The strongest learning philanthropies we've worked with don't rely on one learning expert. They create an ecosystem of complementary learning roles. Some of these roles are formal. Others are informal. One person may play several of them. Several people may share one.

Over time, we've noticed that truly learning-oriented foundations almost always have six distinct roles.

Not six job titles. Six roles.

When one of these roles is missing, organizational learning always hits a ceiling.

The Six Learning Roles

Learning Leader - Protects the Priority

If there's one role that determines whether learning becomes a strategic priority, it's this one.

The Learning Leader sits on the executive leadership team (or has direct influence over it). Their job isn't to facilitate learning. Their job is to ensure learning survives.

They champion learning publicly. They allocate time, budget, and attention. They reward curiosity, experimentation, and reflection. They ask learning questions in leadership meetings. Most importantly, they model that changing your mind is a strength—not a weakness.

The stronger leadership's commitment to learning, the stronger the organization's learning culture becomes. Without executive sponsorship, learning almost always loses to urgency.

Learning Architect - Designs the System

This is the role we think is most overlooked. The Learning Architect designs how This is the role we think is most overlooked. The Learning Architect designs how learning actually happens. They think in systems and are relentlessly curious. They ask questions like:

• How does learning flow across the organization?
• Where do insights get stuck?
• Where should reflection happen?
• How do decisions become smarter over time?

They don't just know how to collect credible evidence. They design learning systems, learning rhythms, governance structures, and decision-making processes that ensure evidence reaches the right people at the right time.

They're exceptional relationship builders. They influence without formal authority. They connect people, ideas, and evidence. And whether their colleagues realize it or not, they're constantly reinforcing why learning matters.

One of the strongest indicators of a learning philanthropy is the relationship between the Learning Leader and the Learning Architect.

When those two roles are deeply aligned...learning accelerates.

Without a Learning Architect, valuable insights remain isolated instead of becoming organizational intelligence.

AI Systems Engineer – Builds the Intelligence Infrastructure

As AI becomes embedded in organizational learning, someone has to design the systems that make it useful, trustworthy, and scalable.

The AI Systems Engineer builds the organization's intelligence infrastructure. They understand how AI, knowledge management, automation, and organizational learning fit together. They ask questions like:

• How should organizational knowledge be structured so AI can use it?
• Which learning workflows should be automated?
• Where should AI augment human decision-making—and where shouldn't it?
• How do we ensure AI systems remain secure, governed, and continuously improve?

Where the Learning Architect designs the human learning system, the AI Systems Engineer designs the digital one.

Together, they create an organization that learns from both people and technology.

Without an AI Systems Engineer, AI quickly becomes a collection of disconnected experiments instead of a strategic learning capability.

Learning Experience Designers – Facilitate the Experience

These are the people who make learning unforgettable. They don't simply facilitate workshops. They design experiences that help people notice patterns, challenge assumptions, make meaning together, and ultimately think differently.

They understand facilitation, evaluation, evidence, adult learning, experience design, and the subtle art of navigating complex group dynamics. They're creative powerhouses, carrying multiple disciplines in one role—which is exactly why they're often one of the hardest people to recruit into a foundation.

They're the reason learning feels less like another meeting...and more like a moment that changes how people think.

Without Learning Experience Designers, even great evidence often results in forgettable conversations.

Domain Evaluators – Validate the Knowledge

As organizations gain access to more evidence—and increasingly rely on AI to synthesize it—someone has to ensure that what the organization learns is actually accurate.

Domain Evaluators bring deep expertise in the foundation's issue areas. They understand the evidence, the context, the research, and the realities of implementation. Their role isn't simply to generate knowledge. It's to validate it.

They ask questions like:

• Does this recommendation align with the evidence?
• Is this interpretation accurate?
• What important context is missing?
• Would this actually work in practice?

They challenge assumptions, identify blind spots, and ensure organizational decisions are grounded in credible evidence rather than convincing language.

Think of them as the organization's quality assurance system for learning.

Without Domain Evaluators, organizations risk becoming incredibly efficient at spreading incorrect information.

Learning Champions – Carry the Culture

Learning Champions rarely have "learning" anywhere in their job title. They're simply the people who make learning contagious. They ask thoughtful questions. They openly share what they're learning. They celebrate experimentation. They admit when they don't know. They invite different perspectives. They model curiosity every day. They're the culture carriers.

The more Learning Champions an organization has, the more learning becomes something people naturally do—not something they're asked to do.

One observation we've made: Don't appoint Learning Champions. Discover them.

Many organizations nominate people to become champions because they have time or influence. We think that's backwards. The best Learning Champions are already there. They're the people who naturally delight in learning, question assumptions, connect colleagues, and positively influence those around them.

Your job isn't to create them. It's to notice them, invest in them, and amplify what they're already doing.

One important caveat. Learning Champions can't thrive on enthusiasm alone. They need coaching, facilitation support, and ongoing design from Learning Experience Designers. Sending champions to a one-day training and hoping they'll transform the culture isn't enough. Champions need continuous support if they're going to create lasting change.

Without Learning Champions, learning never becomes culture.

The Magic Isn't the Roles.

It's the relationships.

This isn't an org chart. It's a learning system.

The Learning Leader protects learning as a strategic priority. The Learning Architect designs the system. The AI Systems Engineer builds the intelligence infrastructure. Learning Experience Designers create transformative learning experiences. Domain Evaluators ensure organizational knowledge remains credible and actionable. Learning Champions make those experiences contagious.

Each role strengthens the next.

When all six reinforce one another, learning stops being an initiative. It becomes part of how the organization thinks.

People start saying things like:

"That's just how we do things here."

Or:

"That's part of what it means to be on this team."

Or—our personal favorite—

"Learning is just this fun thing we do."