Training Specialist

Real people, real partnership, real impact.

(NOTE: A human reviews every application at Oceans, so please apply for only one position and only once a year—if you're a better fit for another role, we’ll route your application accordingly and if we’re not quite ready for you, we’ll reach back out later.)

At Oceans, we help the best and brightest Sri Lankans to take advantage of opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them, while supporting entrepreneurs around the world. We call our Sri Lankan talent Divers for their ability to go deep and solve problems.

The Training Specialist will play a pivotal role in bridging our talent pipeline, operational systems, and client delivery. Operating as a creative facilitator, systems owner, and strategic partner, you will design business-aligned learning experiences that enable Divers to grow, perform, and deliver value.

This role goes beyond traditional training. 

We are looking for someone to build an ecosystem of Perpetual Learning, champion our tech-forward learning systems, and take Oceans Learning to the wider community. By weighing cost, timing, and impact, you will ensure our learning infrastructure produces Divers who are client-ready, supporting our operational goals while keeping the broader talent community highly engaged.

Accountability

You will have four primary focus areas, which are:

Talent Pipeline (The Lagoon) & Community Engagement

• Nurturing the talent pipeline by designing pre-hire learning pathways and growth-oriented frameworks.

• Diagnose performance gaps early and design learning as a holistic solution rather than just delivering content.

• Act as a quality gate for client readiness, translating overarching business requirements into tangible, creative, and testable scenarios to ensure Divers possess the technical and business acumen required for integration.

• Design and implement assessment tools to measure training effectiveness and learner progress. 

• Partner closely with the OCXO team to engage The Lagoon talent and our broader community, securing buy-in and driving marketing initiatives for Oceans Learning.

Digital Learning & Systems Enablement

• Drive the adoption and continuous optimization of our digital learning ecosystem, including the Oceans LMS, internal systems, and the Learning Hub.
• Champion new tools and features within the team to enhance the overall Diver learning experience by partnering with our AI Centre of Excellence.
• Build automated workflows for grading, feedback delivery, and progression tracking to eliminate manual administrative overhead systematically.

Creative Instructional Design & Operational Delivery

• Facilitate engaging, high-stakes learning sessions dynamically based on learner response while injecting creativity into our learning pathways.
• Model varied facilitation techniques and help set facilitation quality benchmarks for the organization.
• Utilize data-driven insights to improve learning experiences and outcomes continuously.

Evaluating Impact & Knowledge Management

• Evaluate learning impact using multiple signals (e.g., knowledge retention, behavior change, performance indicators) and translate those findings into concrete improvements that reliably inform strategic decisions within Training, Diver Success (DS), and Talent Alignment (TA).
• Own the organization and upkeep of training knowledge for defined domains, proactively improving structure and accessibility to reduce reliance on tribal knowledge.
• Work closely with the Head of Training to align learning initiatives with Oceans’ overall talent development strategy. 
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure training aligns with business objectives and client needs.

Colleagues

Your primary partners will be the Candidates and Divers themselves. Internally, you’ll work closely with our Diver Success, Talent Alignment, and OCXO teams to help our clients get the most from the Oceans talent network. Where it makes sense to expand our relationship, you’ll also work with our Integration team to ensure the best Diver-Client relationship ensues. 

While working cross-functionally, this role reports to our Head of Training.

Skills and Qualifications

At Oceans, we believe in T-shaped people with one area of deep vertical expertise and broad horizontal interests. 

As a Senior Training Specialist, the legs of your T should be in deeply understanding the needs of both Divers & Clients and making sure those needs are clearly addressed and accurately communicated through our Learning & Development strategy. 

Your arms should extend to an understanding of how our Clients’ businesses function, how Oceans can grow and develop employees, and where global talent fits into that growth. Previous experience working with global talent, business operations, and client-facing roles will be an asset.

Diversity of experience is core to Oceans. You are expected to be able to manage, work with, and serve people from a broad range of backgrounds in an inclusive manner that supports both individual and collective dignity.

What You Bring:

• A Non-Traditional Background is Welcome: You do not need formal experience in HR or training to thrive here. We highly encourage candidates with backgrounds in business operations, finance, consulting, or project management to apply, provided you have a passion for developing talent and possess excellent communication, training delivery, and facilitation skills.
• Systems Thinking: A strong comfort level with digital platforms, internal systems, and automation. You don't need to be a developer, but you should enjoy figuring out how technology can make processes smoother and scale faster.
• Business Acumen & Delivery: A business-oriented and solutions-minded approach to understanding our overall business model, contributing to the strategic vision, and translating high-level strategies into practical learning steps

Success in this role will be driven by your ability to operate at an advanced level across the following competencies, and the interview process will include opportunities to demonstrate skills in each of the following areas: 

• Instructional Design, Creativity & Facilitation: How do you set facilitation quality benchmarks and design engaging learning sessions that adapt dynamically to learner needs?
• Digital Learning Enablement: How do you spark tech curiosity and drive the adoption of new learning tools and platforms across different learners and teams?
• Evaluating Impact: How do you measure learning outcomes and translate data-driven insights into actionable improvements that inform strategic decisions?
• Business Acumen: How do you apply an understanding of operational priorities, constraints, and incentives to make aligned business decisions independently?
• Communication & Stakeholder Management: How do you proactively manage stakeholder relationships, navigate trade-offs, and build long-term credibility across departments?
• Knowledge Management: How do you structure and maintain training knowledge to ensure accessibility, reduce reliance on tribal knowledge, and support self-service learning?

Role Specifications

This is a hybrid role, and you should expect to be in-person at our Headquarters in Colombo roughly 1 to 2 days a week. 

You will also be required to work half-days on 1 to 2 Saturdays per month to facilitate operations when needed. 

Since candidates from The Lagoon will be participating after regular work hours and Divers work the ET shift, you may need to facilitate evening training sessions on occasion.

Information about our benefits and compensation philosophy, along with an opportunity to update our understanding of both market and individual factors, will be available during our offer process.

About Oceans

Our company’s business model is simple: helping people in the developing world access employment opportunities in larger markets, at wages that support their individual dignity. And so we make money when our clients and Divers are happy working together. We welcome the chance to discuss the complementary parts of our business during your interview process and encourage questions about where we are and where we are going.

Want to learn more about our recruitment process, what to expect from interviews, and possible outcomes? Check out [The Dive].