A Chief Learning Officer’s purpose is to convert employee learning and development (L&D) into long-term business success. Effective training initiatives can spur employee retention, but 70% of employees feel their organizations’ L&D needs improvement. Additionally, 44% of younger workers (aged 18 to 34) have considered quitting due to inadequate L&D opportunities.
This article explains what a Chief Learning Officer (CLO) does, the position’s required qualifications and skills, and how you can start your journey to becoming one. A CLO is an influential strategic partner and invaluable asset.
Contents
What is a Chief Learning Officer?
Chief Learning Officer job description
Qualifications for a Chief Learning Officer role
Job description template: Chief Learning Officer
Skills and competencies for a Chief Learning Officer role
Average Chief Learning Officer salary
KPIs for this role
Career paths for a Chief Learning Officer
AIHR certificate programs to take
What is a Chief Learning Officer?
A Chief Learning Officer (CLO) is an executive who oversees an organization’s L&D efforts to equip the workforce with the skills, experience, and knowledge needed to meet business needs. This C-suite position creates and drives the company’s learning strategy, ensuring it aligns with organizational goals and culture.
The CLO also directs all aspects of learning programs to help employees expand their knowledge and capabilities, advance in their careers and ultimately, contribute more comprehensively to the company’s success.
Chief Learning Officer job description
A Chief Learning Officer is a senior executive who leads an organization’s learning strategy. They design and manage training programs, align workforce development with business goals, and ensure employees gain the skills they need to grow and drive company success.
Roles and responsibilities of a Chief Learning Officer
Below is a brief overview of the main roles and responsibilities of a CLO:
- Develop and implement a comprehensive learning strategy aligned with business objectives and that supports employee development, engagement, and retention
- Partner with business leaders to ensure learning initiatives align with the company’s goals and objectives
- Address the developmental needs of the organization by identifying skills gaps and training requirements
- Align L&D activities with organizational strategy, draft the L&D strategy, and ensure the budget to execute this strategy
- Oversee all learning mechanisms (in-person training, digital platforms, etc.)
- Select learning management systems and other digital tools and platforms
- Evaluate and report on learning initiatives’ ROI with feedback and analytics
- Work with business leaders on workforce planning, onboarding, and performance management
- Work with external training providers, academic partners, and consultants to expand L&D opportunities
- Integrate new learning methods by keeping up with trends (e.g., AI-driven training and microlearning)
- Promote a culture of continuous learning to empower staff to govern their own career growth.
HR career tip
There is a growing trend for Chief Learning Officers to foster the mindset that continuous knowledge growth is a part of work throughout their organizations. In fact, 53% of the CLOs consider promoting a learning culture a key priority this year — up from 40% in 2024.
Qualifications for a Chief Learning Officer role
Becoming a CLO typically requires specialized training, relevant work and leadership experience, and, in most cases, a formal education. Required qualifications generally include:
Educational requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Education, Business, Psychology, or a related field
- Master’s degree (MBA, Organizational Psychology, Instructional Design, or Adult Learning) is often preferred, as this is a senior-level position.
Recommended certifications
While optional, there are useful certifications that can help support and advance your career as a CLO. Here are some popular certifications:
- Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP): This certification, issued by the Association of Talent Development (ATD), equips CLOs with advanced skills in talent development, instructional design, and performance improvement.
SHRM-SCP: SHRM’s Senior Certified Professional provides CLOs with expertise in strategic HR leadership, aligning learning programs with broader workforce planning, and organizational goals.
Work experience
Different organizations prioritize different aspects of professional experience for a CLO role, but here’s the commonly required experience for this position:
- Typically, 12+ years in L&D, HR, or talent management, with at least five years in senior leadership
- Background in designing and implementing successful learning strategies
- Track record of working with executive stakeholders or being on a senior-level team.
HR career tip
According to Zippia, here’s the breakdown of the type of degree Chief Learning Officers typically hold:
- 61% — Bachelor’s
- 24% — Master’s
- 10% — Doctorate
- 4% — Associate
- 1% — other
Skills and competencies for a Chief Learning Officer role
Along with education and work experience, a CLO should have a wide range of other competencies. These may include the following practical and interpersonal capabilities:
Role-specific skills
- Requires deep knowledge of best practices in learning and development, as well as the ability to design and deliver effective training programs
- Experience with change management is essential, including the skills to simultaneously adapt learning strategies and drive business impact, as well as the ability to lead the organization through changes to its learning and development strategy
- A strong understanding of the organization’s business model, industry, and competitive landscape is needed to design learning and development programs that support strategic goals
Technical skills
- Proficiency in learning technologies (LMS, AI in L&D, and digital learning/data analytics tools) is required
- Ability to use people analytics for data-driven decision-making
- Knowledge of learning theory, instructional design, adult learning principles, and L&D best practices
- Digital adoption skills to ensure full use of learning technologies to drive higher engagement, faster upskilling, and better business impact.
