Professional Learning Specialist Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Professional Learning Specialists are regularly sponsored for H-1B visa and O-1 visas, as the role qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a degree in education, instructional design, or a related field. Employers range from school districts to edtech companies and large corporate L&D teams. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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The Vice Provost for Workforce Partnerships and Professional Learning provides university-wide strategic leadership for Virginia Tech's workforce and professional learning enterprise by fostering innovative educational models and creating educational pathways that: respond to evolving workforce needs and employer demand; align with institutional priorities and Virginia Tech’s research and scholarly expertise; and advance Virginia Tech's land-grant mission through educational innovation, workforce preparation, and economic development. The Vice Provost builds partnerships across academic and administrative units and leads the growth of a sustainable portfolio of professional graduate degrees, certificates, executive education, and other credentialed workforce programs.
The Vice Provost has entrepreneurial drive and works collaboratively with and provides strategic leadership across the academic colleges and departments, research institutes, the Graduate School, Enrollment Management, Outreach & International Affairs (OIA), and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to launch and sustain programs that capitalize on the institution's strengths and geographic opportunities. As a member of the Provost's senior leadership team, the Vice Provost advises the Provost on institutional growth and sunsetting strategies related to workforce partnerships and professional learning.
The position will be based either in Blacksburg or the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement Virginia Tech's strategy for professional workforce education.
- Develop an organization that brings coherence to activities related to workforce partnerships and professional learning that includes organizational design, staffing, governance, long-term strategic priorities, and a financial operating model such that it is a self-sustaining unit.
- Lead university-wide strategic development for professional master’s degrees, graduate certificates, executive education, and other relevant credentialing offerings, ensuring alignment with Virginia Tech’s academic strengths, research priorities, and market opportunities.
- Advise the Provost regarding institutional investments, policies, and priorities related to workforce education and professional learning.
- Identify and recommend changes to university policies, processes, and governance that enable more agile development and delivery of workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
- Coordinate workforce education and professional learning strategies across Virginia Tech's statewide locations to maximize institutional impact while responding to regional workforce priorities.
Organizational Strategy and Portfolio Management
- Lead institutional market and feasibility analysis and portfolio planning to identify opportunities for new workforce education and professional learning initiatives (in-person, fully online, or hybrid) aligned with Virginia Tech's strengths.
- In partnership with the Graduate School, academic colleges and departments, research institutes, and VCE, develop and manage a university-wide portfolio of workforce education and professional learning offerings, ensuring academic quality, financial sustainability, and alignment with institutional priorities.
- Regularly assess the portfolio using enrollment, financial, workforce demand, learner outcomes, and employer engagement metrics, recommending expansion, modification, or discontinuation as appropriate.
- Establish performance expectations and portfolio review processes for workforce education and professional learning initiatives.
Partnerships and Pathway Development
- Build strategic partnerships with academic leaders across Virginia Tech to leverage faculty expertise, research strengths, and geographic assets in support of workforce education and professional learning. Initial foci will center on Blacksburg/Roanoke and the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with emerging foci in the Tidewater and Richmond regions.
- Develop strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, military organizations, health systems, and nonprofit organizations to expand workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
- Advance workforce education and professional learning as a strategic component of Virginia Tech's research enterprise by partnering with principal investigators and research institutes to integrate workforce development into major sponsored initiatives.
- In partnership with the Division of Enrollment Management, establish enrollment goals, evaluate market opportunities, prioritize new program development, and monitor portfolio performance using shared institutional metrics.
- Serve as the primary academic partner to VCE, establishing a collaborative division of labor for VCE-related non-credit training and professional certifications and for-credit graduate and certificate programs.
- In partnership with OIA, establish a collaborative transition plan and division of labor to transition contract credit programs and other credentialing programs that may lead to professional graduate degrees.
- In partnership with the Graduate School, academic colleges and departments, and research institutes, identify, evaluate, and prioritize opportunities for new and expanded professional master’s programs and develop formal non-credit-to-credit pathways that allow students to complete training and certifications to stack, articulate, or ladder into credit bearing graduate certificates and degrees.
