Kirkpatrick® Learning and Performance Manager Certification

The Kirkpatrick® Learning & Performance Manager Certification equips managers to lead a learning function the business actually trusts. Built on the world’s leading evaluation methodology, this program goes beyond tools and tactics — it builds the role clarity, team-leadership skill, and stakeholder-partnership ability needed to turn a training team into a performance function.

Limited to a small founding cohort, this program ensures personalized facilitator attention, real-time peer collaboration, and direct access to the program designers as we build this certification together.

Who Is This For?

• L&D and training managers who want to be seen as strategic business partners, not order-takers
• New or newly-promoted L&P leaders defining the scope and standards of their role
• Managers running a “department of one” who must build capability with limited resources
• HR and talent-development leaders responsible for demonstrating the business impact of learning

Recommended Prerequisite: Familiarity with the Kirkpatrick Model (Bronze certification or equivalent practical experience) is helpful but not required.

Why Join?

Lead the Function, Not Just the Courses

Most L&D managers were promoted for being great practitioners — then left to figure out leadership on their own. This program gives you the operating framework to make the shift from L&D manager to L&P manager: defining your scope, setting evaluation standards, and leading work that drives performance, not just activity.

Leave With a Real Deliverable

You wouldn’t lead a function without an operating plan. This program is built around one. Across all five sessions you develop a complete L&P Manager Playbook specific to your team and organization — not a classroom exercise, but a practical plan you can put to work the week you finish.

Shape the Future of This Program

The founding cohort isn’t just a group of participants — it’s a group of contributors. You’ll have direct access to the program designers for feedback and refinement, and your experience will shape how this certification evolves. No future cohort gets this level of access.

Carry the Most Trusted Name in Evaluation

The Kirkpatrick L&P Manager credential signals something rare: a manager who can lead an evaluation function with credibility. Paired with the Kirkpatrick name — the most trusted brand in evaluation — it’s a professional advantage that stands out in any room.

What You Will Learn

Session 1 — The Manager’s Role & Supporting Business Priorities

Defining what this role owns — and where it stops.

• Distinguish manager, practitioner, and executive responsibilities and define your scope
• Make the shift from an L&D manager to an L&P manager
• Use the Kirkpatrick Model as a managerial operating framework
• Translate business goals into executable initiatives without overreaching into strategy
• Distinguish training problems from process and system problems, and escalate appropriately

Session 2 — Kirkpatrick as a Management Tool & Managing Performance Work

Setting the standard for credible evaluation across the team.

• Define what “good” looks like at Levels 1–4
• Set evaluation expectations and avoid over- or under-evaluation
• Review evaluation plans for quality without doing the work yourself
• Design initiatives around critical behaviors and required drivers
• Build feedback loops and standardize workflows at the function level

Session 3 — Building the Team & Coaching Specialists

Designing and developing a right-sized, capable team.

• Map essential L&P roles and capabilities — including managing as a department of one
• Align roles to strengths (Brain, Heart, Hands, Voice)
• Decide when to develop internal talent, hire, or partner externally
• Coach specialists toward performance thinking without micromanaging
• Remove operational barriers and create individual growth pathways

Session 4 — Stakeholder Partnership, Communicating Results & Capstone

Earning the partnership and reporting value — then bringing it together.

• Map stakeholders by direct access vs. influencer required, and establish shared accountability
• Overcome resistance, skepticism, and the most common data obstacles
• Distinguish what leaders need to know from what teams collect; frame learning as an investment
• “Sell the Vacation” — win buy-in through the emotional vision, not the itinerary
• Deliver your capstone pitch for live peer and facilitator feedback

Learning Objectives

Upon completing all three sessions and the capstone deliverable, participants will be able to:

1. Define the scope and accountability of the L&P Manager role and avoid overreaching into executive territory
2. Translate business goals into executable, performance-focused initiatives
3. Distinguish training problems from process, system, and environment problems
4. Apply the Kirkpatrick Four Levels® to set evaluation standards and review plan quality
5. Build and structure a right-sized team using strengths-based role alignment
6. Coach and develop specialists toward performance thinking
7. Build stakeholder partnerships that earn shared accountability and access to results data
8. Communicate evaluation results and the value of learning in language executives trust

Capstone Deliverable

To earn the Kirkpatrick L&P Manager credential, participants develop and submit a complete L&P Manager Playbook — developed across the four-day intensive and finalized for submission afterward. The Playbook includes:

• Role clarity and scope definition
• Team structure and capability plan, mapped to strengths
• Evaluation expectations — the Levels 1–4 standards the team is held to
• Stakeholder partnership approach, including a recorded “Sell the Vacation” pitch (video upload, up to 5 minutes)
• A near-term improvement roadmap (12–24 months)

Playbooks are reviewed by Kirkpatrick Partners facilitators against a rubric.

What You Get

• 12 hours of live, facilitated online instruction across four sessions
• Session recordings for ongoing reference
• The Kirkpatrick Strengths Scorecard and the L&P Manager Playbook template
• Capstone development with facilitator guidance throughout the intensive
• Written facilitator feedback on your completed Playbook within five business days
• The Kirkpatrick L&P Manager credential

Completion Requirements

• Attendance at all four live sessions (required for certification)
• Submission of the completed L&P Manager Playbook, including the recorded pitch
• Completion of the final program survey

Program Details

Dates: October 12-15, 2026

Time: 1:30–4:30 PM Eastern each day

Format: Live Online | 3 Sessions | 12 Hours of Instruction

Total time commitment: Approximately 14–15 hours including async assignments

The Next Step in Your Certification Journey

The Kirkpatrick Learning and Performance Manager builds directly on the foundation established in Bronze and Silver certifications — bringing leadership and management into your existing Kirkpatrick practice.

• Already certified at Bronze or Silver? This program is your next evolution — applying the framework you know to the tools reshaping the field.
• New to Kirkpatrick? We recommend completing the Bronze certification first to ensure you get the most from this program.

Program Cost

• Founding Cohort Rate: $1,050 per person (available for this cohort only)
• Regular Rate: $1,898 per person
• Group Rate (3+ from the same organization): Contact us for pricing
• 10% discount for government, military, or nonprofit employees

To register, complete the interest form below. We will follow up with an invoice within 1–2 business days. Enrollment is confirmed upon receipt of payment.

Ready to Register?

Click here to immediately sign up.

Still not sure?

Learn more about the Kirkpatrick Model