Training Specialist

IHRC, Inc. is seeking a qualified Training Specialist (onsite role, 4 days/week) to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Occupational Safety and Health (OOSH) under the Occupational Safety, Industrial Hygiene, Information Systems, and Training (OSIST) contract. The Training Specialist will serve as a principal resource for the development, coordination, delivery, administration, assessment, and continuous improvement of occupational safety and health training provided to FDA personnel. The position will support instructor-led, virtual, hybrid, and eLearning training and will work closely with FDA training personnel, occupational safety and health subject matter experts, the OSIST Communications Specialist, and other members of the multidisciplinary Workstreams team. The selected candidate will support development and delivery of occupational safety and health courses; review and update eLearning content; maintain training and certification information; develop compliance reports and dashboards; conduct training needs assessments and gap analyses; coordinate training events; and help ensure that training content remains current, technically accurate, accessible, and responsive to FDA requirements. The Training Specialist will combine instructional-design expertise with strong project coordination, communication, organizational, and documentation skills. The successful candidate must be comfortable collaborating with technical subject matter experts to transform complex occupational safety and health requirements into effective learning experiences for diverse FDA audiences.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead and support the instructional design, development, revision, coordination, and delivery of occupational safety and health training programs for FDA personnel.
• Develop, update, and support delivery of instructor-led, virtual, hybrid, and other training courses identified by FDA and the OOSH Workstreams team.
• Work with occupational safety and health subject matter experts to translate technical and regulatory information into clear, accurate, engaging, and instructionally appropriate training content.
• Support development and delivery of Workstreams training courses, which may include subjects such as lifting and hoisting, RCRA compliance, DOT hazardous materials ground shipping, powered industrial trucks, and other occupational safety and health topics identified by FDA.
• Develop and revise course materials, presentations, instructor materials, participant materials, job aids, exercises, assessments, reference materials, and other training products.
• Apply established instructional-design principles and adult-learning practices to development and revision of training materials.
• Coordinate with technical subject matter experts to ensure that training materials accurately reflect applicable regulatory requirements, FDA policies and procedures, consensus standards, and current occupational safety and health practices.
• Review existing eLearning courses and training materials to identify outdated information, instructional deficiencies, accessibility concerns, or opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct      complete reviews and updates of designated eLearning courses in accordance      with Workstream requirements and established review cycles.
• Perform gap analyses of existing eLearning courses and document recommended improvements in content, instructional approach, delivery methods, accessibility, and supporting materials.
• Support development, revision, and maintenance of eLearning content using appropriate course-authoring and multimedia-development tools.
• Coordinate training schedules and logistics with FDA personnel, instructors, subject matter experts, the Communications Specialist, and other Workstreams personnel.
• Support scheduling, participant communications, course announcements, registration activities, instructor coordination, training materials, facilities or virtual-meeting requirements, and other logistical elements necessary for successful training delivery.
• Assist instructors and technical subject matter experts before, during, and following training events to support effective course delivery.
• Maintain comprehensive and accurate training records and certification-tracking information to support FDA oversight of required occupational safety and health training.
• Track training completion and certification status and assist in identifying overdue, incomplete, expiring, or otherwise deficient training requirements.
• Develop and maintain training compliance reports, dashboards, spreadsheets, and other management tools that provide visibility into training status and program performance.
• Perform data-quality reviews and validation activities to help ensure that training records and compliance information are accurate, current, and complete.
• Conduct and support training needs assessments to identify current and emerging training requirements across FDA facilities, programs, and operations.
• Conduct training gap analyses comparing existing training programs and content against regulatory requirements, industry practices, organizational objectives, identified hazards, and evolving occupational safety and health needs.
• Document findings and recommendations from training needs assessments and gap analyses and assist FDA and Workstreams leadership in establishing priorities for future training development.
• Research applicable regulatory requirements, standards, guidance, training practices, and other information needed to support development and maintenance of occupational safety and health training.
