Director Leadership & Learning Innovation

About Us

The Freeman Company is a global leader in events, on a mission to redefine live for a new era. With a data-driven approach and the industry’s largest network of experts, The Freeman Company's insights shape exhibitions, exhibits, and events that drive audiences to action. The integrated full-service solutions leverage a 99-year legacy in event management as well as new technologies to deliver moments that matter.

Summary

The Director, Leadership & Learning Innovation will serve as a strategic learning partner and consultative leader, leading a team of facilitators and instructional designers responsible for creating leadership, capability, and technology transformation learning experiences. This role integrates learning with business and talent strategy, enabling skills-based development and building frameworks that support talent growth, career mobility, and workforce readiness. The Director will create scalable, innovative learning experiences that move beyond traditional PowerPoint-led classroom training and use creative approaches such as practice, coaching, feedback, peer learning, experiential activities, simulations, real-world application, and learning in the flow of work. Success is measured not only by learning completion, but by capability growth, career mobility indicators, development outcomes that support career progression, and business-aligned performance impact.

This position will support our Human Resources team.  It is eligible to work a hybrid schedule, generally requiring work in-office and/or show-site 2-3 days per week.  The ideal candidate will be located in Dallas, TX; however, we are also open to candidates based out of:

• Las Vegas, NV


• Orlando, FL

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Partnership & Business Alignment

• Partner with business leaders and HR teams to identify capability needs, skill gaps, and performance barriers, co-creating learning solutions tied to business priorities.


• Position the L&D function as a consultative partner and trusted advisor — not simply a training delivery function — and secure leader support to embed learning in the business agenda.


• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of facilitators, instructional designers, and learning consultants to ensure high-quality design, facilitation, and program execution.

Skills-Based Development

• Design, implement, and evaluate leadership, professional development, coaching, and technology transformation learning experiences that go beyond traditional classroom instruction and help employees practice, apply, and transfer learning to real work.

• Provide strategic guidance on capability frameworks, skills-based development, learning paths, and academy-style program architecture to support succession readiness, career mobility, and workforce transformation.


• Collaborate with Talent Management to integrate learning into talent processes including succession planning, performance management, and workforce planning.

Learning Innovation & Culture

• Evaluate and integrate learning technologies, AI-enabled tools, simulations, blended learning approaches, experiential activities, and digital methods that improve learner engagement, access, on-the-job application, and business impact.


• Create scalable learning experiences and informal learning structures — including practice labs, scenario-based learning, simulations, coaching, feedback, mentoring, peer learning, communities of practice, manager-led development, and application-based activities — and champion a culture of continuous growth across all levels.

• Stay current on learning and workforce development trends; translate insights into practical, phased recommendations aligned to where the organization is today and where it is heading.

Impact Measurement

• Develop and report on metrics that go beyond completion rates to include learning effectiveness, application, adoption, learner experience, capability growth, skills velocity, career mobility indicators, and business-aligned outcomes.

• Use data to continuously refine the learning portfolio and ensure investments align to business priorities.

• Provide updates and recommendations to senior management on learning priorities, program impact, innovation opportunities, and continuous improvement efforts.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Education, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field. Master's degree preferred.


• Minimum 10 years in corporate or enterprise learning and development, with at least 5 years leading learning professionals.


• Proven ability to partner with business leaders to design solutions that drive capability growth, technology adoption, and measurable outcomes.


• Experience with learning technologies, digital tools, AI-enabled solutions, and blended learning models.


• Demonstrated experience designing innovative learning experiences beyond basic classroom or PowerPoint-led training, including experiential, scenario-based, digital, blended, and application-focused learning methods.


• Experience connecting skills and competencies to talent management, career development, succession planning, and workforce transformation.


• Experience building capability academies, skills frameworks, or career pathway programs.


• Facilitation experience across small and large audiences; coaching certification preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Travel Requirements

What We Offer

The Freeman Company provides benefits that aim to empower our people and their families to thrive mentally, physically, and financially.  These are a handful of the types of programs and benefits our full-time people may be eligible for.  There may be some variances in specific benefits across regions.

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance


• Tuition Reimbursement


• Paid Parental Leave


• Life, Accident and Disability


• Retirement with Company Match


• Paid Time Off

Diversity Commitment

At The Freeman Company, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is helping us to create not only a great place to work, but also an environment where our employees, our customers and our communities around the world can reach their goals and connect with each other. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status and other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

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