Academic Programs and Operations
- Provide executive oversight for the operational infrastructure supporting workforce education and professional learning programs, including admissions, enrollment, learner records, instructional delivery, student support, and compliance.
- Partner with Enrollment Management to develop recruitment, marketing, enrollment, and student success strategies that support sustainable program growth.
- Navigate university governance and collaborate with academic leaders to secure academic approval for new and revised programming.
- Establish dashboards and performance metrics for academic leaders to monitor enrollment and program effectiveness.
- Maintain compliance with regional accreditation bodies regarding relevant academic standards.
Financial Leadership
- Develop self-sustaining financial models for workforce education and professional learning initiatives, including incentive structures that encourage academic units to participate in these initiatives.
- Identify and pursue new revenue streams through sponsored programs, state initiatives, corporate partnerships, philanthropy, and self-supporting educational programs.
- Recommend institutional investments and resource allocations.
- Oversee budgets and financial performance.
- Establish financial performance metrics and accountability measures.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Master’s degree
- Significant, progressively responsible academic leadership experience.
- Specific, demonstrable success launching credential- and/or credit-bearing programs for working professionals.
- Management of large-scale professionally oriented education programs, workforce development programs, and/or online programs.
- Experience managing a self-supporting or revenue-generating unit.
- Experience leading change with prior history of navigating traditional university structures while maintaining agility.
- Proven ability to manage multi-stakeholder curriculum rollouts and instructional design resources.
- Experience monitoring and tailoring programming to market demands.
- Demonstrated record of strategic leadership resulting in significant organizational growth or transformation.
- Demonstrated ability to build consensus and lead through influence across decentralized academic organizations.
- Demonstrated understanding of faculty governance, academic decision making, accreditation, and institutional policy.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to travel across the Commonwealth of Virginia on a regular basis. The position will be based either in Blacksburg or the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with regular time spent in both locations regardless of which campus site is the primary location.
Preferred Qualifications
- Education: Doctorate
- Experience working with and supporting faculty principal investigators on extramural research proposals.
- Management of modern learning management systems and student information systems.
- Success in securing workforce education and development grants, federal training allocations, or philanthropic gifts.
Questions about the position should be directed to search chair, David Knight at dbknight@vt.edu
Overtime Status
Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
Appointment Type
Regular
Salary Information
Commensurate with Experience
Hours per week
40+
Review Date
October 21, 2026
Additional Information
The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.
About Virginia Tech
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.
Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Lisha Farrier at lfarrier@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
Job Description
The Vice Provost for Workforce Partnerships and Professional Learning provides university-wide strategic leadership for Virginia Tech's workforce and professional learning enterprise by fostering innovative educational models and creating educational pathways that: respond to evolving workforce needs and employer demand; align with institutional priorities and Virginia Tech’s research and scholarly expertise; and advance Virginia Tech's land-grant mission through educational innovation, workforce preparation, and economic development. The Vice Provost builds partnerships across academic and administrative units and leads the growth of a sustainable portfolio of professional graduate degrees, certificates, executive education, and other credentialed workforce programs.
The Vice Provost has entrepreneurial drive and works collaboratively with and provides strategic leadership across the academic colleges and departments, research institutes, the Graduate School, Enrollment Management, Outreach & International Affairs (OIA), and Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to launch and sustain programs that capitalize on the institution's strengths and geographic opportunities. As a member of the Provost's senior leadership team, the Vice Provost advises the Provost on institutional growth and sunsetting strategies related to workforce partnerships and professional learning.
The position will be based either in Blacksburg or the Greater Washington, D.C. area.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement Virginia Tech's strategy for professional workforce education.
- Develop an organization that brings coherence to activities related to workforce partnerships and professional learning that includes organizational design, staffing, governance, long-term strategic priorities, and a financial operating model such that it is a self-sustaining unit.
- Lead university-wide strategic development for professional master’s degrees, graduate certificates, executive education, and other relevant credentialing offerings, ensuring alignment with Virginia Tech’s academic strengths, research priorities, and market opportunities.
