Learning & Development Specialist

About HealthCorps

HealthCorps is a nationwide nonprofit focused on improving community well-being by tackling health challenges through teen-centered programming in education, leadership, and service learning. Its model depends on near-peer mentorship, partnering with colleges and universities to place college-age mentors in schools as relatable role models who help students become positive changemakers in their families, schools, and neighborhoods. The organization’s work is rooted in the belief that limited access to health education can contribute to long-term social, emotional, and physical harm.

HealthCorps is guided by a mission-driven, entrepreneurial culture that values teamwork, people-centered leadership, and the ability to create meaningful change inside the organization and in the communities it serves.

Role Overview

This position serves as the link between curriculum development and program delivery. The Learning & Development Specialist is responsible for strengthening the mentor training experience, ensuring college mentors are equipped to deliver content effectively, and helping translate curriculum into practical, field-ready implementation.

You will coach mentors to facilitate programming with confidence, build their understanding of administrative responsibilities such as activity logs, proof of programming, photos, storytelling, and site communication, and work with curriculum teams to test whether lessons are realistic for the time, setting, and support available. Mentors work in both classroom and club settings with middle and high school students, so training must account for different levels of engagement and classroom dynamics.

The role also functions as a growth and development pathway for college-age mentors, many of whom are preparing for careers in medicine, public health, and healthcare. The guidance you provide will influence both their current performance and how they show up in future professional roles.

You will report to the Manager of Mentor Experience and work closely with curriculum, program, evaluation, and regional leadership teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and lead onboarding that prepares mentors for different teaching environments, helping them run strong sessions, engage students of multiple age groups, and adapt when plans change.
• Design continuing development opportunities such as office hours, live monthly sessions, and coaching touchpoints that help mentors build skill and confidence over time.
• Produce practical, mentor-friendly tools including videos, step-by-step guides, templates, and quick-reference materials.
• Review new lessons and activities before launch to confirm they are clear, workable, well-supplied, and realistic within a 60-minute class period.
• Share implementation-focused feedback with the curriculum team so activities are designed for real classroom conditions.
• Convert curriculum into training content that explains not just what mentors should teach, but how they should run it in practice.
• Partner with Regional Program Managers to align training tools with local support and accountability.
• Collaborate with the data team to identify patterns in mentor performance, including activities that are difficult to deliver and areas where fidelity scores decline.
• Design learning experiences in formats that match how college students consume content, such as short videos, push notifications, text-based tips, and interactive modules.
• Test new training channels and formats, including a mentor-training podcast, brief video series, and LMS-based modules.
• Stay current on what motivates and engages college-age mentors so training remains relevant and effective.
• Spend about 10% to 15% of your time in the field observing mentors, discussing their experiences, and using those insights to improve training design.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 3 years of direct experience in education, instructional design, curriculum development, youth development, training and coaching, public health, or a similar area.
• Working knowledge of instructional design approaches and the ability to apply them in fast-paced, time-limited training settings.
• Proven success working with young adults, especially college students, and adapting to their needs and preferences.
• Experience across different learning environments or age groups is considered an advantage.
• Comfort using learning management systems; LearnUpon experience is a plus.
• Ability to create and edit video content.
• Familiarity with design tools such as Canva and the ability to quickly learn new platforms.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally as needed, estimated at 10% to 15% of the time.
• Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer.
• Ability to lift up to 15 pounds occasionally.
• Must be open to occasional evening work and overnight travel during the year.

Preferred Mindset and Strengths

• Genuine interest in youth development, health education, or reducing health disparities in community settings.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a habit of generating solutions rather than simply identifying issues.
• Ability to apply instructional design principles in a practical way that reflects how adults and young adults learn.
• Confident facilitation skills for live sessions, office hours, and virtual training environments such as Zoom or Teams.
• Capability to deliver constructive feedback in a supportive, confidence-building way.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, including knowing when to update others, escalate issues, or move forward independently.
• Comfort operating in environments where structure is still being built and ambiguity is part of the work.
• A growth-oriented approach that models adaptability and continuous learning.

Success Measures

• Mentors feel prepared, supported, and confident in their facilitation role.
• Curriculum launches go smoothly because mentors understand how to implement new content.
• Program fidelity improves through stronger training and ongoing support.
• Mentor retention increases because participants feel set up for success.
• The curriculum team gains a reliable partner who helps shape implementation, not just content ideas.
• Regional Program Managers receive strong training resources they can use with mentors.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full-time salaried role with annual pay in the range of $50,000 to $55,000. Final compensation will depend on factors such as qualifications, skills, competencies, experience, and location. Pay alignment will also follow applicable federal, state, and local requirements, including salary threshold rules where relevant.

A slight preference is given to candidates located in one of the organization’s hub areas: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Tucson, Arizona; Flagstaff, Arizona; or Houston, Texas.

The role is remote, although occasional evening work and some overnight travel may be required during the year.

Full-time employees receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, a 401(k) with company match, and additional optional benefits suited to different needs and lifestyles. The organization also observes most federal holidays.

Equal Opportunity, Background Checks, and Other Terms

HealthCorps is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics, in line with applicable state and federal laws. The organization also follows all applicable nondiscrimination laws in every location where it operates.

Employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training, are covered by this policy.

HealthCorps may conduct background checks and/or reference checks for prospective employees. Any offer of employment depends on successful completion of those checks.

The organization reserves the right to assign additional responsibilities as needed, and employees are expected to remain flexible as duties and priorities change.