Soft skills
- Strategic thinking to bridge learning programs and company priorities
- Strong leadership, collaboration, relational, and interpersonal skills to manage diverse teams, communicate complex ideas, influence at the executive level, and drive engagement
- Ability to foster an environment of continuous learning and development that supports both business objectives and employee engagement
- Commitment to ongoing education by learning new technologies and methods to stay sharp and keep up with employee expectations
- Awareness of organizational values and culture, with the capability to weave them into L&D programs
- Analytical thinking to plot the best courses of action, evaluate the value and ROI of learning initiatives, and fine-tune strategies
- Customer understanding to help align employee training with real customer needs, improving service and business outcomes
- Skill in strategy co-creation to allow learning initiatives to directly support business goals, ensuring stronger buy-in and measurable impact
- Sustainability skills to help embed long-term, responsible practices into training programs, building future-ready and compliant workforces
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively to a variety of stakeholders
- Ability to collaborate effectively with other leaders within the organization to ensure learning and development initiatives align with broader business objectives
- A deep understanding of the organization’s culture and values, and the capacity to design learning and development programs that align with those values.
Master L&D to advance your career and add business value
To master L&D and become a CLO, you must learn to design impactful learning programs, develop strategic leadership skills, and align workforce development with business goals.
✅ Design and implement an L&D strategy aligned with key business priorities
✅ Position the learning organization as a strategic objective for your business
✅ Use coaching to facilitate each stage of the behavioral change process
✅ Apply Design Thinking principles to develop digital learning personas
Learn at your own pace with the online Learning & Development Certificate Program.
Average Chief Learning Officer salary
According to data compiled from Glassdoor, Payscale, and Comparably, the current average annual salary of a Chief Learning Officer in the U.S. is approximately $176,000.
Remember that compensation for the CLO role varies based on company size, industry, and geographical location. Other factors involved include experience level and whether the CLO position is eligible for bonuses, stock options, or other additional pay.
KPIs for this role
- Learning effectiveness: The CLO must ensure the training and development programs are effective and provide measurable outcomes. The effectiveness of the programs can be measured by analyzing employee performance metrics and assessing how well employees are applying the skills they learned in their work.
- Talent development: The CLO is responsible for identifying and developing top talent within the organization. The success of this initiative can be measured by tracking the number of employees who are promoted or who have increased their responsibilities.
- Return on investment (ROI): The Chief Learning Officer must demonstrate the ROI of the learning and development programs by analyzing the cost of the programs and comparing it to the benefits the organization has achieved as a result of the training.
- Leadership development: The CLO must ensure leadership development programs align with the organization’s goals and prepare leaders to lead the organization into the future. The success of this initiative can be measured by the number of leaders who have successfully completed the program and are demonstrating the desired leadership behaviors.
- Learning culture: The CLO must work to create a culture of continuous learning within the organization. The success of this initiative can be measured by assessing employee engagement with learning and development programs and the number of employees taking advantage of these opportunities.
- Compliance: The Chief Learning Officer must ensure the organization’s learning and development programs comply with all relevant regulations and requirements. Compliance can be measured by conducting audits and reviewing program documentation.
- Innovation: The CLO must constantly seek new and innovative ways to deliver learning and development programs. Innovation can be measured by assessing the number of new programs or initiatives the CLO has implemented that have achieved positive results.
- Vendor management: The CLO is responsible for managing the relationships with vendors who provide learning and development services to the organization. The success of this initiative can be measured by assessing the quality of the vendor’s services and the cost savings achieved through effective vendor management.
Career paths for a Chief Learning Officer
Career progression isn’t always straight, but there’s a clear route for those aiming to become Chief Learning Officers. Some begin in education as teachers, gaining classroom experience, instructional skills, and curriculum design expertise before transitioning into corporate learning.
Most, however, start in entry-level HR roles, such as HR or L&D Coordinator. These help build a foundation in how HR supports organizational success and frame employees as the core clients. The next step is mid-level roles like L&D Specialist or L&D Manager, where professionals design and lead training programs that improve employee skills and business outcomes.
From there, you can advance to senior roles such as Head of L&D, where you’ll take ownership of learning strategies, address skill gaps, create initiatives, and manage an L&D team — experience that directly prepares you for the CLO role.
Growth can continue even at the CLO level. Many move on to become Chief HR Officer (CHRO) or Chief People Officer; these roles oversee the full HR function, from workforce strategy and compliance to service delivery and senior leadership advisory.
AIHR certificate programs to take
If you’re looking to gain the skills it takes to become a Chief Learning Officer or upskill yourself as a CLO, the AIHR programs listed below will help you get there:
Learning & Development Certificate Program
The Learning & Development Certificate Program will teach you the fundamental principles of structuring and implementing an L&D system. It encompasses the broader concepts of L&D strategy, including designing digital learning strategies, skills gap analysis, coaching, and learning analysis, with an assortment of specific topics covered in each module.
Digital HR 2.0 Certificate Program
After completing the Digital HR 2.0 Certificate Program, you’ll understand how the tools and insights digital HR offers can innovate L&D. You’ll learn to track learning outcomes, measure ROI for training programs, use people analytics, and implement personalized digital and AI-powered learning options for better employee learning experiences.
HR Manager Certificate Program
The HR Manager Certificate Program will help you gain a fuller understanding of business, organizational design, and HR operating models. As a result, you’ll become a more informed leader who can align learning strategies with both HR needs and business goals for a more holistic impact on the organization.
Next steps
The CLO is a high-impact leadership role for those keen on fostering a culture of learning that maximizes employee potential to drive organizational success. If you want to pursue this career, consider your applicable strengths to determine where you need more growth and experience and how to achieve it.
You can connect with L&D professionals in online communities or at your organization, enroll in one of the AIHR programs listed above, or pursue a degree or professional certification. These actions will help open doors to new opportunities for promotions or productive lateral moves that will keep you on track to becoming a CLO.
