching and scales leadership, compliance, HR, and enterprise-wide learning initiatives.

The position drives onboarding, certification, and performance management across multiple locations, with a focus on measurable business