- Advise the Provost regarding institutional investments, policies, and priorities related to workforce education and professional learning.
- Identify and recommend changes to university policies, processes, and governance that enable more agile development and delivery of workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
- Coordinate workforce education and professional learning strategies across Virginia Tech's statewide locations to maximize institutional impact while responding to regional workforce priorities.
Organizational Strategy and Portfolio Management
- Lead institutional market and feasibility analysis and portfolio planning to identify opportunities for new workforce education and professional learning initiatives (in-person, fully online, or hybrid) aligned with Virginia Tech's strengths.
- In partnership with the Graduate School, academic colleges and departments, research institutes, and VCE, develop and manage a university-wide portfolio of workforce education and professional learning offerings, ensuring academic quality, financial sustainability, and alignment with institutional priorities.
- Regularly assess the portfolio using enrollment, financial, workforce demand, learner outcomes, and employer engagement metrics, recommending expansion, modification, or discontinuation as appropriate.
- Establish performance expectations and portfolio review processes for workforce education and professional learning initiatives.
Partnerships and Pathway Development
- Build strategic partnerships with academic leaders across Virginia Tech to leverage faculty expertise, research strengths, and geographic assets in support of workforce education and professional learning. Initial foci will center on Blacksburg/Roanoke and the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with emerging foci in the Tidewater and Richmond regions.
- Develop strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, military organizations, health systems, and nonprofit organizations to expand workforce education and professional learning opportunities.
- Advance workforce education and professional learning as a strategic component of Virginia Tech's research enterprise by partnering with principal investigators and research institutes to integrate workforce development into major sponsored initiatives.
- In partnership with the Division of Enrollment Management, establish enrollment goals, evaluate market opportunities, prioritize new program development, and monitor portfolio performance using shared institutional metrics.
- Serve as the primary academic partner to VCE, establishing a collaborative division of labor for VCE-related non-credit training and professional certifications and for-credit graduate and certificate programs.
- In partnership with OIA, establish a collaborative transition plan and division of labor to transition contract credit programs and other credentialing programs that may lead to professional graduate degrees.
- In partnership with the Graduate School, academic colleges and departments, and research institutes, identify, evaluate, and prioritize opportunities for new and expanded professional master’s programs and develop formal non-credit-to-credit pathways that allow students to complete training and certifications to stack, articulate, or ladder into credit bearing graduate certificates and degrees.
Academic Programs and Operations
- Provide executive oversight for the operational infrastructure supporting workforce education and professional learning programs, including admissions, enrollment, learner records, instructional delivery, student support, and compliance.
- Partner with Enrollment Management to develop recruitment, marketing, enrollment, and student success strategies that support sustainable program growth.
- Navigate university governance and collaborate with academic leaders to secure academic approval for new and revised programming.
- Establish dashboards and performance metrics for academic leaders to monitor enrollment and program effectiveness.
- Maintain compliance with regional accreditation bodies regarding relevant academic standards.
Financial Leadership
- Develop self-sustaining financial models for workforce education and professional learning initiatives, including incentive structures that encourage academic units to participate in these initiatives.
- Identify and pursue new revenue streams through sponsored programs, state initiatives, corporate partnerships, philanthropy, and self-supporting educational programs.
- Recommend institutional investments and resource allocations.
- Oversee budgets and financial performance.
- Establish financial performance metrics and accountability measures.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Master’s degree
- Significant, progressively responsible academic leadership experience.
- Specific, demonstrable success launching credential- and/or credit-bearing programs for working professionals.
- Management of large-scale professionally oriented education programs, workforce development programs, and/or online programs.
- Experience managing a self-supporting or revenue-generating unit.
- Experience leading change with prior history of navigating traditional university structures while maintaining agility.
- Proven ability to manage multi-stakeholder curriculum rollouts and instructional design resources.
- Experience monitoring and tailoring programming to market demands.
- Demonstrated record of strategic leadership resulting in significant organizational growth or transformation.
- Demonstrated ability to build consensus and lead through influence across decentralized academic organizations.
