Years of professional experience
Hi, I’m
Katharine Richards
Talent Management Professional
Baltimore,MD
Summary
Performance-driven talent development professional with significant experience aligning resources with business requirements. Passionate about building team capabilities, leading initiatives, and consulting on business processes to drive results. Skilled at delivering engaging presentations, developing individuals at all-levels, and establishing strategic partnerships.
Overview
19
3
Learning Management System implementations
2
Organizational restructures at organizations with 8,000+ people
4
Program facilitation certifications
Work History
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Director, Learning & Organizational Development
05.2022 - Current
Job overview
- Evolving the training team into a holistic talent management team inclusive of training, expanding team capabilities, and solidifying the department as a strong business partner.
- Building competency models using the Korn Ferry Success Profiles as a template to define the elements required to be outstanding in a position.
- Assessing strengths and opportunities of business areas to make recommendations on structure, process, and closing skills gaps to support progress towards OKRs.
- Spearheading innovative approaches to resource allocation to optimize talent and operational processes which includes liaisoning between multiple business divisions, forming strategis partnerships, and creative success plans to provide continuity of operations during leadership transitions or reorganization.
- Creating employee engagement surveys designed to increase actionable feedback and implementing forward-thinking initiatives to improve employee engagement.
- Generating a learning resource library of materials including program workbooks and facilitator guides, assessments, external consultants, vendors, and respected industry experts to enhance learning experiences.
- Facilitating talent reviews and initiating discussions on employee performance, leadership potential, retention risk, identification of critical positions, and succession planning.
- Developing career guides, mentoring plans, and talent development programs to provide ongoing learning experiences and keep employees engaged with the organization.
Sinclair Broadcast Group
Manager, Learning & Development
03.2020 - 05.2022
Job overview
- Successfully established the Learning and Development function for a Fortune 500 company and formed a mission statement to communicate the purpose and impact of the department.
- Conducted and evaluated the learning needs of employees across the business, assessed skill gaps that may have impacted past performance, and generated a three-year strategy outlining key deliverables.
- Identified a learning management system and seamlessly implemented the solution to 9,000+ learners which exceeded leadership expectations, met all business requirements, and was delivered on time and within budget.
- Introduced Learning Fridays, with full support of the executive leadership team, which provides all employees a dedicated time-block for professional development and encourages a healthy completion rate of learner-driven (not assigned or required) courses.
- Received an Innovation Award in December 2021 in recognition of outstanding project execution on the formation of the first internal leadership development program which continues to run on an annual basis today.
Pandora
Manager, Learning & Development
04.2019 - 03.2020
Job overview
- Provided thought leadership and established regional alignment of learning activities and programming for the Americas region including South America, Central America, and The Caribbean.
- Developed design standards, identified training methods for a diverse audience, and implemented distribution solutions to more than 20,000 learners with various language requirements located in corporate offices and retail locations.
- Planned large scale conferences with 500+ attendees, curated and organized content aligned with theme, designed learning experiences, facilitated workshops, and included feedback loops to ensure event success in both planning and execution.
- Created and implemented the Manager Development Program for aspiring leaders in retail locations which continues to be used in the U.S. and has produced several high-performing sales and/or operations managers.
Pandora
Learning & Development Program Manager
11.2016 - 04.2019
Job overview
- Streamlined training and talent development efficiencies, coordinated new hire orientations and provided onboarding and training for new employees.
- Directed field training in all retail locations to enhance the customer service skillset of sales professionals as well as develop the ability of frontline managers to provide quality coaching for the purposes of improving in-store shopping experiences and ultimately, increasing net promoter score.
- Created position-specific learning journeys and designed core curriculums aligned with competency frameworks to assist individual development and support meaningful career growth.
- Evaluated success of training programs and recommended improvements to upper management to enhance effectiveness.
- Led market level learning management system (LMS) coordinators to ensure optimal functionality of the system and managed the LMS for the 16,000+ learners in the Americas region.
- Conducted comprehensive training needs analyses to confirm root causes were being considered in the development of training programs and materials then compiled questions for post-training evaluations to verify that learning experience met participant needs.
BeachBee Yoga & SUP
Small Business Owner
09.2012 - 01.2017
Job overview
- Designed business plan to define concept, short-term and long-term goals and strategies.
- Promoted business via social media to maximize brand identity and target ideal customers.
- Researched trends to determine competition and develop competitive pricing points.
- Cultivated and strengthened lasting client relationships focusing on outstanding customer interactions and using dynamic communication skills.
Encore Capital Group
Training Coordinator & Communications Specialist
03.2008 - 07.2011
Job overview
- Coordinated the logistical and key administrative tasks related to maintaining employee training records.
- Provided ongoing support to learning platform users, guaranteed accurate system permissions, managed vendor relationships, and utilized survey tools and course evaluations to assess training and course effectiveness.
- Analyzed training needs and compiled data to contribute to the development of internal training programs and maintenance of facilitator manuals and participant workbooks.
- Developed and implemented brand standards to support external presentations and corporate messaging.
- Created talent assessment tools and performance management evaluations to guide dialogue between managers and employees.
- Drafted internal communications with an emphasis on change management messaging.
- Received peer recognition award for outstanding collaboration efforts to increase the effectiveness of communications out to the business.
- Coordinated with creative and design teams to produce high-quality visuals for marketing materials.
- Managed internal company correspondence by delivering documents, memos and newsletters to appropriate personnel.
Tiffany & Co.
Assistant Sales Manager
10.2004 - 03.2008
Job overview
- Assisted sales team with completing customer transactions and managing issues.
- Generated sales report to help upper management make effective decisions and sales plans.
- Trained new associates in successful sales and performance strategies.
- Coached sales associates in product specifications, sales incentives, and selling techniques, significantly increasing customer satisfaction ratings.
Education
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA
Bachelor of Arts from Political Science
06.2004
Skills
- Course Development
- Talent Pipelining
- Socialization Techniques
- Remote Training and Facilitation
- Learning Outcomes Tracking
- Change Management
- Communications Strategies
- New Employee Orientation
- Articulate eLearning Software
- Cornerstone OnDemand
- CrossKnowledge Learning Suite
Certification
- Masters Certificate in Human Resource Management
- Certified Practitioner of the MBTI Step I and Step II Instruments
- Certified Extended DISC Facilitator
- Certified to facilitate Franklin Covey "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
- Certified to lead Ken Blanchard "Situational Leadership" program
Timeline
Director, Learning & Organizational Development
Sinclair Broadcast Group
05.2022 - Current
Manager, Learning & Development
Sinclair Broadcast Group
03.2020 - 05.2022
Manager, Learning & Development
Pandora
04.2019 - 03.2020
Learning & Development Program Manager
Pandora
11.2016 - 04.2019
Small Business Owner
BeachBee Yoga & SUP
09.2012 - 01.2017
Training Coordinator & Communications Specialist
Encore Capital Group
03.2008 - 07.2011
Assistant Sales Manager
Tiffany & Co.
10.2004 - 03.2008
Villanova University
Bachelor of Arts from Political Science
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