Trade Development Manager Jobs in Simpsonville, SC

Director of Workforce & Leadership Development

Location: Woodruff, SC

Salary: $135,000/yr - $155,000/yr Depending on Experience

As Director of Workforce & Leadership Development, you will shape how employees learn, grow, and prepare for greater responsibility across the organization.You will work closely with manufacturing and HR leadership to identify capability gaps, strengthen leadership pipelines, improve technical development, and create clearer career opportunities for employees.

Key areas of responsibility will include:

• Create and execute a workforce development strategy supporting manufacturing operations
• Build leadership development experiences for supervisors, managers, and senior leaders
• Strengthen succession pipelines for critical leadership and operational positions
• Facilitate talent assessment and leadership readiness discussions with senior management
• Develop programs for high-potential employees and future leaders
• Establish career development opportunities that help employees progress from hourly positions into supervisory and professional roles
• Create technical learning and qualification programs for manufacturing employees, including maintenance, skilled trades, engineering, quality, and logistics
• Develop apprenticeship, mentoring, coaching, and structured on-the-job learning programs
• Improve new employee onboarding and job-specific training
• Establish partnerships with technical schools, community colleges, and other workforce development organizations
• Build internal networks of trainers, facilitators, coaches, and subject matter experts
• Introduce learning technologies and delivery methods that make development accessible across shifts and locations
• Partner with operations and continuous improvement leaders to ensure workforce development supports plant performance
• Help leaders navigate organizational change, growth, restructuring, and workforce transitions
• Use employee feedback and organizational data to identify development priorities
• Measure whether development initiatives are improving business outcomes, not simply participation or course completion

We are particularly interested in candidates who have built learning, talent, or organizational development programs within manufacturing rather than solely in a corporate environment.

You should be comfortable working with both senior executives and frontline employees and understand that successful workforce development in manufacturing must connect to operational results.

Strong candidates will bring:

• 12+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, Talent Development, Learning & Development, Organizational Development, or related areas
• At least 5 years of significant L&D, Talent Development, or Organizational Development responsibility within manufacturing
• Experience supporting multiple facilities, business units, or manufacturing locations
• A track record of developing employees from frontline positions through leadership roles
• Strong leadership development and succession planning experience
• Experience identifying and developing high-potential employees
• Knowledge of talent assessment and leadership assessment tools
• Experience creating technical or competency-based workforce development programs
• Experience with modern learning platforms, digital learning, and blended training approaches
• Ability to work effectively with Plant Managers, Operations leaders, Engineering, Quality, Continuous Improvement, Supply Chain, and HR
• Experience measuring the impact of workforce development against business performance
• Strong facilitation, coaching, communication, and executive presentation skills
• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Business, or a related discipline

Experience with any of the following would be beneficial:

• Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma
• Manufacturing startup, expansion, or significant organizational growth
• Apprenticeship or skilled-trades development programs
• Hogan, DDI, Korn Ferry, SHL, or comparable assessment tools
• LMS and digital learning platforms
• Simulation, VR, AR, AI, or emerging learning technologies
• Executive or leadership coaching
• ATD, SHRM, SPHR, or ICF certifications

Manufacturing organizations cannot grow successfully without developing the people who operate and lead them.This Director will have the opportunity to influence how employees build careers, how quickly new leaders become effective, how critical technical knowledge is transferred, and how the organization prepares its next generation of leadership.

We are looking for someone who can combine learning and talent expertise with a practical understanding of manufacturing and turn workforce development into measurable business results.