Senior Director, R&D Capability Enablement

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 193,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Senior Director, R&D Capability Enablement to shape the enterprise learning and capability strategy for scientific priorities across research and development. The role partners with senior R&D leaders to define what great looks like, close capability gaps, and build scalable learning experiences for critical roles.

This highly visible leadership position blends organizational strategy, instructional design oversight, and executive stakeholder partnership.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in learning and development or a related field.
• Strong expertise in adult learning and instructional design.
• Experience designing and scaling enterprise capability strategies.
• Experience leading instructional design teams and senior stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Partner with R&D leaders to identify capability needs tied to priorities
• Use feedback to identify learning gaps and sequence investments
• Lead instructional designers, set priorities, coach on learning design
• Design role-based learning journeys using diverse methods
• Translate priorities into a shared capability architecture
• Oversee training governance and readiness for critical roles
• Design programs for high-potential R&D talent and capability academies

Skills

Adult learning

Instructional design

Performance consulting

Digital learning ecosystems

Capability frameworks design

Executive stakeholder management

Learning design leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Senior Director, R&D Capability Enablement to join the team of a leader in the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech space. This leader will shape the enterprise learning and capability strategy that supports scientific priorities across research and development. The role will partner closely with senior R&D leaders to define what great looks like, close capability gaps, and build scalable learning experiences for critical roles. It is a highly visible leadership position that blends organizational strategy, instructional design oversight, and executive stakeholder partnership. The work will directly influence readiness, development, and performance across a complex R&D organization.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $192,525 – $260,475 annually

Responsibilities

• Partner with R&D leaders to identify capability needs tied to scientific and workforce priorities
• Use feedback and performance data to identify learning gaps and sequence investments
• Lead instructional designers, set priorities, and coach the team on learning design
• Design role-based learning journeys using a variety of learning methods
• Translate R&D priorities into a shared capability architecture and framework
• Oversee training governance and define readiness expectations for critical roles
• Design targeted programs for high-potential R&D talent and develop capability academies

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 10+ years in learning and development or a related field
• Strong expertise in adult learning, instructional design, performance consulting, and digital learning ecosystems
• Experience designing and scaling enterprise or function-wide capability strategies
• 10 years in learning, capability, or organizational development, preferably in pharma/biotech R&D
• Demonstrated experience in designing and owning capability frameworks across multiple functions
• Experience leading instructional designers or learning design teams
• Executive-level stakeholder management and comfort presenting to senior R&D leaders

Benefits

• Comprehensive Total Rewards plans aligned with local industry standards
• Support for professional and personal growth
• Collaborative culture fostering teamwork and innovation
• Opportunities for mentorship and focused development
• Access to a curated R&D learning catalog

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.