Director, Learning & Development

Job Description

About Us

Applecart is the leading technology company that C-suites rely on to reach business-critical decision makers. The most important decisions are made by the hardest people to reach and influence. Historically, C-suite leaders have lacked the tools to reach the stakeholders who matter most to their business. The C-suites of hundreds of Fortune 500 companies, major agencies, trade associations, nonprofits, and governments use Applecart to put their best content in front of business-critical decision makers and those they trust —  from policymakers and investors to CEOs, key employees, members of the media and more. Decision makers are informed by what they read, learn from advisors, hear from colleagues, and discuss with family and friends. To break through to them, you must reach them through the only channel that really moves them: those they know and trust. Applecart’s platform uses publicly available data to map billions of social relationships between nearly every American adult and enable clients to deliver content directly to decision makers and those who matter most to them.

We are hiring a Director, Learning and Development in our New York office.

About the Role:

We are looking for a Director to serve as an architect of our talent ecosystem. You won’t just run programs; you’ll design, launch, and scale the learning initiatives that define our employee experience as we grow. We need a forward-thinking strategist; someone who builds with scalability in mind, pairing deep empathy with the resourceful problem-solving skills required to drive results in an evolving landscape

This role will report to our VP, Talent - Chief of Staff, and will work closely with Applecart’s Human Resources Team.

What You’ll Do:

• Design and implement a scalable L&D roadmap that supports the end-to-end employee lifecycle; partner with HRBPs and HR Ops to foster a high-performance culture of continuous growth.
• Conduct deep-dive needs analyses in partnership with business leaders and HRBPs to identify critical skill gaps and architect high-impact learning solutions.
• Partner with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to translate complex knowledge into actionable learning; iterate on solutions through stakeholder socialization and feedback loops.
• Leverage adult learning theory and modern instructional design to produce engaging, learner-centered materials that drive retention and behavior change.
• Establish a robust evaluation framework to measure the efficacy of content, delivery, and learner outcomes, using data to continuously refine and elevate the learning experience.
• Lead high-energy workshops and strategic discussions that inspire engagement and practical application across all levels of the organization.
• Ensure all development initiatives are closely aligned with business priorities and long-term strategic goals.
• Serve as a versatile project lead for special initiatives and on-demand People team priorities.
• Scalably evolve our compliance, technical, and leadership curriculum to ensure we remain at the forefront of industry standards.
• Strategically vet and manage third-party L&D partnerships, ensuring high-quality delivery and maximum ROI.
• Act as the internal authority on emerging L&D trends, learning technologies, and innovative pedagogical methods to keep our team future-ready.
• Attract, train & retain talent for our L&D team.

Experiences and Capabilities You Bring:

• 8+ years of experience in Learning & Development, instructional design, or similar roles; 3+ years of people management experience
• Strong track record of building learning systems, not just courses
• Excellent internal customer service and executive-caliber communication skills
• High EQ with ability to motivate learners and SMEs alike
• Obsessed with quality, clarity, and operational excellence
• Comfortable setting standards and driving accountability
• Prior experience in a people management role, with a proven ability to coach, and develop talented individuals
• Must thrive in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience leveraging technology to manage workflow, improve processes, and using data/metrics to improve performance
• Impeccable attention to detail and superior organizational skills

This is a hybrid role. Work from home on Monday and Friday and in Applecart’s New York City office Tuesday through Thursday.

Compensation:

Our compensation package consists of three components: (i) a base salary, (ii) annual cash bonus, and (iii) generous equity compensation.

The base salary range for this role is between $150,000 - $180,000,based on the candidate’s experience and skills relative to the requirements listed above. The salary range provided is exclusive of discretionary annual cash bonus and equity compensation. The salary range provided for this role is specific to candidates located in the New York City area.

A few facts about us:

• Applecart’s platform has been used by hundreds of industry-leading clients spanning Fortune 500 companies like Blackstone and Intuit, leading nonprofit organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund, and top-tier advertising and communications agencies like Teneo, FGS, Weber Shandwick, and OMD.
• Applecart is growing quickly — over the last 4 years, we’ve increased our revenue by 10X, grown our headcount by almost 5X, and we’re cashflow positive.
• Our senior leadership team includes two members of the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Marketing and Advertising, the former Head of Product at Moat, Oracle’s online ad measurement platform, a former senior White House advisor, early sales and talent leaders from Google and Twitter, two of the Democratic Party’s most successful pollsters and strategists, and alums of top-tier organizations like Bain & Company, Amazon and Simpson Thacher.
• Applecart raised a $100M Series C from Blackstone’s tech growth fund at the end of 2025. The company’s other investors include Bain & Company, global sports, entertainment and marketing giant Endeavor, KKR Co-Founder Henry Kravis, entrepreneur Chris Burch, a founder of Palantir, senior engineering leaders at Twitter and Yelp, former Fortune 50 and advertising agency CEOs, and a number of well-known venture capitalists. Ari Emanuel, CEO of TKO and Executive Chairman of WME, Wayne Berman, Blackstone’s Head of Global Government Affairs, and Risa Heller, CEO of HELLER, serve on our board.
• Our work has been featured on Morning Joe on MSNBC, BloombergTV, and The Colbert Report, and in Axios, Semafor, BusinessWeek, the Associated Press, Forbes, the Washington Post, and Politico, among many others.