Sample training manager job description and interview questions

December 27, 2022

Training is a win-win for your business and your employees. The business benefits from team members’ improved skill sets and performance, while employees gain the skills that they need to grow in their own careers. In large organizations, especially ones with lots of internal training needs, a Training Manager can help oversee this process and drive positive results for everyone.

If you’re ready to hire a Training Manager for your organization, take a look at this sample Training Manager job description to learn about common responsibilities, competencies, and qualifications for the role.

You can also explore some useful questions to ask Training Manager candidates during job interviews to find the right person to fit your organization’s training approach and needs.

What is a Training Manager?

A Training Manager is an employee that directs and oversees your company’s training programs. This role can vary quite a bit depending on the company’s industry and needs. For example, some fields such as health care or finance may require ongoing training sessions around information security and client confidentiality.

Meanwhile, other industries such as manufacturing may have extensive safety training needs. This is something to keep in mind when reviewing applicants for a Training Manager role.

A Training Manager is typically involved in all areas and types of training. They help develop training strategies, set goals, develop training content, and then facilitate the required trainings. The last stage of the process is generally to conduct a test or survey to evaluate the success of the training. Then they use that to fine-tune the training and repeat the process.

Training Manager job description template

Overview

The Training Manager will manage the organization and implementation of all training programs undertaken by the company. This includes new hire training, leadership development training, safety courses, quality control training, and other training programs as assigned by company leadership.

The employee hired for this role will be expected to develop, write, and coordinate training manuals. The ideal candidate will have experience facilitating classroom training, asynchronous e-learning, and remote training courses.

Job Responsibilities

Develop, write, and coordinate training materials and manuals.
Schedule training sessions and facilitate employee sign-ups.
Facilitate training sessions online and in person.
Coordinate with third-party training vendors.
Conduct training needs assessments and implement training strategies based on the results.
Stay up-to-date on changes in employment laws, industry regulations, and technology updates and facilitate additional employee or management trainings as needed based on these changes.
Develop and implement a means of measuring the effectiveness of training programs.
Manage and track the training budget.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Education, Human Resources Management, or a related field is required. A Master’s degree in a related field is a plus.

A minimum of three years of experience in training, teaching, HR, or a related field.
Excellent interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Training Manager Interview Questions

Here are some helpful questions to ask when interviewing candidates for a Training Manager role.

What types of training activities have you developed or led?

Because training needs and objectives can vary widely between organizations and industries, you’ll want to dive into the candidate’s past work experience to understand what type of trainings they have managed in prior roles.

You’ll want to learn about both the training methods used and the topics covered, so feel free to ask clarifying questions to encourage the candidate to provide more details on their training-related work experience.

How do you evaluate the effectiveness of an employee training program?

One of the biggest mistakes that an organization can make when it comes to employee training is not properly assessing the effectiveness of its training programs. You want to hire a Training Manager that thoroughly understands how to measure to the effectiveness of training sessions or activities and who will make changes as needed based on the results.

Many Training Managers have an evaluation system with post-training assessments or surveys to help them gather feedback and evaluate how well attendees retained the information covered in the training.

Can you tell me about a training challenge that you had to overcome? How did you do it?

Every training professional has encountered some challenges, but the ideal candidate will be able to overcome them. Examples of challenges may include low participation in training or having to adapt to changes in the work environment that impact training such as a shift to remote work or hybrid work schedules.

How do you evaluate and prioritize training needs when joining a new organization?

This question can provide some insight into how the candidate would approach their role as a Training Manager if hired. You want a candidate that will hit the ground running and start tackling your company’s most urgent training needs once they come on board.

However, to do that the candidate will need to know how to conduct a training needs assessment and then properly prioritize the current training needs. An experienced Training Manager will often solicit employee feedback through surveys and one-on-one interviews and also dive into the data to see where employees may need additional training.

The proper way to prioritize training needs will depend on your company’s business model and industry, so before you ask this question spend a bit of time thinking about what you would view as the correct response.

Typically, it’s best to prioritize trainings related to urgent safety and compliance matters first to prevent further accidents, injuries, or legal issues. Then, you’ll want to prioritize trainings that impact your customers such as customer service training or quality assurance training to address any issues that have been identified related to your service or product quality. Then, you can expand into professional development trainings that help employees build leadership skills or grow within their career paths.

How do you get hesitant or uninterested employees excited about training?

Employees often are not eager to attend or participate in trainings. This is typically the result of being forced to attend boring or unproductive training sessions in the past. A good Training Manager will understand this and create training processes that will engage employees.

There are plenty of correct answers here such as making trainings more interactive and engaging, explaining the purpose of the training and how it can help the employee, and collecting employee feedback to build trainings that they’ll actually want to attend.

It’s also important for a Training Manager to know the personalities in the workplace and adapt their training approach to them. If you have a very competitive team, such as a sale team, gamification can help get employees excited about participating.

If you have a very introverted team, those team members may be more comfortable with independent e-learning. Listen to how the candidate would work to understand the needs of the employees to build a positive training experience for them.