Learning and Development Business Partner Director (Location Flexible)

We are the leading provider of professional services to the middle market globally, our purpose is to instill confidence in a world of change, empowering our clients and people to realize their full potential. Our exceptional people are the key to our unrivaled, culture and talent experience and our ability to be compelling to our clients. You’ll find an environment that inspires and empowers you to thrive both personally and professionally. There’s no one like you and that’s why there’s nowhere like RSM.

The Learning & Development Business Partner Director serves as the senior strategic learning and capability advisor to an assigned line of business and their leaders. The Director translates business, workforce, and talent priorities into an integrated capability strategy that improves business performance, strengthens professional readiness, and advances RSM's First Choice Advisor strategy. The Director is a key leader in the ongoing evolution of the Learning & Development function, helping shape operating models, workforce capability strategies, service delivery approaches, and learning technology adoption to ensure the organization can meet future business needs. 

As a member of the L&D leadership team, the Director provides thought leadership, cultivates line of business and enterprise-wide relationships, and leads large, complex initiatives with significant business impact. The role works across L&D and Talent to mobilize the right expertise, scale effective solutions, and create appropriate consistency across the firm while remaining responsive to distinct business needs. 

Key Responsibilities 

Business and Capability Strategy 

• Build trusted relationships with senior business and talent leaders and serve as a first-choice advisor on workforce capability, performance, and development priorities. 

• Translate firm, talent, and business strategies into multi-year capability roadmaps with clear priorities, outcomes, measures, investment requirements, and decision points. 

• Use performance consulting and systems thinking to distinguish capability needs from process, role clarity, technology, capacity, leadership, or other performance barriers. 

• Proactively identify emerging capability risks and opportunities based on business plans, workforce trends, client needs, professional standards, and changes in the market. 

• Influence leaders to make disciplined choices among competing needs and focus resources on the work most likely to improve business and talent outcomes. 

• Advise on the appropriate mix of education, experience, exposure, environment, performance support, coaching, knowledge resources, communities, and technology-enabled approaches. 

Organizational Transformation and Change Leadership 

• Act as a visible champion of the firm's learning and capability transformation strategy. 

• Drive adoption of new operating models, workflows, roles, governance structures, and technologies. 

• Challenge legacy processes and approaches that no longer create sufficient business value. 

• Influence leaders to embrace scalable, data-informed approaches to capability development. 

• Balance immediate business demands with long-term organizational capability building. 

• Lead change efforts that require stakeholder alignment across service lines, Talent, Learning Operations, Talent Technology, and other shared services. 

• Identify organizational barriers to transformation and proactively develop mitigation strategies. 

• Build change readiness among stakeholders and teams impacted by evolving learning strategies and operating models. 

Portfolio and Investment Leadership 

• Own the strategic portfolio of capability investments for the assigned business, ensuring solutions are connected, sequenced, scalable, and aligned to role and career expectations. 
• Establish priorities and governance for major capability initiatives, including sponsorship, decision rights, measures, dependencies, and escalation paths. 
• Oversee the business partner budget and recommend resource and investment trade-offs using evidence, expected impact, and enterprise priorities. 

• Identify opportunities to reuse and scale effective solutions across service lines while allowing appropriate flexibility for distinct business needs. 

Solution Leadership and Cross-Functional Partnership 

• Frame the business problem, target audience, desired performance, success measures, and constraints before solution design begins. 

• Mobilize and guide cross-functional teams that may include learning architects, strategic learning advisors, experience delivery, Learning Operations, Talent Technology, communications, change, and external partners.  
• Communicate strategy, progress, decisions, risks, and required actions clearly to stakeholders at all levels. 

Measurement, Impact, and Continuous Improvement 

• Define financial and non-financial measures that connect capability investments to intended business, talent, learner, adoption, and performance outcomes. 

• Use data and stakeholder evidence to evaluate impact, test assumptions, identify barriers to transfer, and adjust the portfolio. 

• Provide leaders with a clear view of investment performance, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations for continuation, redesign, expansion, or retirement. 

• Promote disciplined experimentation and the responsible adoption of new methods and technologies that improve access, speed, quality, personalization, or impact. 

• Capture, share, and scale leading practices across L&D and the broader Talent function. 

Enterprise and L&D Leadership 

• Act as a critical member of the L&D leadership team, contributing to enterprise strategy, operating priorities, governance, and organizational performance. 

• Lead or sponsor enterprise initiatives that advance firm, Talent, and L&D strategies and require coordination across businesses, functions, or geographies. 

• Champion the modernization of learning through clearer roles, integrated workflows, stronger capability consulting, improved measurement, and effective use of technology. 

• Balance the priorities of the assigned business with enterprise needs and actively challenge siloed approaches. 

• Lead through ambiguity and change, surface difficult issues, and facilitate timely decisions with senior stakeholders. 

