How to hire a learning development specialist

How to hire a learning development specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step learning development specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a learning development specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new learning development specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a learning development specialist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a learning development specialist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A learning development specialist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, learning development specialists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents learning development specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Learning Development Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Learning Development Specialist	Training and development specialists plan, conduct, and administer programs that train employees and improve their skills and knowledge.	$23-52
   Corporate Trainer	A corporate trainer is someone who essentially works as a teacher in a corporate setting. Daily duties include training employees with new company systems, skills, and strategies... Show more	$19-39
   Epic Credentialed Trainer	Epic credential trainers are professionals who are trained at the hospital client where they provide training to users. The responsibilities of the trainers include the delivery of end-user training and assistance in technicalities... Show more	$27-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Training Programs
   • Project Management
   • HR
   • Instructional Design
   • Subject Matter Experts
   • Organizational Development
   • Learning Management System
   • Customer Service
   • PowerPoint
   • Learning Solutions
   • Adult Learning Principles
   • Training Materials
   • Learning Objectives
   • Learning Programs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work independently and as part of a team to achieve optimal learning retention on EMR systems within the hospital environment.
   • Lead experiential learning in supervisory skills, conflict management, leadership, team building and organization process effectiveness.
   • Create and update existing adult learning programs, workbooks, PowerPoint presentations.
   • Develop standards for job/task analysis, instructor-le training materials, train-the-trainer activities, course maintenance plans, and performance assessment/evaluation tools.
   • Process FMLA requests and letters.
   • Facilitate the creation of SharePoint portal and MyLearning.

   More learning development specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the learning development specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A learning development specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a learning development specialist in Idaho may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level learning development specialist. Additionally, a learning development specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average learning development specialist salary

   $73,541yearly

   $35.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level learning development specialist salary

   $49,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 28, 2025

   Average learning development specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$98,067	$47
   2	District of Columbia	$85,815	$41
   3	Washington	$83,716	$40
   4	North Carolina	$82,270	$40
   5	New York	$79,020	$38
   6	Pennsylvania	$78,091	$38
   7	Virginia	$77,063	$37
   8	Maryland	$72,944	$35
   9	Texas	$72,505	$35
   10	Georgia	$67,668	$33
   11	Massachusetts	$66,817	$32
   12	Arizona	$66,315	$32
   13	Montana	$66,100	$32
   14	Michigan	$65,185	$31
   15	Illinois	$64,498	$31
   16	Ohio	$62,790	$30
   17	Minnesota	$62,787	$30
   18	Indiana	$62,243	$30
   19	Colorado	$61,579	$30
   20	Oregon	$60,923	$29

   Average learning development specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Clifford Chance	$161,597	$77.69	1
   2	Cornerstone Research	$142,089	$68.31	1
   3	Google	$136,623	$65.68	6
   4	PayPal	$136,234	$65.50	14
   5	Microsoft	$132,529	$63.72
   6	Cambridge Associates	$123,270	$59.26
   7	First Republic Bank	$118,631	$57.03
   8	Bloomberg	$112,705	$54.19
   9	SAS Institute	$110,582	$53.16	8
   10	Morgan Stanley	$110,525	$53.14	16
   11	Amazon	$109,759	$52.77	144
   12	Abiomed	$108,093	$51.97
   13	Vista Equity Partners	$103,698	$49.85
   14	Koch Industries	$100,167	$48.16
   15	IBM	$97,046	$46.66	61
   16	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$97,045	$46.66	1
   17	Tesla	$97,008	$46.64	11
   18	Toyon Research	$96,682	$46.48	4
   19	Gilead Sciences	$95,802	$46.06	4
   20	EPAM Systems	$95,145	$45.74	3

4. Writing a learning development specialist job description

   A learning development specialist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a learning development specialist job description:

   Learning development specialist job description example

   The Learning and Development Specialist Il, with experience in basic instructional design, will act as a strategic partner with the Learning and Development team working with departments to create instructionally sound content that meets business needs and career objectives. Will be a go-to for training design and development, but will also conduct needs assessments, deliver and evaluate training programs under the AMNB learning curriculum.
   
   Designs and develops training courses/materials to be used in classroom, one-on-one and self-study training sessions. Includes development or selection of training aids, handbooks, multimedia visual aids, computer tutorials and reference works.
   
   Assesses need for training in the organization. Training needs may include support for new hires, all levels of staff, and for departmental or organization-wide training including coordination of training for system and policy changes.
   Serves as a platform or virtual facilitator for a range of selected bank programs. Evaluates effectiveness of training and development programs and utilizes evaluation data to revise or recommend changes in instructional objectives and methods; assesses participants learning performance; identifies need for group, specialized, or adaptive instruction. Maintains records of completed training and aids in L&D reporting. Maintains current knowledge of system modifications, development of new software programs or services, and other pertinent changes that may drive training needs. Builds bridges and creates partnerships amongst business units and HR team. Manages multiple projects at once, focused on accuracy and results.
   Requirements:
   REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Education: Bachelor's degree in instructional design preferred, or equivalent practical experience designing and delivering professional training Experience: Three years of instructional design or training and development experience, to include working closely with subject matter experts, internal project teams, and external resources to develop training strategies and solutions. Successful experience designing and delivering blended learning programs, both as instructional designer and as project manager with external vendors and internal SMEs. Good project management, organizational and follow-up skills. Plans, organizes and sets priorities when performing work; demonstrated results in managing multiple tasks/projects while meeting deadlines. Demonstrated consulting, analytical thinking and interpersonal skills; builds relationships, influences and gains commitment of employees at all levels within the Bank. Must possess excellent customer service and superior written/verbal communication skills, including presentation skills; strong editing, writing, and critical reasoning skills. Instructional design capability, including needs assessment, program design and development, and evaluation; proven ability to complete full ADDIE training cycle. Must have advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Word, Excel and Powerpoint. along with entry/intermediate level proficiency with instructional design tools such as Captivate, Articulate/Storyline, Lectora, Camtasia, etc. Position requires travel to various locations in North Carolina and Virginia. Travel estimated to be 50%. Note: All applicants selected for an interview will be required to submit a portfolio of course materials they have developed themselves. As part of the interviewing process, applicants will be asked to give a brief presentation.
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Licenses: Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD, formerly CPLP) or other L&D designation preferred. Experience in video production and editing preferred. Ability to work independently and as a member of the Learning and Development team. An understanding of or experience in the banking industry is a definite plus. The person in this position spends prolonged periods in computer work and leading and moving throughout a live training environment. Must frequently move/transport equipment or supplies, weighing up to 15 lbs. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. American National Bank is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
   PM21
   
   PI193085180

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5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find learning development specialists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your learning development specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit learning development specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with learning development specialist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new learning development specialist

   Once you've found the learning development specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a learning development specialist?