Learning & Development Program Director (Tech Sector)

Career Guide
Leads company-wide learning strategy in tech, building programs for onboarding, leadership, and skills growth. Oversees budgets, vendors, tools, and measurement to ensure training improves product and business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

  • Set L&D strategy aligned to product, engineering, and business goals
  • Own L&D budget, headcount planning, and vendor contracts
  • Design and scale onboarding, leadership, and role-based learning paths
  • Oversee learning tech stack (LMS/LXP) and content ecosystem
  • Establish KPIs and dashboards; report impact and ROI to executives
  • Partner with HRBPs and tech leaders to address critical skill gaps
  • Ensure compliance training coverage and audit readiness

Career Progression

Can Lead To
Senior Director of Learning & Development
VP of Learning & Talent Development
Chief Learning Officer (CLO)
Transition Opportunities
Director of Organizational Development
Head of People Analytics
HR Business Partner Leader
Change Management Director
Chief People Officer (CPO)

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills
Learning analytics/ROI measurementEnterprise L&D strategy and portfolio planningLMS ecosystem integration and vendor selectionBudgeting and procurement for L&DDesigning leadership programs for technical audiences
Development SuggestionsLead a measurable pilot (e.g., engineering onboarding) end-to-end with clear KPIs and an ROI report; complete ATD courses or CPTD prep in learning analytics and vendor management, and build a sample dashboard in Power BI/Tableau using anonymized data.

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range
Entry Level$120,000–$150,000
Mid Level$150,000–$185,000
Senior Level$185,000–$230,000
Growth Trend
stable

Companies Hiring

Major Employers
AmazonMicrosoftSalesforce
Industry Sectors
TechnologyE-commerceFinTech

Recommended Next Steps

1
Pursue CPTD/APTD or Prosci Change Management; pair with a short course in learning analytics and dashboarding.
2
Create a portfolio: program charters, curricula, stakeholder maps, budget models, and impact dashboards from real or capstone projects.
3
Join ATD or The Learning Guild, attend tech-focused L&D meetups, and present a case study; schedule informational interviews with L&D leaders at tech firms.