Learning Business Partner at Mars in USA-Illinois-Chicago

Learning Business Partner

Location: USA-Illinois-Chicago · Hybrid

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-faceted 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, build trusted-advisor relationships, manage expectation mismatches, and influence VP/Director-level stakeholders.

· Business & Functional Acumen: Deep understanding of corporate structures and business value chains (Sales, Supply, R&D, Finance, P&O, etc.) with the ability to speak the language of business leaders.

· Digital Fluency & AI Capability: Savviness in utilizing modern learning technology stacks (LMS, LXP, social learning environments) and emerging AI capabilities for automated curation, skill taxonomy tagging, and personalized learning journeys.

· Data Literacy: Proven experience defining data collection methodologies, reading dashboards, interpreting learner analytics, and synthesizing data points into executive-level narratives.

· Adult Learning Strategy: Expert-level knowledge of adult learning theories, cognitive design principles, behavioral economics/change management, and 70/20/10 operationalization.

Competency Profile

Key Mars Leadership Competencies

· Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.

· Balances Stakeholders: Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders across a matrix.

· Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

· Manages Ambiguity: Operates effectively, even when things are not certain or the way forward is unclear.

· Nimble Learning: Learns quickly when facing new situations, experimenting to find solutions.

· Plans & Aligns: Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.

Key Functional Competencies & Technical Skills

1. Performance Consulting & Business Advising (Advanced): High-impact capability to discover actual business drivers, separate skill deficiencies from structural or operational issues, and co-create performance-improving interventions.

2. Capability & Skills Architecture (Advanced): Ability to translate business strategies into structured, agile skills-based taxonomies, job architectures, and progressive learning paths.

3. End-to-End Learning Strategy & Experience Design (Advanced): Mastery over designing comprehensive user journeys and program architectures using modern modalities that drive business change.

4. Data-Driven Measurement & Impact Assessment (Advanced): Proven competence in defining and measuring learning metrics tied directly to business results, using data to inform program iterations.

5. Digital Fluency & Digital Curation (Advanced): Strategic capability to leverage artificial intelligence, collaborative platforms, and modern LXPs to scale social and self-directed learning experiences.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 134,400.00 - USD 184,800.00