What Is a Chief Learning Officer? Meaning, Duties, and Pay

Having a chief learning officer on board can be a real differentiator in today's competitive environment. The role is particularly relevant in the modern business world, where rapid technological advancements quicken the rate of skills obsolescence.

Nearly every job requires learning, development, and continuing education to facilitate growth and experience. Each company operates slightly differently, and because of that, it’s essential that team members understand your expectations and goals and receive training to succeed in their roles. The role of the chief learning officer is to complete this task and provide adequate training, developmental exercises, and continuous learning to employees.

Explore the role of a chief learning officer, its strategic importance for a company or organization, and the salary and job outlook for the role. Also, continue reading to discover more about a chief learning officer’s daily tasks and responsibilities and how the position may benefit your company’s success.

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What is a chief learning officer (CLO)?

The role of a chief learning officer is to educate members of your team through training programs and development. While the CLO at your company may report directly to the human resources manager or a higher C-Suite position, they educate all new and current employees, regardless of their employment level.

Chief learning officers typically work for bigger businesses or companies with many employees. They may facilitate growth in your company by improving retention rates, teaching adaptability, and carrying out the company mission, thus creating profits.

Strategic importance of a CLO

A strong leader and educator as a chief learning officer can effectively bridge employees’ professional development needs with the strategic requirements of the organization. Additionally, the CLO may reduce turnover for your company by creating a strong learning-based environment that supports increased engagement and an improved employee experience. CLOs have many responsibilities, but an essential task is helping to provide opportunities for growth and learning that could lead to employee advancement. Offering employees the opportunity to grow as a means for promotion or to level up in the future may entice hardworking individuals who want to stay at your company long-term. 

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Chief learning officer salary and job outlook

According to Lightcast™, chief executives make an average annual salary of $182,141.25 [1]. Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts roles for top executives will increase by approximately 3 percent from 2022 to 2032, with more than 300,000 jobs expected to open up yearly [2]. 

What does a chief learning officer do?

A chief learning officer's specific roles and responsibilities may vary from company to company. However, CLOs often train members of the team and guide them through the organization’s developmental goals. Chief learning officers train, educate, and facilitate growth within your company through workshops, seminars, training programs, and the onboarding process.

Roles and responsibilities of a CLO

A chief learning officer primarily works as a training director, with tasks that often vary depending on the needs of the company and its workforce. Everyday tasks and responsibilities a CLO may take on include the following: 

• Implementing learning strategies: One of the primary tasks of a chief learning officer is the implementation of learning strategies and teachings to employees. CLOs develop strategies for learning, such as how to iterate your company’s goals and visions in a way that is easy to understand and follow through. CLOs then adapt these pieces of training for individual employees, bring in other knowledgeable sources to share their skills and work one-on-one with team members who need additional training.

• Providing onboarding training: CLOs work alongside other human resources team members to onboard employees and provide them with essential training to start their new roles. This onboarding may involve learning the company's technology, managing equipment, setting up workplace accounts, and completing onboarding exercises to get familiar with job tasks.

• Integrating technology: CLOs ensure that learning new technologies and methods of completing tasks within your company is seamless and understandable. The chief learning officer may hold workshops, seminars, or training classes to integrate this technology and ensure everyone knows how to use it, why your company is using it, and offer opportunities to ask questions and for guidance.

• Collaboration and relationship-building: Part of the CLO's role is to adapt and innovate training programs so that they are successful for every employee. To do so, a chief learning officer may observe the impact of training and measure employees' growth so they can rework the program if necessary. The CLO will also build one-on-one relationships with employees, lead them through additional training and workshops to improve their skills, and provide the tools employees need for success.

• Partnering with other C-suite executives: Besides working with lower-level employees for onboarding and training exercises, the CLO meets with other C-suite executives to reiterate the importance of a learning culture. They also report on employee development through reports or metrics and provide a plan for improvement if necessary.

Chief learning officer qualifications and skills

Before hiring a chief learning officer at your company, it’s vital to ensure that the candidate has the skills, education requirements, and prior experience necessary to excel at the role. A chief learning officer must be a good, strong leader and demonstrate excellent communication skills to teach groups of employees.

Education and training

According to Lightcast™, chief executive roles typically require at least a bachelor’s degree and five or more years of experience [1]. 

Aspiring chief learning officers may pursue a master’s degree to become more familiar with technology and how it will function within your company. Further education and training may also help chief learning officers decide how to implement these teachings to employees and their team members.

Essential skills for a chief learning officer

To succeed as a chief learning officer in your company, it’s essential to possess the following skills and continue building them through training, certifications, education, and experience:

• Leadership: A chief learning officer must be able to lead others through training programs with strategy, confidence, and organizational tools. When a CLO is a good leader, individuals listen to them, ask questions, and develop trust to build a strong mentorship and working relationship.

• Communication: Chief learning officers must have the ability to communicate effectively with the individuals they train and other C-suite executives they report to. A strong CLO has confidence and the ability to communicate their ideas and teachings and influence others to want to learn and grow.

Desire to learn: As learning is an integral part of the job, chief learning officers need a strong desire to learn. With an open mind and willingness to try new things and teach others, chief learning officers will find success in the role and make an impact on their company by guiding others.

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