Research and Development Associate Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Wisconsin

INTRODUCTION

Johnson Controls, a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonization, helps customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions, and operate with the precision and resilience required in rapidly expanding industries such as data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and higher education.

For more than 140 years, Johnson Controls has delivered performance where it really matters. Backed by advanced technology, lifecycle services and an industry-leading field organization, we elevate customer performance, turn goals into real-world results and help move society forward.

What we offer

• Competitive salary and bonus plan
• Paid vacation/holidays/sick time - 15 days of vacation first year
• Comprehensive benefits package including 401K, medical, dental, and vision care - Available day one
• Encouraging and collaborative team environment
• Dedication to safety through our Zero Harm policy
• JCI Employee discount programs (The Loop by Perk Spot)

Role Overview

The Associate Director, Learning & Development, Manufacturing & Global Supply Chain leads the design, development, and deployment of enterprise manufacturing learning and workforce capability programs across Johnson Controls' global plant network. The role partners with Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain, HR, Learning & Development, and Business System leaders to identify workforce capability needs, develop scalable learning solutions, and drive adoption of enterprise learning standards that improve workforce readiness and operational performance.

Working at the intersection of learning strategy and manufacturing operations, this role helps create consistent approaches to technical workforce development while enabling appropriate localization for plant, regulatory, language, and operating requirements. Success is measured through improved workforce readiness, stronger qualification and proficiency outcomes, increased consistency across plants, greater visibility into capability gaps, and sustainable improvements in manufacturing performance.

Key Accountabilities

Manufacturing Capability Strategy and Workforce Readiness

• Partners with Manufacturing and Supply Chain leaders to develop and execute the enterprise learning strategy and roadmap for production workforce capability. Identifies critical capability gaps, establishes learning priorities, and aligns workforce development efforts with safety, quality, productivity, delivery, workforce readiness, and future talent requirements.
• Partners with operational leaders to distinguish true skill and knowledge gaps from issues related to process, equipment, staffing, leadership, or work design, ensuring learning investments address the right business needs.

Technical Manufacturing Learning Architecture

• Leads the development and continuous improvement of enterprise technical learning architectures across manufacturing environments, including assembly, welding and skilled trades, equipment operation, maintenance and reliability, quality procedures, safety-related qualifications, manufacturing engineering, onboarding, and trainer qualification.
• Develops role-based learning pathways, capability progression models, qualification frameworks, certification requirements, and skills-verification approaches that create consistency across the global manufacturing network.

Manufacturing Learning Products and Governance

• Supports the development and execution of enterprise standards, learning products, curriculum priorities, and governance processes for technical manufacturing learning.
• Ensures learning solutions reflect operational realities, address common capability needs, and can be leveraged across multiple regions and plants. Establishes guardrails that balance enterprise consistency with legitimate local requirements such as regulatory, language, equipment, or process differences.

Enterprise Learning Integration and Program Leadership

• Leads complex learning initiatives that require coordination across technical manufacturing learning, leadership development, onboarding, Lean capabilities, and other functional learning domains.
• Partners with content owners and stakeholders to align priorities, identify gaps, clarify ownership, maintain integrated roadmaps, and ensure learning journeys support workforce readiness and career progression.

Business System Leadership

• Applies Johnson Controls Business System principles to manufacturing learning through the use of Gemba, standard work, visual management, root-cause problem solving, operating rhythms, and continuous improvement.
• Helps make capability gaps, priorities, adoption, and outcomes visible and supports fact-based decision making regarding workforce capability investments.

Talent System Leadership

• Leads and develops manufacturing learning professionals while influencing capability building across the broader manufacturing learning network.
• Partners closely with plant training teams and learning stakeholders to promote shared standards, best practices, adoption of enterprise approaches, and continuous improvement while strengthening the effectiveness of the overall learning community.

Measurement, Insights, and Continuous Improvement

• Develops the measurement approach needed to assess workforce readiness, qualification attainment, proficiency, learning adoption, and program effectiveness.
• Uses workforce data, operational insights, learner feedback, and business outcomes to continuously improve curricula, deployment approaches, governance processes, and investment decisions.

Winning Behaviors

This role must model and embed Johnson Controls' Winning Behaviors:

• We Focus on What Matters. We align around customer and operational needs identified at Gemba, prioritize work that creates the greatest value, and support informed decision making where work happens.
• We Win as One Team. We bring together diverse perspectives, collaborate across functions, promote shared ownership, and build strong partnerships that enable business success.
• We Own the Outcome. We take accountability for results, drive disciplined execution, remove barriers to success, and always prioritize safety and integrity.
• We Improve Everyday. We encourage transparency, seek root causes, learn continuously, and drive ongoing improvement to better serve our customers and colleagues.

Key Leadership Attributes

• Operational Curiosity. Seeks to understand how work is performed in manufacturing environments by spending time with operational leaders, trainers, and frontline employees.
• Systems Perspective. Recognizes the connections among workforce capability, business processes, talent systems, career progression, and business performance.
• Pragmatic Judgment. Balances enterprise consistency with local needs while making practical decisions regarding quality, speed, scalability, cost, and business impact.
• Influences Through Partnership. Builds commitment across a global matrix through credibility, collaboration, operational understanding, and trusted relationships.
• Evidence Orientation. Uses workforce data, capability insights, operational metrics, and observed performance to inform decisions and evaluate outcomes.
• Execution Discipline. Transforms strategy into actionable plans, clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and sustained implementation.

Knowledge & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in Learning & Development, Organizational Development, Human Resources, Business, Operations, Supply Chain, Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, or a related field preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in learning, workforce capability, enablement, technical training, talent development, organizational development, or related disciplines within large, complex organizations.
• Experience supporting frontline, technical, operational, industrial, engineering, manufacturing, field, or skilled-worker populations.
• Experience developing role-based learning architectures, technical curricula, qualification frameworks, certification programs, onboarding systems, or workforce readiness initiatives.
• Demonstrated success partnering with operational leaders to identify capability needs and implement scalable learning solutions.
• Experience establishing enterprise standards, governance processes, and measurement systems across geographically dispersed stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence decisions and drive adoption within complex matrixed organizations.
• Experience leading and developing professional teams and/or large-scale enterprise programs.

Strongly Preferred

• Direct experience supporting manufacturing organizations, plant operations, or global manufacturing networks.
• Experience developing manufacturing learning programs covering assembly, welding, equipment operation, maintenance, quality, safety qualifications, engineering, or frontline onboarding.
• Experience with qualification, certification, skills verification, proficiency management, or train-the-trainer programs.
• Experience applying Lean, Business System, Gemba, standard work, visual management, root-cause problem solving, or continuous improvement principles.
• Experience connecting learning initiatives to workforce readiness, time-to-proficiency, quality, safety, productivity, or operational performance outcomes.
• Experience integrating learning programs with talent, onboarding, workforce planning, HR systems, or operational processes.

HIRING SALARY RANGE: $150,000-185,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site.