Sr. Director, Talent Development

Make a difference with us! At Alliance Defending Freedom, we believe God has brought you here for His purpose—to stand for truth and defend the God-given right to live and speak it. Together, we protect religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, marriage and family, and parental rights. Review our Statement of Faith to ensure we’re a fit for you.

Locations: Scottsdale, AZ / Lansdowne, VA

Team Overview

The Senior Director of Talent Development is a senior strategic leader responsible for designing, executing, and continuously improving ADF's enterprise-wide talent development ecosystem. This role owns the full lifecycle of employee growth from onboarding and foundational learning to advanced leadership development and succession planning, ensuring that every ADF team member is equipped, engaged, and inspired to serve with excellence, aligned with our mission and values.

The Senior Director will serve as the organization's foremost expert in adult learning methodology and curriculum design, building scalable programs that develop both professional competency and Christ-centered character. This leader will partner closely with senior leadership, department heads, and the broader Human Resources team to embed a culture of continuous learning and mission-driven service throughout ADF.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Learning Strategy:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive, multi-year talent development strategy aligned with ADF's mission, values, and organizational objectives.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Vice President of Human Resources and the senior leadership team on workforce capability, learning culture, and organizational effectiveness.

• Establish metrics, KPIs, and evaluation frameworks (e.g., Kirkpatrick Model) to measure the impact and ROI of all learning and development initiatives.

• Stay current with emerging trends in adult learning, workforce development, and organizational psychology to ensure ADF's programs reflect best-in-class practice.

Curriculum Design & Adult Learning:

• Lead the end-to-end instructional design and development of training programs, applying evidence-based adult learning principles (ADDIE, SAM, or equivalent) across modalities.

• Design engaging learning experiences that integrate ADF's theological and missional foundations with professional competency development, ensuring all curriculum content is reviewed, current, and aligned with organizational standards, legal requirements, and evolving role expectations.

• Oversee creation of blended learning solutions including eLearning modules, instructor-led training, workshops, microlearning, job aids, and cohort-based programs.

Leadership Development:

• Design and lead ADF's leadership development programs for emerging leaders, mid-level managers, and senior executives, integrating servant leadership and biblical principles.

• Facilitate high-impact leadership cohorts, workshops, 360-feedback processes, and coaching engagements.

• Partner with senior leaders to identify high-potential employees and develop targeted development plans that accelerate readiness for expanded responsibility.

• Champion a leadership pipeline approach that builds internal bench strength at every level of the organization.

Succession Planning:

• Design and facilitate ADF's enterprise succession planning process, including talent reviews, competency assessments, and individualized development roadmaps for key roles.

• Partner with HR Business Partners and department heads to identify critical roles, assess successor readiness, and close capability gaps.

• Maintain succession data and reporting to provide leadership with clear visibility into organizational talent health and pipeline strength.

Culture Development & Employee Engagement:

• Lead initiatives that cultivate a vibrant, mission-anchored organizational culture rooted in ADF's values and Christian worldview.

• Oversee the design and facilitation of ADF's onboarding program, ensuring new employees are deeply connected to ADF's mission, culture, and community from day one.

• Manage organization-wide employee engagement surveys, analyze results, and partner with leadership to design and implement action plans that strengthen culture and morale.

• Create programming, events, and communication strategies that reinforce a sense of shared purpose, belonging, and vocational calling across the organization.

Learning Management System Administration & Learning Technology:

• Own the strategy, administration, and continuous optimization of ADF's Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring an intuitive, high-quality learner experience.

• Evaluate, select, and implement learning technologies, content authoring tools, and platforms that scale with organizational growth.

• Develop governance standards, reporting dashboards, and data hygiene protocols to ensure the integrity and usefulness of all LMS data.

• Manage vendor relationships related to learning technology, content libraries, and third-party training providers.

Team Leadership & Stewardship:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Talent Development team, modeling the servant leadership values ADF seeks to instill across the organization.

• Manage departmental budget with excellence and accountability, ensuring strong stewardship of organizational resources.

• Build and maintain cross-functional partnerships with department leaders, Legal, Communications, Finance, and Ministry teams to ensure development efforts serve the whole organization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in organizational development, Human Resources, Education, Instructional Design, or a closely related field.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in talent development, organizational learning, or a related discipline, with at least 4 years in a senior leadership role.

• Demonstrated expertise in adult learning theory, instructional design methodology, and curriculum development.

• Proven experience designing and leading leadership development programs and succession planning processes at the enterprise level.

• Experience managing an LMS and leveraging learning technology to scale training programs.

• Strong facilitation skills with the ability to engage diverse audiences, from entry-level employees to C-suite executives.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to translate complex concepts into compelling learning experiences.

• High emotional intelligence and the ability to build trust across all levels of the organization.

• Knowledge of AI tools and the ability to apply them appropriately to build and facilitate training and development initiatives.

• Ability to travel occasionally to ADF sites and other locations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in organizational development, Instructional Design, Leadership, or a related field.

• Professional certifications such as ATD CPTD, SHRM-SCP, ICF coaching credential, or equivalent.

• Experience in a mission-driven, faith-based, legal, or advocacy organization.

• Experience conducting or commissioning organizational culture assessments and driving data-informed engagement strategies.

Pay & Benefits

At Alliance Defending Freedom, we offer competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package to support your well-being and growth. Our benefits include 100% covered medical and dental insurance, medical and dependent care reimbursement, paid disability, long-term care, life insurance, and a 401(k) plan with a 4% company match. We prioritize work-life balance with paid time off and 12 paid holidays each year.

Want to Know More About ADF?

This salary range is reflective of a position based in Lansdowne, VA. This range is a good-faith estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and office location.

Virginia Salary Range

$140,600—$209,500 USD