Full Time Role

Work From Office 5 days

MG Road Bengaluru

About the Role

- We are looking for a Training & Development Manager/Director/Head who is a genuine builder - someone who has created a learning and development function from the ground up, not someone who has managed an already-established L&D setup or primarily run external vendor-led programs.

- The ideal candidate has hands-on experience designing internal training frameworks, competency matrices, and capability-building systems from scratch, with minimal reliance on external trainers or off-the-shelf content.

- This person should be comfortable operating in ambiguity, building structure where none exists, and embedding a learning culture into a fast-moving organization.

- Best-fit background: Candidates who have built L&D functions within mid-size or startup deep-tech companies (engineering-heavy, product/technology-driven organizations) are strongly preferred - this role requires someone who understands how to design training for technical, high-growth, resource-constrained environments rather than large, process-heavy enterprises with existing L&D infrastructure and big training budgets.

Key Responsibilities:

Framework & Systems Building (Core Focus):

- Design and build the organization's end-to-end Training & Development framework from scratch - including learning architecture, governance, delivery model, and measurement systems.

- Create competency frameworks and skill matrices for various roles/functions (engineering, product, sales, operations, leadership) based on ground-level role analysis, not templated industry models.

- Build internal certification/capability-tiering systems (skill levels, proficiency bands) to track employee growth objectively.

- Develop a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) process grounded in actual business/team requirements rather than generic assessments.

Internal Training Development & Delivery:

- Build training content, modules, and curricula in-house, minimizing dependency on external trainers, vendors, or generic e-learning content.

- Identify and develop internal subject matter experts (SMEs) as trainers/facilitators - build a "train-the-trainer" ecosystem within the organization.

- Create structured onboarding, technical upskilling, leadership development, and functional training programs tailored to the company's actual work and tech stack.

- Use practical, in-house methods - job shadowing, internal knowledge-sharing sessions, documented playbooks, peer learning circles, and simulation-based learning - over paid external courses.

Ground-Level Execution:

- Work closely with department heads and team leads to understand real skill gaps, not rely on assumptions or standard industry benchmarks.

- Personally run pilot training batches, gather feedback, and iterate - this is a hands-on, not purely strategic/administrative, role.

- Build training documentation, SOPs, and knowledge repositories that did not previously exist in the organization.

Measurement & Continuous Improvement:

- Define and track L&D metrics - training effectiveness, skill progression, internal mobility readiness, and business impact.

- Continuously refine frameworks based on organizational growth stage and evolving skill needs.

- Report training ROI and capability-building progress to leadership.

Culture Building:

- Instill a self-sustaining internal learning culture - reducing long-term dependency on external training spend.

- Champion knowledge documentation and cross-functional learning as an organizational habit, not a one-time initiative.

Key Requirements:

Experience:

- 8-15 years of experience in Learning & Development / Training, with demonstrated experience building an L&D function/framework from scratch (not inheriting or scaling an already-mature setup).

- Prior experience at a mid-size or startup deep-tech company strongly preferred (SaaS, product engineering, AI/ML, hardware-software, or similar technology-first environments).

- Proven track record of designing internal competency frameworks and training content in-house, with minimal use of external trainers/vendors.

- Experience training technical and non-technical teams alike (engineering, product, GTM functions).

Education:

- Bachelor's degree required; MBA/PGDM in HR, Organizational Development, or related field preferred.

- Certifications in Instructional Design, Competency Mapping, or Learning Architecture (ATD, CIPD) are a plus but not mandatory - practical building experience matters more than certifications.

Skills & Attributes:

- Strong instructional design and curriculum development skills (in-house content creation, not curation of purchased content).

- Ability to conduct ground-level skill gap analysis directly with teams/managers.

- Strong stakeholder management - comfortable working closely with engineering/product leaders to understand technical skill needs.

- High ownership and "zero-to-one" builder mindset - thrives in ambiguity without existing processes or playbooks.

- Excellent facilitation, communication, and content-creation skills.

- Data-oriented - comfortable defining and tracking L&D metrics and demonstrating training ROI.

- Resourceful and cost-conscious - able to build effective training with limited budgets, typical of startup/mid-size environments.

What Will NOT Be a Fit

- Candidates whose experience is primarily vendor/external-trainer management (sourcing, scheduling, and coordinating third-party trainers) rather than building content and frameworks internally.

- Candidates who have only operated within an already-established L&D system at a large enterprise without ground-up building experience.

What We Offer:

- Opportunity to build a function from the ground up with full ownership and visibility to leadership.

- High-impact, high-autonomy role in a growing organization.

- Competitive compensation with performance-linked incentives.

- Direct influence on organizational capability and culture at a formative stage