James Stephens
Melrose Park,IL
Summary
Technical writer and instructional content strategist with 20+ years of experience in crafting clear, impactful content. Spearheaded curriculum development and compliance initiatives that improved training outcomes and achieved 99% regulatory compliance. Pursuing advanced studies in Creative Writing, strengthening skills in research and narrative design.
Overview
40
40
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Training Specialist & Consultant / Researcher
DLMS Training and Development Solutions
Melrose Park, USA
01.2019 - Current
- Designed a customized needs-assessment instrument for the Siemens Fire Technical Support Center to identify technical knowledge gaps, define audience requirements, and guide targeted content development.
- Advised TT Trading on instructional content architecture, contributing to production of five Adobe Captivate tutorials that explained stock options, technical analysis, and related concepts to clients.
- Created scope, design documents, and curriculum for strategic-planning workshop, enabling Walther Christian Academy leadership to revise mission and vision statements and conduct strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis.
- Developed audience-centered technical and instructional content for Siemens, TT Trading, and Walther Christian Academy, producing research instruments, needs-assessment reports, curriculum scopes, design documents, executive workshop materials, and digital-learning specifications that enhanced learning effectiveness.
- Https://www.dlmssolutions.com
Area Training Manager - O'Hare & Midway Airports
Swissport AG
Chicago, USA
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Reorganized compliance programs within 90 days, achieving and maintaining 99% or higher regulatory compliance for eight consecutive months across cargo, ramp, and passenger-service operations.
- Managed compliance content, onboarding processes, and digital training records for over 1,200 employees in cargo, ramp, fuel, and passenger-service operations to meet IATA, TSA, FAA, and airline-specific requirements.
- Developed and implemented cross-training plan for six area trainers across three operational divisions, enhancing End-to-End and Catch-to-Release onboarding initiatives.
Senior Training Specialist / Technical Curriculum Lead
Siemens AG Smart Infrastructure Academy
Buffalo Grove, USA
01.2012 - 01.2019
- Led curriculum development for nine technical courses and served as a factory-certified instructor for 13 fire and building-automation programs, translating Desigo, Cerberus Pro, Insight, and Zeus systems into clear courseware, lab exercises, and technical instruction.
- Converted lecture-based curriculum to cognitive, hands-on learning model, boosting student interaction by 30% and achieving a 63% average increase in participant knowledge.
- Coordinated technical content delivery for Siemens employees, customers, and value-added partner technicians, managing 40 fire-protection device simulators and control-panel training units.
- Audited and revised course materials, identifying 180 outdated figures and laboratory procedures across eight fire-alarm control-panel courses, enhancing document accuracy and usability.
Fire School Director & Principal Training Specialist
United States Navy
01.1987 - 01.2011
- Oversaw 528 high-risk classes and 96,532 student-instructor hours for over 10,000 Navy, Coast Guard, and Japanese students while managing an $83 million facility and a $6.3 million annual operating budget.
- Directed the research, authorship, standardization, and implementation of SOPs and emergency action plans for 11 high-risk courses; the documentation supported an Outstanding triennial safety inspection and a record of zero safety mishaps.
- Designed and implemented three aviation-firefighting courses using the PADDIE model, contributing to a 52% increase in training results and learning transfer, a 96% fleet mission-readiness score, and a 19-point improvement.
- Led 12 Navy instructors and five Japanese contractors in developing and delivering technical courseware for 19 Forward Deployed Naval Forces ships and Carrier Air Wing Five personnel across three training sites in Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan.
- Managed two Formal Course Reviews, identifying over 400 curriculum discrepancies and providing actionable revision recommendations to Course Curriculum Model Manager.
- Active Duty, Honorably Retired
Education
Master of Arts - Creative Writing - Fiction
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, NH09-2026
Instructional Design MasterTrack Certificate -
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL01-2022
Master of Arts - Human Resource Development
Northeastern Illinois University
Chicago, IL01-2021
Bachelor of Science - Fire Science Management
American Public University System
Charles Town, WV01-2009
Graduate Diploma - Leadership And Management
Navy Senior Enlisted Academy
Newport, RI12-2007
Skills
- Curriculum development
- Instructional Writing
- Technical Documentation
- SOP authoring
- Content Strategy
- Content development
- Regulatory writing
- Research & Fact-Checking
- Audience Analysis
- Requirements Gathering
- SME Collaboration
- Document Quality Assurance
- Copyediting & Proofreading
- Content editing
- Project management
- Adobe Captivate
- Virtual learning platforms
- Microsoft Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- AI collaboration tools
- APA and MLA formatting
- Research citation styles
- Narrative design
Timeline
Area Training Manager - O'Hare & Midway Airports
Swissport AG
01.2022 - 01.2023
Principal Training Specialist & Consultant / Researcher
DLMS Training and Development Solutions
01.2019 - Current
Senior Training Specialist / Technical Curriculum Lead
Siemens AG Smart Infrastructure Academy
01.2012 - 01.2019
Fire School Director & Principal Training Specialist
United States Navy
01.1987 - 01.2011
Master of Arts - Creative Writing - Fiction
Southern New Hampshire University
Instructional Design MasterTrack Certificate -
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Master of Arts - Human Resource Development
Northeastern Illinois University
Bachelor of Science - Fire Science Management
American Public University System
Graduate Diploma - Leadership And Management
Navy Senior Enlisted Academy
Accomplishments
- The National Society of Leadership and Success
Performance Profile
Accomplished HRD professional with over twenty-two years in the field (eleven years in the Navy, seven years with Siemens, three as a consultant, and one year as an Area Training Manager). Key positions include Fire School Director, Principal Instructor (Navy), Senior Training Specialist (Siemens), Department Manager, Training Safety Officer, Instructional Designer, and Consultant. I am highly motivated to leverage twenty-four years of achievements during my naval career and twelve years in the corporate sector to provide dedicated service to any organization. Qualifications include but are not limited to MA in HRD, program and project management, instructional designer, curriculum developer, needs assessment, classroom instructor/facilitator, mentor, and coach.
