About this role

We are a growing organisation of 350+ people, operating with a specialist technical training academy already in place. This role is not about strategy it is about doing.

We are looking for a hands-on Senior Learning & Development Specialist who can design, build and personally deliver high-quality behavioural, leadership and early careers programmes across our business. You will work closely with our People team and operational leaders, rolling up your sleeves to create development that makes a real difference to our people.

This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership and variety. If you thrive on facilitating, creating content, coaching early careers talent and working directly with managers and leaders, this is the role for you.

What you’ll do

Leadership & Behavioural Development

• Design and personally facilitate workshops covering communication, team leadership, performance management, safety leadership and professional behaviours.

• Create structured development pathways supporting progression from supervisory roles through to management.

• Partner with operational leaders to identify capability gaps and design targeted, practical interventions.

• Support the embedding of leadership behaviours and professional standards across the business.

• Deliver in-person sessions and apply blended approaches including workshops, peer learning, coaching and on-the-job support (70/20/10 model).

Early Careers Programmes

• Lead day-to-day coordination and delivery of graduate and early careers programmes.

• Design structured development journeys that support graduates and apprentices in building professional and behavioural skills alongside their technical training.

• Provide direct coaching and support to early career employees as they transition into operational roles.

• Work closely with the Training School to integrate behavioural modules into apprenticeship programmes.

• Deliver development sessions covering professional behaviours, teamwork, communication and leadership fundamentals.

Programme Design & Continuous Improvement

• Create engaging, practical learning content aligned to operational realities, not off-the-shelf solutions.

• Monitor programme effectiveness through feedback and outcomes; iterate and improve based on what you learn.

• Maintain and develop a calendar of development activity across the year.

Stakeholder Partnership

• Build trusted relationships with operational leaders, managers and the People team.

• Act as a credible, visible L&D presence across the business — known for practical, relevant development.

• Collaborate with People Partnering and Talent Acquisition on development aligned to workforce planning.

What we’re looking for

Experience

• Proven experience designing and delivering learning and development programmes, ideally in an operational, technical or engineering-related environment.

• Demonstrable facilitation skills, comfortable in a room with front-line managers and leaders.

• Hands-on experience running or coordinating early careers, graduate or apprenticeship programmes.

• Experience working as part of a small People or L&D team where being a generalist-specialist matters.

• Comfortable building programmes and content from scratch rather than inheriting established frameworks.

Skills & Approach

• Strong facilitator who can engage operational audiences, practical, credible and down to earth.

• Self-starter who can manage a programme portfolio independently, without a team beneath them.

• Organised and delivery-focused able to manage multiple programmes and stakeholders simultaneously.

• Curious and creative approach to learning design, with a preference for the practical over the theoretical.

• Collaborative and relationship-driven, with the confidence to influence without formal authority.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in HR, Learning & Development, Organisational Development or a related field.

• Professional qualifications in L&D or coaching (e.g. CIPD, ILM) are desirable but not essential.

What Success Looks Like

• Managers and leaders across the business are engaging with and benefiting from practical, relevant development.

• Graduates and apprentices have structured, well-supported development journeys and successfully transition into operational roles.

• Behavioural and professional development is embedded alongside the technical training delivered through our training academy.

• You are a recognised and valued presence across the business sought out by leaders and managers for your expertise.

• Development programmes are continuously improved based on participant feedback and business outcomes.