• Model RSM's 5 C behaviors by being caring, collaborative, courageous, curious, and an exemplary critical thinker. 

People Leadership 

• Build and develop a high-performing, inclusive team of learning professionals with clear expectations, accountability, and connection to business outcomes. 

• Serve as a performance advisor to Managers and/or Associate Directors, consistent with business need and organizational design. 

• Delegate meaningful and challenging work, provide timely and direct feedback, address performance gaps, and support career development and succession. 

• Develop the team's business acumen, consulting capability, learning expertise, change leadership, and data fluency. 

• Create an environment that encourages thoughtful challenge, collaboration, continuous learning, and responsible innovation. 

Required Qualifications 

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant experience required; advanced degree in learning, organizational development, business, talent management, or a related field preferred. 

• Typically 12+ years of overall experience, with significant relevant experience in learning and development, capability building, performance consulting, organizational effectiveness, talent, or a related discipline. Role relevance, complexity, scope, and demonstrated impact are more important than tenure alone. 

• Demonstrated success developing strategies that impact business performance and leading large-scale, global, complex, or enterprise-wide initiatives. 

• Demonstrated experience influencing senior leaders, maintaining key internal client relationships, and navigating sensitive or high-impact business matters. 

• Experience leading professional teams and serving as a performance advisor to experienced people leaders. 

• Experience in professional services, public accounting, consulting, or another complex, regulated, or knowledge-intensive environment preferred. 

• Knowledge of Assurance, Tax, Consulting, or Firm Client Service business models is preferred. CPA or other relevant professional certification is a plus. 

Business, Consulting, and Leadership Capabilities 

• Strategic and systems thinking, with the ability to connect business strategy, workforce needs, talent practices, and capability investments. 

• Executive-level consulting, influence, facilitation, and communication skills, including the courage to challenge assumptions and recommend trade-offs. 

• Deep knowledge of adult learning, performance consulting, capability development, instructional design, assessment, transfer of learning, and evaluation.

• Ability to use qualitative and quantitative data to diagnose needs, establish measures, and communicate business impact.

• Ability to lead through ambiguity, manage risk, resolve complex issues, and adapt priorities while maintaining focus on outcomes.

• Ability to lead across organizational boundaries and align stakeholders who have different priorities, perspectives, or levels of authority.

• Financial and portfolio management capability, including budgeting, investment prioritization, resource decisions, and vendor oversight.

• Working knowledge of learning technology, digital learning, performance support, knowledge enablement, and emerging approaches that may improve capability outcomes.

• Proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and other tools needed to analyze, communicate, and manage strategic work.

Success in This Role

• Business leaders view L&D as a trusted advisor and involve the Director early in strategic workforce and capability decisions.

• Capability investments are clearly prioritized, connected to business needs, and supported by meaningful measures of adoption, performance, and impact.

• L&D expertise is mobilized effectively, with clear ownership across strategy, design, delivery, operations, technology, and measurement.

• Effective solutions and practices are scaled across the enterprise while distinct business needs are addressed thoughtfully.

• The Director develops strong leaders and teams and contributes materially to the performance and modernization of the broader L&D function.

• Learning investments increasingly demonstrate measurable business impact.

At RSM, we offer a competitive benefits and compensation package for all our people. We offer flexibility in your schedule, empowering you to balance life’s demands, while also maintaining your ability to serve clients. Learn more about our total rewards at https://rsmus.com/careers/working-at-rsm/benefits.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment as RSM does not tolerate discrimination and/or harassment based on race; color; creed; sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances; sex (including pregnancy or disabilities related to nursing); gender; sexual orientation; HIV Status; national origin; ancestry; familial or marital status; age; physical or mental disability; citizenship; political affiliation; medical condition (including family and medical leave); domestic violence victim status; past, current or prospective service in the US uniformed service; US Military/Veteran status; pre-disposing genetic characteristics or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. 

Accommodation for applicants with disabilities is available upon request in connection with the recruitment process and/or employment/partnership. RSM is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, interview, or otherwise participate in the recruiting process, please call us at 800-274-3978 or send us an email at [email protected].

RSM does not intend to hire entry level candidates who will require sponsorship now OR in the future (i.e. F-1 visa holders). If you are a recent U.S. college / university graduate possessing 1-2 years of progressive and relevant work experience in a same or similar role to the one for which you are applying, excluding internships, you may be eligible for hire as an experienced associate.

RSM will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records. For those living in California or applying to a position in California, please click here for additional information.

At RSM, an employee’s pay at any point in their career is intended to reflect their experiences, performance, and skills for their current role. The salary range (or starting rate for interns and associates) for this role represents numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to, education, skills, work experience, certifications, location, etc. As such, pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range.

Compensation Range: $147,000 - $260,700