Learning Business Partner

mars; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars is seeking a Learning Business Partner to act as a strategic advisor to senior leaders, translating complex business strategies into sustainable capability architectures and an end-to-end learning value chain. The role drives performance improvement, literacy in data, and capability development across global teams.

The successful candidate will own learning strategy, diagnostics, and solution design, partnering with Instructional Designers and vendors to deliver scalable learner experiences

Qualifications

• Minimum 8+ years in Learning & Development
• Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time
• Ability to operate across diverse geographical regions and cultures (global readiness)
• Experience applying LTEM or Kirkpatrick evaluation frameworks to measure impact

Responsibilities

• Act as strategic partner to senior stakeholders, aligning learning initiatives with business priorities.
• Design high-level learning strategies and capability architectures to enable future readiness.
• Architect learner journeys and integrate formal, social, and experiential learning components.
• Define KPIs and business impact metrics, and evaluate ROI of learning programs.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Performance consulting

Learning strategy

Capability architecture

Instructional design

Data analytics

Change enablement

Job description

Job Description: The Learning Business Partner acts as a strategic co-pilot and advisor to senior business leaders, driving organizational performance by translating complex business strategies into sustainable capability architectures. This role owns the end-to-end learning value chain-from strategic business relationship management and performance consulting to learning needs analysis, high-level learning solution design, and evaluation. This role creates high-impact capability strategies and designs holistic learning experiences that seamlessly integrate into the daily flow of work, directly enabling business growth and Associate skill building

Key Responsibilities

1. Performance Consulting & Stakeholder Relationship Management (Consulting & Influence)

• Strategic Business Partnership: Act as the primary interface and trusted advisor to stakeholders. Proactively manage senior stakeholder relationships, establishing credibility to influence decision-making and champion the enterprise learning agenda.
• Performance Diagnostics: Use advanced performance consulting methodologies to diagnose organizational performance challenges. Conduct root‑cause analyses to distinguish between training opportunities and other organizational, process, or talent‑related interventions.
• Demand & Portfolio Management: Effectively manage and prioritize the pipeline of learning requests. Act as a strategic gateway, aligning proposed learning solutions with key business priorities and long-term talent strategies.

2. Learning Needs Analysis & Capability Architecture (Skills & Learning Strategy)

• Diagnostic Skills Assessment: Apply quantitative and qualitative research methodologies (surveys, data benchmarks, focus groups, interviews) to map existing skills inventories, isolate skill gaps, and define the critical capabilities required for future‑readiness.
• Capability & Skills Architecture: Design and maintain agile skills matrices and capability frameworks aligned with business strategies. Define current versus ideal performance states and design scalable learning pathways to close the gap.
• Enterprise Synergy: Collaborate across functional domains to identify horizontal capability trends, scaling successful learning models and preventing fragmented, redundant initiatives.

3. Holistic Learning Solution Design (Design & Orchestration)

• High‑Level Solution Design: Map human‑centered learner journeys and establish robust instructional design frameworks. Architect multi‑faced learning ecosystems that integrate formal, social, and experiential (70/20/10) learning components.
• Modality & Technology Selection: Evaluate and select optimal delivery formats (digital self‑paced, synchronous virtual, classroom, social learning networks, or workflow‑embedded tools) that maximize engagement and drive behavioral change.
• ID Partnering & Quality Assurance: Define and document high‑level design specifications and standards for external and internal Instructional Design (ID) partners. Collaborate closely during the build phase, maintaining accountability for the overall design integrity, context alignment, and deployment success.

4. Data Literacy, Measurement, and Impact (Analytics & Valuation)

• Success Metrics Definition: Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and business impact metrics at the outset of every initiative in collaboration with business sponsors.
• Measurement & Evaluation: Apply robust evaluation frameworks (e.g., LTEM, Kirkpatrick) to monitor learner engagement, behavior change, and business ROI.
• Insights‑Driven Optimization: Analyze data to derive insights, communicate the strategic value of learning to executive leadership, and continuously optimize the portfolio.

Context and Scope

The Learning Business Partner operates in a fast‑paced, highly matrixed, global environment. The role holder must successfully navigate complex stakeholder landscapes across global segments, cultures, and time zones. The role operates at the critical intersection of business leaders and centralized learning execution teams. Rather than producing raw training content, the Learning Business Partner owns the "What" and "Why "defining the strategic learning agenda and designing the learner experience-while steering the "How" in partnership with Instructional Designers and vendors. The position requires a high degree of autonomy, executive presence, and the ability to influence without authority.

Job Specifications / Qualifications

Education & Professional Qualifications

• Minimum Experience: 8+ years of progressive experience in Learning & Development
• Global Readiness: Demonstrated capability to operate effectively across diverse geographical regions and cultures. Regular availability to support US/European time zones is required.
• Travel: Ability to travel up to 10% of the time for key stakeholder alignment meetings and learning forums.

Key Knowledge & Experience

• Consulting & Influence: Masterful ability to conduct diagnostics, bu