- Demonstrated understanding of faculty governance, academic decision making, accreditation, and institutional policy.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to travel across the Commonwealth of Virginia on a regular basis. The position will be based either in Blacksburg or the Greater Washington, D.C. area, with regular time spent in both locations regardless of which campus site is the primary location.
Preferred Qualifications
- Education: Doctorate
- Experience working with and supporting faculty principal investigators on extramural research proposals.
- Management of modern learning management systems and student information systems.
- Success in securing workforce education and development grants, federal training allocations, or philanthropic gifts.
Questions about the position should be directed to search chair, David Knight at dbknight@vt.edu
Overtime Status
Exempt: Not eligible for overtime
Appointment Type
Regular
Salary Information
Commensurate with Experience
Hours per week
40+
Review Date
October 21, 2026
Additional Information
The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.
About Virginia Tech
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.
Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.
Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Lisha Farrier at lfarrier@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
See all 980+ Professional Learning Specialist Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Professional Learning Specialist roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Professional Learning Specialist
Target edtech and corporate L&D employers
Large edtech companies and corporations with dedicated Learning and Development teams sponsor Professional Learning Specialists more consistently than small nonprofits or independent schools, which often lack the legal infrastructure to file H-1B petitions.
Align your degree to the role explicitly
H-1B approval depends on showing your degree directly supports the position. A degree in instructional design, curriculum development, or education technology strengthens your case far more than a general education degree with no specialization.
Pursue roles tied to measurable training outcomes
Job postings that emphasize data-driven learning metrics, LMS administration, or program evaluation signal a more specialized role. These are easier to defend as H-1B specialty occupations than broadly defined coaching or facilitation positions.
Build a portfolio demonstrating instructional design depth
Sponsoring employers want evidence your work goes beyond facilitation. A portfolio showing curriculum architecture, needs assessments, and learning technology implementation reduces their uncertainty about sponsorship risk and strengthens your petition.
Ask about sponsorship early, not after the offer
Many employers support sponsorship but haven't thought through the process. Raising it during the second interview, after demonstrating your value, gives HR time to consult legal counsel before extending an offer rather than reversing one.
Consider the O-1A if you have a strong publication or speaking record
Professional Learning Specialists with published research, conference presentations, or recognized contributions to instructional design methodology may qualify for the O-1A, which has no lottery and can be filed year-round.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Professional Learning Specialist role qualify for H-1B sponsorship?
Yes, in most cases. The role qualifies as a specialty occupation when the employer requires a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field such as instructional design, educational technology, or curriculum and instruction. Roles framed around general training facilitation without a defined degree requirement are harder to sponsor, so job title and employer framing matter significantly.
What degree do I need for an employer to sponsor my visa as a Professional Learning Specialist?
Most sponsoring employers require a bachelor's degree in instructional design, education technology, curriculum development, or a related field. A general education degree can work if your coursework or experience ties directly to the role. If your degree is in an unrelated field, three years of specialized work experience can substitute for each year of missing education under USCIS guidelines.
Which types of employers are most likely to sponsor Professional Learning Specialists?
Corporate L&D departments at large technology, healthcare, and financial services companies sponsor most consistently. Edtech companies with product training or customer education functions are also strong candidates. K-12 school districts and small nonprofits sponsor far less frequently due to limited legal resources and budget constraints around immigration fees.
How can I find Professional Learning Specialist jobs that offer visa sponsorship?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically for roles open to visa sponsorship, which removes the need to manually screen hundreds of postings. Searching there for Professional Learning Specialist roles surfaces employers who have already indicated willingness to sponsor, saving significant time compared to cold-applying and asking about sponsorship after the fact.
Can I get sponsored as a Professional Learning Specialist if I'm already in the U.S. on OPT or a dependent visa?
Yes. If you're on OPT, your employer can file an H-1B visa petition during the April cap-subject filing window, and STEM OPT can extend your work authorization while you wait for an approved status. If you're on a dependent visa such as an H-4 with EAD, you can work freely and transition to your own H-1B through a sponsoring employer when you're ready.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Professional Learning Specialist jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.