Learning and Development Specialist

The Guitar Center Company; Westlake Village (CA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Learning & Development Specialist at The Guitar Center Company designs, develops, facilitates, and evaluates learning programs to grow employees and strengthen leadership. You will partner with business leaders, HR, and SMEs to close skill gaps and deliver engaging experiences across multiple formats.

Hybrid onsite in Westlake Village, CA with Tue–Thu onsite and Mon/Fri remote. Ideal candidates bring passion for adult learning, strong facilitation skills, and experience with Articulate Rise

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Human Behavior, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 2–5 years in Learning & Development designing and delivering programs across diverse employee types.
• Experience with e-learning tools (Articulate, Adobe CS) and with LMS; multimedia content development a plus.
• Excellent presenter and communicator with strong client service and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong project management, facilitation, and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of adult learning theories and instructional design methodologies.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and continually improve learning initiatives across the organization.
• Identify learning needs and skill gaps with business leaders and stakeholders.
• Develop facilitator guides, presentations, participant workbooks, job aids, e‑learning modules, and multimedia content.
• Apply instructional design principles for diverse audiences and formats.
• Evaluate learning effectiveness using participation metrics and business impact measures.
• Facilitate instructor‑led, virtual, e‑learning, and blended sessions.
• Coordinate schedules, logistics, and program administration; support LMS upkeep.
• Collaborate with leaders, HR, and SMEs to align solutions with business goals.

Skills

Presentation

Communication

Project management

Facilitation

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Psychology/Development or related field

Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (preferred)

Instructional design certification (preferred)

Tools

Articulate Rise

Adobe Creative Suite

Learning Management Systems

Job description

Learning and Development Specialist

Job ID: 33722
Job Type: Full-time
Location: Westlake Village, CA

Job Description

The Learning & Development Specialist plays a key role in designing, developing, facilitating, implementing, and evaluating learning programs that support employee growth, leadership capability, and organizational effectiveness. This role partners closely with business leaders, HR partners, and subject matter experts to identify skill gaps and create engaging learning experiences aligned with organizational goals and culture.

The ideal candidate is passionate about employee development, adult learning, facilitation, and creating impactful learning experiences across multiple delivery formats.

Location and Onsite Expectations: Hybrid - Onsite in Westlake Village, CA

Tuesday - Thursday Onsite + Monday/ Friday Remote

Key Responsibilities

The Learning & Development Specialist plays a key role in designing, developing, facilitating, implementing, and evaluating learning programs that support employee growth, leadership capability, and organizational effectiveness. This role partners closely with business leaders, HR partners, and subject matter experts to identify skill gaps and create engaging learning experiences aligned with organizational goals and culture.

The ideal candidate is passionate about employee development, adult learning, facilitation, and creating impactful learning experiences across multiple delivery formats.

Learning Content & Design

• Design, implement, and continuously improve learning and development initiatives across the organization.
• Partner with business leaders and stakeholders to identify learning needs, skill gaps, and development opportunities.
• Develop and maintain engaging learning materials including facilitator guides, presentations, participant workbooks, job aids, e-learning modules, and multimedia content using tools such as Articulate Rise, Canva, and other video making tools.
• Apply instructional design principles and adult learning methodologies to create relevant, interactive, and effective learning solutions for diverse audiences.
• Develop and maintain learning programs and content aligned with organizational goals and employee career development paths while ensuring consistency, accuracy, and relevance across learning experiences.
• Leverage learning technologies and innovative learning strategies to enhance learner engagement and effectiveness.
• Evaluate learning effectiveness through participation metrics, learner feedback, knowledge retention, and business impact measures to support continuous improvement.
• Stay current on industry trends, instructional design practices, and learning technologies.

Program Facilitation & Delivery

• Facilitate instructor‑led, virtual, e‑learning, and blended learning experiences for all levels of employees.
• Deliver engaging facilitation experiences for diverse audiences across virtual and in‑person environments.
• Facilitate learning content, programs, workshops, and leadership development experiences that foster engagement, participation, and practical application of knowledge.
• Coordinate training schedules, logistics, set‑up, communications, and program administration to support seamless delivery of learning initiatives.
• Support the administration and maintenance of learning platforms and Learning Management Systems (LMS).
• Manage multiple learning projects simultaneously, including project timelines, milestones, and deliverables, while ensuring timely delivery of high‑quality learning experiences and materials.

Collaboration & Organizational Team Support

• Collaborate with Training Managers, business leaders, HR partners, subject matter experts, and cross‑functional teams to align learning solutions with organizational priorities and business objectives.
• Support organizational development initiatives including onboarding, employee engagement, performance management, leadership development, workforce planning, and change management efforts as needed.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Professional Experience & Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or Advanced degree in Organizational Psychology, Organizational Development, Human Behavior, Applied Psychology or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 2–5 years of experience in Learning & Development, designing, implementing, and facilitating learning and development programs for complex businesses with a spectrum of employee types and levels.
• Experience with e-learning tools such as Articulate and Adobe Creative Suite is a plus, Learning Management Systems, and multimedia content development.
• Excellent and organized presenter and communicator (written and verbal). Strong client service and problem‑solving skills with the ability to execute in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong project management, communication, facilitation, and collaboration skills.
• Knowledge of adult learning theories and instructional design methodologies.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology or related field.
• Certification in instructional design or related discipline.
• Experience with gamification and interactive learning strategies.
• AI tool proficiency and ability to leverage emerging technologies to enhance learning design, content, and learner engagement

Why join us?

With a career at Guitar Center, you become part of the world's largest multichannel musical instrument retailer. Whether at our Stores, Contact Centers, Distribution Centers, or Support Center, Guitar Center employees have a common goal: to help people find their sound and fill the world with more music.

Pay Rate: $75,000 - $90,000 / annually depending on background and experience.

The job posting is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific employee, which is always dependent on actual experience, education, and other factors. The pay range(s) listed are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different in other locations

About Guitar Center

The Guitar Center Company embodies the world of creativity and music by encouraging our teammates to find their own individual sound. Our mission is to develop and nurture lifelong musicians and make a difference in the world by enabling musicians and non‑musicians alike to experience the joy that comes from creating music. We believe in putting our customers first, engaging with respect and integrity and fulfilling our mission with passion.

The Guitar Center Company operates through several business divisions. Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards, recording, live sound, DJ, and lighting equipment, with more than 290 stores across the United States. 2014 marked the milestone 50th anniversary of the Guitar Center Company as the organization continues to help people make music from coast to coast.

E-Commerce brands Guitar Center, Musician's Friend and WWBW offer online sales of a broad selection of music products. The Music & Arts division operates more than 220 stores specializing in band & orchestral instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors, and students since 1952. AVDG and GCPro headline the enterprise audio‑visual integration business, delivering a best‑in‑class commercial and residential customer experience.

Guitar Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and provides fair and equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected status prohibited under Federal, State, or local laws. All employment decisions are based on valid job‑related requirements.