• Develop and apply appropriate methods for evaluating training effectiveness, participant understanding, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Review participant feedback, course evaluations, completion information, assessment results, and other available data to identify potential improvements to training content or delivery.
• Support preparation of training-related status information, reports, presentations, briefings, schedules, and other Workstream deliverables.
• Maintain organized training documentation, course files, source materials, review records, training records, and other information within designated FDA and OSIST information-management systems.
• Coordinate with the Communications Specialist on training announcements, participant communications, graphics, awareness materials, and other communications supporting training activities.
• Support development of training-related content for broader OOSH communications and outreach activities when requested.
• Participate in Workstream meetings, planning sessions, training-development meetings, technical reviews, and other project activities as required.
• Track training-related activities, schedules, deliverables, action items, and milestones and provide timely status information to the Workstreams Project Manager.
• Perform quality-control review of training products prior to submission or deployment, including review for content completeness, consistency, professional presentation, instructional effectiveness, and applicable accessibility requirements.
• Ensure electronic training products and supporting materials are prepared in accessible formats and conform to applicable Section 508 requirements.
• Support continuous improvement of OOSH training processes, tools, curricula, documentation, and delivery methods.
• Perform other training-development, instructional-design, training-administration, and Workstreams support activities within the scope of the OSIST contract as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications  

• Minimum of two (2) years of directly relevant professional experience in instructional design or training development.
• Demonstrated competency in instructional design, including experience developing, revising, or evaluating professional training programs, courses, or learning materials.
• Bachelor's degree in Education or Instructional Design and Technology; or a bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution combined with a certification or equivalent credential in instructional design and technology, online learning, or a related discipline, consistent with applicable OSIST contract qualification and substitution provisions.
• Experience working with subject matter experts to develop or revise technical, professional, scientific, regulatory, safety, or comparable training content.
• Experience developing instructor-led, virtual, hybrid, eLearning, or other structured training.
• Demonstrated ability to develop professional training materials such as presentations, course materials, instructor or participant guides, job aids, exercises, assessments, or comparable learning products.
• Knowledge of adult-learning and instructional-design principles and their practical application to professional training.
• Strong professional writing, editing, research, and documentation skills.
• Strong organizational and project-coordination skills, including the ability to manage multiple training activities, schedules, priorities, and deadlines concurrently.
• Ability to collect, organize, maintain, and analyze training-related information and records.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical subject matter experts, project personnel, Government personnel, instructors, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work independently with appropriate direction, exercise sound professional judgment, and follow assignments through completion.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing accurate, professional, and high-quality training products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced education or professional development in instructional design, adult education, training and development, learning technologies, education, organizational development, or a related discipline.
• Professional certification or formal training in instructional design, online learning, adult education, training development, or a related field.
• Experience developing training for federal government agencies or other large, complex organizations.
• Experience supporting occupational safety and health, industrial hygiene, biosafety, laboratory safety, environmental health and safety, emergency preparedness, or other scientific or technical programs.
• Experience developing or supporting regulatory or compliance-oriented training.
• Experience using eLearning authoring and multimedia-development tools such as Articulate, Camtasia, Lectora, or comparable applications.
• Experience administering or supporting a Learning Management System (LMS) or comparable training-management system.
• Experience maintaining training records, certification information, compliance reports, or training dashboards.
• Experience conducting formal training needs assessments or training gap analyses.
• Experience developing assessments, evaluations, surveys, or other methods for measuring training effectiveness.
• Experience developing graphics, multimedia, or visual learning materials.
• Experience with Microsoft SharePoint or comparable collaborative document-management platforms.
• Familiarity with Section 508 accessibility requirements applicable to electronic training and Microsoft Office materials.
• Experience supporting instructor-led, virtual, and hybrid training events, including scheduling, logistics, participant communications, instructor coordination, and post-training activities.
• Experience working directly with scientific, technical, safety, or regulatory subject matter experts.