Training & Development Manager

ABOUT THE WEDDING SHOPPE
For over 45 years The Wedding Shoppe has been helping couples find their dream wedding attire. Our mission is simple: to create happy experiences for our customers and our employees. We bring together personalized service a curated selection of bridal gowns and accessories and a magical atmosphere that transforms each appointment into an unforgettable moment. We operate with the heart of a boutique and a culture built on teamwork creativity collaboration and a love for serving others. If you are self-motivated detail-oriented people-focused and passionate about developing talent wed love to meet you.

POSITION SUMMARY
The Wedding Shoppe is seeking its first dedicated Training and Development Manager to pioneer shaping the skills confidence and performance of our Stylist team and supporting roles. They will be responsible for designing delivering and continuously improving training programs that elevate both the employee experience and the client experience. This role will lead onboarding ongoing skill development performance coaching and career path clarity for all team members. The Training & Development Manager partners closely with leaders Stylists Buyers Marketing HR and cross-functional departments to ensure training aligns with business goals and reinforces The Wedding Shoppes brand standards. The ideal candidate is an engaging facilitator proactive coach and a strategic partner who thrives in a fast-paced highly collaborative people-centered environment

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Training Design & Delivery: Creating and delivering training that builds the knowledge skills and behaviors required for exceptional client experiences including:

• Assessing organizational training needs by partnering with leaders and teams then designing engaging programs that build both technical skills and behavioral strengths.
• Delivering high-impact interactive training (workshops role-plays case studies) supported by leaders and internal experts to reinforce learning and build confidence.
• Establishing a consistent training rhythm with recurring sessions including product knowledge updates and workshops on sales techniques client experience and brand values.

Development & Enablement: Fostering growth and confidence through clear pathways personalized coaching and development opportunities focused on:

• Developing and managing the Stylist growth pathway by defining clear roles advancement criteria and competency models for each stylist level.
• Coaching and developing stylists through appointment shadowing real-time feedback and training on consultative selling accessories group dynamics and effective follow-up.
• Partnering with leaders and managers to ensure consistent promotions delivering structured coaching programs and reinforcing day-to-day performance expectations.
• Creating peer-learning and mentoring programs including best-practice roundtables knowledge sharing and mentor/mentee development for emerging leaders.
• Supporting talent development and succession planning by identifying high-potential team members building leadership skills and guiding goal setting with ongoing check-ins.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnering closely with internal teams as a connector across departments ensuring training aligns with business priorities and that feedback between stylists and leadership is acted upon.

• Align training with organizational priorities by partnering across departments and leadership levels on business goals performance cycles product launches and seasonal campaigns.
• Advise and equip leaders with coaching tools observation guides and workforce insights to support talent development employee growth and stronger business outcomes.

Performance & Skills Assessment: Evaluating performance and training effectiveness using data and feedback to drive continuous improvement which includes:

• Defining tracking and coaching to key stylist metrics (AOV close rate client satisfaction) connecting daily activities to performance outcomes and company growth goals.
• Assessing skill gaps through observation surveys performance data and structured knowledge checks or certifications before stylists are client-facing.
• Evaluating training effectiveness by tying learning outcomes to KPI improvements client experience gains and overall performance trends.
• Maintaining consistent performance visibility through dashboards scorecards and reporting that track individual and team progress.
• Providing leaders with data-driven insights to support coaching promotions succession planning and talent development decisions.
• Collect and use feedback from stylists new hires and stakeholders to refine programs and inform long-term workforce planning

Onboarding Support: Supporting the new-hire integration process and ensuring employees are set up for success from day one through structured onboarding such as:

• Designing and delivering structured onboarding programs with clearday milestones pre-hire resources and orientation sessions that connect new hires to the brand culture and role expectations.
• Providing ongoing support through mentor or buddy partnerships and early-stage coaching to accelerate confidence and performance.
• Tracking and evaluating new-hire progress during the probationary period offering targeted development to ensure early success.

Leaning Resources & Knowledge Management: Develop and enhance tools and resources that drive learning consistency and performance across the organization including:

• Identifying and addressing gaps in the stylist experience sales process and operations by updating training resources and SOPs to improve efficiency consistency and client satisfaction.
• Developing and maintaining centralized brand-aligned learning resources including SOPs digital handbooks videos e-learning and quick-reference guides using multiple formats to support diverse learning styles.
• Continuously improve training and tools through audits 360 feedback best-practice sharing and regular content refreshes to ensure relevance and effectiveness.

Culture & Engagement: Promoting a culture of growth recognition and collaboration that reinforces The Wedding Shoppes mission to create happy experiences for employees and clients including

• Fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth by normalizing coaching and feedback celebrating milestones and achievements recognizing exceptional performance and reinforcing company values through engaging collaborative development experiences.
• Strengthening connection and engagement across the team by facilitating open forums listening sessions and gamified learning activities serving as a cultural ambassador who ensures development programs enhance both employee satisfaction and customer delight.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5 years of experience in training learning & development or talent enablementideally in bridal luxury retail or high-consideration client-service environmentswith a proven ability to design training that improves sales performance client satisfaction and retention.
• Strong expertise in adult learning sales enablement and coaching with excellent communication skills for facilitating training delivering feedback and aligning cross-functional teams.
• Skilled in diagnosing performance gaps and solving problems in fast-moving environments including onboarding challenges stylist performance issues and client-experience inconsistencies
• Collaborative and business-minded able to partner effectively with stylists managers operations and marketing while using industry research and business insights to shape training content and support company goals.
• Highly organized and tech-savvy capable of managing multiple initiatives using LMS/digital tools to track development and proficient in Microsoft Office for training design and communication..

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• Improved stylist performance across KPIs
• High engagement in training programs
• Faster new-hire time-to-productivity
• Up-to-date training resources and positive employee feedback
• Effective cross-functional communication and alignment