James Udele
Learning & Development Manager | Talent Development Specialist | Organizational Psychologist
About
Results-driven Learning & Development Manager and Organizational Development Consultant with over 10 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating enterprise capability frameworks across FMCG manufacturing (Nestlé Nigeria PLC) and global consultancies (Pathfinder Consulting - USA & Canada). Holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselling Psychology, combining advanced behavioral science, adult learning theory, and data-driven talent lifecycle strategies to solve operational skill bottlenecks, lower turnover, and drive plant-floor safety. Expert in LMS administration (SCORM/xAPI), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Training Needs Analysis (TNA) across multi-departmental operations (Production, Quality, Maintenance, EHS).
Author of 7 books and 28 international journal publications.
Experience
Learning & Development Manager / Career Development Specialist - Pathfinder Consulting (USA & Canada) - Abuja & Remote
(2020-01)
A premier human capital, career trajectory, and organizational development firm operating across North America and Africa.
- Formulated and implemented enterprise-wide L&D strategies, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and technical competency frameworks across 5 departments, bridging workforce skill gaps and accelerating operational readiness.
- Spearheaded multi-departmental Training Needs Analysis (TNA) across technical, operational, and non-technical units; designed blended learning solutions that increased workforce training completion rates by 68%.
- Conceptualized and facilitated over 50 executive leadership, communication, and behavioral change workshops, improving post-training competency evaluations by 45% within 90 days.
- Managed end-to-end LMS deployment and custom e-learning course authoring, converting traditional training manuals into interactive SCORM modules and reducing third-party content creation costs by 35%.
- Designed structured career progression pathways and succession planning frameworks for junior-to-senior staff, improving talent retention metrics by 30% across international client accounts.
- Applied the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model and data analytics to measure learning outcomes, translating training metrics into strategic executive reporting that justified a 25% annual increase in L&D budget allocations.
- Instituted a formal peer-coaching and mentoring framework for high-potential staff, boosting employee engagement scores by 40% and accelerating internal promotion cycles.
Learning & Development Specialist (Plant & Corporate Operations) - Nestlé Nigeria PLC - Nigeria
(2015-01 - 2020-12)
A global FMCG manufacturing giant producing consumer food and beverage products across multiple regional manufacturing plants.
- Executed cross-functional Training Needs Assessments across high-pressure plant environments—specifically aligning production, maintenance, quality assurance, and EHS (safety) teams with corporate business goals.
- Designed and rolled out 30+ standardized operational training modules and EHS safety compliance programs, contributing to a 30% reduction in plant-floor safety incidents and operational downtime.
- Redesigned the technical onboarding program for plant operators and cross-functional staff throughout the talent lifecycle, cutting time-to-productivity for new hires from 12 weeks down to 6 weeks.
- Delivered over 50 interactive technical and behavioral workshops for 1,000+ manufacturing employees and operational supervisors across classroom and virtual learning setups.
- Created comprehensive training manuals, facilitator guides, digital assessment tools, and standard job aids to support standardized execution across technical plant lines.
- Partnered closely with plant managers, HR business partners, and departmental heads to conduct skill assessments and align technical training interventions with strict FMCG production KPIs.
- Evaluated program performance using learning analytics and participant feedback loops, identifying operational capability bottlenecks and presenting actionable ROI insights to plant leadership.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) - Rehabilitation Counselling Psychology - University Academic Board (2021-01 - 2024-12)
Master of Education (M.Ed.) - Counselling Psychology - National Open University of Nigeria (2018-01 - 2020-12)
Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) - Education - National Open University of Nigeria (2013-01 - 2014-12)
Higher National Diploma (HND) - Library & Information Science - Kaduna Federal Polytechnic (2010-01 - 2012-12)
