TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR (BUREAU OF HUMAN RESOURCES) - SHAKMAN EXEMPT

Job Description - TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR (BUREAU OF HUMAN RESOURCES) - SHAKMAN EXEMPT (00139284)

Job Description

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR (BUREAU OF HUMAN RESOURCES) - SHAKMAN EXEMPT

Requisition ID

: 00139284

Job Posting

: Jul 31, 2026, 2:02:29 AM

Closing Date

: Aug 30, 2026, 10:29:00 AM Full-time

Posting Salary: $143,370-$175,230/Yearly

Organization

: Offices Under the President

OVERVIEW

Cook County Bureau of Human Resources is seeking an experienced Training & Development Director who will lead the strategy, operations, and staff responsible for training and professional development. This position manages functional teams in designing and delivering education programs that support workforce growth, ensuring alignment with organizational policies and leadership priorities. The position partners with senior leaders to assess department and county-wide training needs, collaborates across bureaus to support diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and oversees budgeting and resource allocation for training programs, staffing, equipment, and facilities.

Cook County offers great benefits and the chance to participate in a strong tradition of public service. Cook County is home to more than five million residents, roughly 45% of Illinois' population. Cook County Government provides a range of vital services and programs that enhance the quality of life for residents across the region. These services range from health care to urban planning. Cook County is committed to empowering its employees to bring our constituents the best that public service has to offer.

Attention Applicants: Please note that as part of ongoing job architecture initiatives, the County is reviewing job titles and corresponding grades, which may be subject to change.

WHY PURSUE A CAREER WITH COOK COUNTY?

In addition to providing employees with a challenging, rewarding environment for career and personal growth, we are proud to also offer some of the best benefits in the public sphere, including:

• Top Tier Medical Benefits: Medical Plans, Prescription Drug Benefit, Dental Plans, Vision Plan and 9 Additional voluntary benefit plans
• Flexible Teleworking Options
• Generous, Flexible Paid Time Off (13 paid designated holidays; Minimum of 15 vacation days annually; and Paid sick leave)
• Pension Plan
• Financial Support Programs and Resources: Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts - Dependent Day Care, Commuter Benefits, Discounted Parking, PSLF Eligibility, Deferred Compensation and Education Tuition Stipend
• Health/Wellness Perks: Flexible Spending Accounts-Health Care, Employee Assistance Program and MyHealth Connections wellness program.

SALARY RANGE: $143,370 - $175,230 / YEARLY

SNAPSHOT OF COOK COUNTY

• Serves 5.28 million residents of Chicago and its inner suburbs

• 2nd largest county in America

• Larger than 27 states

• Cook County employs over 22,000 employees who work in a variety of skilled jobs and trades.

• Nearly 80% unionized workforce

• 15 unions represented

• 63 separate collective bargaining agreements

• Highway - Cook County maintains almost 600 miles of roads and highways.

• Land - Cook County assesses the value of more than 1.5 million parcels of taxable land and collects and distributes tax funds as a service for local government taxing bodies.

• Safety - Cook County provides vital services to local government, from conducting elections in suburban areas to offering 911 services in unincorporated areas and municipalities.

LOCATION

Located in the Loop District of downtown Chicago, one of the most formidable business districts in the world, the area has an astounding number of cultural foundations, stunning parks such as Millennial Park and Maggie Daley Park, steps away from the Chicago Riverwalk, award-winning restaurants, and plenty of shopping! In addition, Chicago is serviced by multiple bus and train lines for public transportation from the suburbs to the city, taxis are plentiful, public parking garages for motorists, and bicycle share rentals and local bike lanes for bicyclists.

Job Summary

Oversees the strategy, operations, and staff for training and professional development. Leads functional teams in planning, developing, and executing education and training programs to support staff development. Develops and implements training initiatives aligned with strategies and policies of the administration. Collaborates with senior leadership to assess needs for departmental and county-wide training needs. Works with other bureaus/departments on diversity, equity, and inclusion training and initiatives. Prepares budgets and determines allocation of funds for staffing, supplies, equipment, and facilities.

Typical Job Duties

• Develops and oversees strategies for designing, implementing, and evaluating training, professional development, leadership development, and continuous learning.
• Creates and implements policies, processes, initiatives, tools, and systems to drive talent management, organizational culture, and development efforts across bureaus/departments.
• Collaborates with senior leadership to recommend programs aimed at the betterment of the workforce. Serves as a resource for communicating training and development information to managers and employees.
• Manages data tracking, reporting, and analysis of training and professional development deliverables and initiatives, ensuring key performance indicators are being met and identifying potential gaps.
• Leads innovative training program delivery using learning technologies and other delivery channels.
• Contributes to strategic planning in areas such as educational initiatives, change management, succession planning, and talent development.
• Ensures development programs are available to help employees acquire and retain identified critical skills, sustaining a strong talent pipeline.
• Utilizes analytics to evaluate labor supply and demand, and identifying gaps, and proactively offering ideas and solutions.
• Oversees the training and development budget and manages vendor relationships.

Required for all jobs:

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor''s Degree or higher and
• Four (4) years of training, professional development, or directly related experience or
• An equivalent combination of education and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's Degree in Social Science, Psychology, or Education.
• Seven (7) years of training or professional development.
• Five (5) years of prior management or supervisory experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Through knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Ability to coordinate and supervise staff and work effectively with internal/external stakeholders to formulate and develop training agendas and presentations.
• Ability to lead organizational development initiatives such as leadership development, employee engagement, change management, project management, or process improvement initiatives.
• Ability to create training budget, monitoring, documenting changes within the budget, and training operations within an allocated financial budget.
• Ability to plan, implement and analyze effective education, training, and development programs for diverse groups of employees working in various bureaus/departments.
• Advanced written and verbal communicating and interacting skills with diverse stakeholders.
• Effective in identifying barriers to program delivery and finding creative solutions that meet the needs of learning and development goals.
• Skill in personnel interviewing techniques.

Physical Requirements:

Sedentary Work involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time.

The duties listed are not set forth for purposes of limiting the assignment of work. They are not to be construed as a complete list of the many duties normally to be performed under a job title or those to be performed temporarily outside an employee''s normal line of work.

EMPLOYMENT TERMS

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT: Pursuant to the Shakman Consent Decree, Supplemental Relief Order and the Cook County Personnel Rules, this position is exempt from the County's career service rules, is at-will and political reasons or factors may be considered when taking any employment action. As an employee in a Shakman Exempt Position, if you do not currently live in Cook County, you will have six (6) months from date of hire to establish actual residency within Cook County.

Please contact shakmanexemptapplications@cookcountyil.gov for inquiries about this position.