Professional Development
- Navy Leader Development Program (1994)
- Certified Department of Labor Journeyman for Counselor (5000 hours) (1998)
- Navy Primary Leadership Program (1998)
- Navy Training and Assessment Team School (2003, 2007, 2010)
- Navy Advanced Leadership Development Program (2004)
- Factory certified to teach 12 courses for Siemens SI Academy Fire and Building Automation (2012-2019)
- Foundations of Project Management, Certification Google Coursera (2021)
- Completed five classes in Workforce Education from SIU (2000)
- LinkedIn Skills Assessments passed: MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint
- IATA certified to teach Dangerous Goods Category 7, 8, 9, and 10.
- Certified in teaching Aviation Security
- NFPA 101
- NFPA 72
Graduate Writing And Editorial Experience
- Drafted, workshopped, and substantively revised a novel-length fiction thesis and original short fiction using faculty critique, peer feedback, research, and iterative editorial review.
- Produced detailed developmental critiques and line-level revision recommendations for graduate fiction workshops, addressing character motivation, narrative structure, pacing, dialogue, voice, diction, syntax, continuity, and reader impact.
- Developed a versatile body of work spanning speculative fiction, poetry, scripts, analytical essays, professional briefs, curriculum, scenarios, and research-supported academic writing.
Tools Credentials And Honors
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Captivate, Intelex LMS, virtual learning and presentation platforms, Google Foundations of Project Management, IATA Dangerous Goods Categories 7, 8, 9, and 10, Aviation Security, NFPA 72, NFPA 101, Department of Labor Journeyman Counselor, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, multiple unit, expeditionary, service, and leadership commendations
Selected Writing Projects
- The Quiet Firmament, Novel / MA Creative Writing - Fiction Thesis, 2026, Near-future Christian speculative thriller developed through graduate-level research, drafting, peer workshop, faculty review, and substantive revision.
- Ashes, Storms, and the Light That Found Me, Poetry manuscript, A. L. Mejia, Multiform collection exploring war and memory, family and legacy, faith, loss, healing, and identity.
- Technical & Corporate Writing Portfolio, Professional content, SOPs, emergency action plans, technical curricula, tutorials, design documents, needs-assessment instruments, scenario-based exercises, compliance materials, and executive planning content.
Writing And Editorial Competencies
- Technical Documentation
- SOP & EAP Authoring
- Instructional Writing
- Curriculum & Courseware Development
- Content Strategy
- Editing & Revision
- Research & Fact-Checking
- Audience Analysis
- Requirements Gathering
- Copyediting & Proofreading
- Scenario & Narrative Development
- Executive Communications
- Regulatory Content
- SME Collaboration
- Document Quality Assurance
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel
- Adobe Captivate
- Intelex LMS
Graduate Writing And Editorial Experience
- Drafted, workshopped, and substantively revised a novel-length fiction thesis and original short fiction using faculty critique, peer feedback, research, and iterative editorial review.
- Produced detailed developmental critiques and line-level revision recommendations for graduate fiction workshops, addressing character motivation, narrative structure, pacing, dialogue, voice, diction, syntax, continuity, and reader impact.
- Developed a versatile body of work spanning speculative fiction, poetry, scripts, analytical essays, professional briefs, curriculum, scenarios, and research-supported academic writing.
Tools Credentials And Honors
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Captivate, Intelex LMS, virtual learning and presentation platforms, Google Foundations of Project Management, IATA Dangerous Goods Categories 7, 8, 9, and 10, Aviation Security, NFPA 72, NFPA 101, Department of Labor Journeyman Counselor, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (3), Joint Meritorious Unit Award, multiple unit, expeditionary, service, and leadership commendations
Selected Writing Projects
- The Quiet Firmament, Novel / MA Creative Writing - Fiction Thesis, 2026, Near-future Christian speculative thriller developed through graduate-level research, drafting, peer workshop, faculty review, and substantive revision.
- Ashes, Storms, and the Light That Found Me, Poetry manuscript, A. L. Mejia, Multiform collection exploring war and memory, family and legacy, faith, loss, healing, and identity.
- Technical & Corporate Writing Portfolio, Professional content, SOPs, emergency action plans, technical curricula, tutorials, design documents, needs-assessment instruments, scenario-based exercises, compliance materials, and executive planning content.
Writing And Editorial Competencies
- Technical Documentation
- SOP & EAP Authoring
- Instructional Writing
- Curriculum & Courseware Development
- Content Strategy
- Editing & Revision
- Research & Fact-Checking
- Audience Analysis
- Requirements Gathering
- Copyediting & Proofreading
- Scenario & Narrative Development
- Executive Communications
- Regulatory Content
- SME Collaboration
- Document Quality Assurance
- Microsoft Word, PowerPoint & Excel
- Adobe Captivate
- Intelex LMS