Leadership Development Manager - Emerging and New Leaders

About the team

The People team helps Affirmers cultivate a high-performing, inclusive organization. We focus on three core areas: attracting talent aligned to our mission, enabling growth through people and team development, and retaining employees through thoughtful experiences and rewards. We develop Affirm’s people programs and systems to create a workplace where all employees can thrive and contribute meaningfully. By investing in our people, we create a long-term advantage for the business.

About the role

A great first manager can shape someone's entire experience at work. At Affirm, we're investing in emerging and new people leaders so they can build high-performing teams and help every Affirmer do the most impactful work of their career.

As our Leadership Development Manager, Emerging and New Leaders, you'll shape how aspiring, first-time, and newly hired people leaders build the skills and confidence to lead at Affirm. You'll own the development journey from the moment someone considers becoming a leader through their first year in the role, creating practical, engaging experiences that help leaders navigate real challenges and build high-performing teams.

This is an opportunity to build meaningful development experiences at scale. You'll combine creative learning design, audience insights, and the needs of the business to make leadership development accessible, relevant, and effective in our remote-first environment. Working closely with partners across the People team, you'll have the autonomy to test new ideas, improve existing programs, and make a lasting impact on how leadership takes shape at Affirm.

What you'll do

• Own the new-leader experience. Lead the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of leadership development programs for aspiring, first-time, and newly hired people leaders, including Leading@, Leader 101, and other foundational learning experiences.
• Build learning journeys that meet leaders where they are. Create timely, practical support for key leadership transitions, from preparing for a first management role to navigating performance conversations, coaching employees, and building strong teams.
• Design engaging experiences that scale. Combine interactive workshops, peer learning, self-directed resources, and hands-on practice to help leaders build skills they can apply immediately, wherever they work.
• Create opportunities for leaders to learn together. Build communities and peer learning experiences that help new leaders connect, share challenges, exchange feedback, and grow through one another's experiences.
• Turn leadership expectations into everyday actions. Translate Affirm's leadership expectations into practical tools and experiences that help leaders build self-awareness, coach employees, give feedback, manage performance, and support their teams. Incorporate leadership assessments and coaching where they can deepen learning and accelerate growth.
• Partner across the People team. Work with People Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, and Learning to connect leadership development with hiring, promotions, onboarding, and ongoing employee growth.
• Experiment, learn, and improve. Gather feedback, test new approaches, and use data to understand what's working. Prioritize improvements that make learning more effective and easier to access.
• Measure what matters. Define and track measures of program effectiveness, including skill development, early leadership effectiveness, and performance indicators. Use data and feedback to improve experiences and demonstrate their impact on leaders and teams.
• Keep programs running smoothly. Manage learning resources, communications, vendors, and budgets to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences for a growing leadership audience.

What we look for

• 8+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree, 6+ years with a Master's degree, 3+ years with a PhD, or equivalent experience in leadership development, learning and development, talent management, or a related field.
• Experience designing and delivering leadership development programs for new or first-time people leaders, with a track record of creating learning experiences that work at scale.
• Strong learning and experience design skills, including the ability to create engaging, practical programs that blend live learning, digital resources, and hands-on application.
• A product-oriented approach to learning and development, with experience gathering audience insights, prioritizing improvements, and using feedback and data to guide decisions.
• Experience building learning communities, peer networks, or cohort-based programs that encourage connection and continued development.
• Experience integrating leadership assessments and coaching into development programs to build self-awareness, strengthen leadership skills, and support ongoing growth.
• Strong program management and collaboration skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, build trusted relationships, and influence cross-functional partners to deliver high-quality experiences.
• A creative, resourceful approach to solving complex problems, with a willingness to experiment, learn, and continuously improve.
• Comfort using data and emerging technologies, including AI tools, to improve learning experiences, streamline processes, and measure impact.