Learning & Development Manager

About the Role:

A renowned Cambridge institution is seeking an experienced, practical, and people-focused Learning and Development Manager to establish and lead its first dedicated Learning and Development function.

This is a unique opportunity to design and implement a training strategy from the ground up-supporting a varied and multi-disciplinary workforce through structured learning, leadership development, and compliance-based training. The successful candidate will help embed a culture of continuous development and play a key role in demonstrating the long-term value of this new post.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead an institution-wide Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to identify development priorities across operational and professional departments.
• Design and implement a core curriculum of training, tailored to both departmental and organisational needs, including:
• Health & Safety and compliance
• Management and supervisory skills
• Leadership coaching
• Technical and role-specific training
• Deliver in-house sessions and appoint trusted external providers where specialist expertise is required.
• Support and expand the apprenticeship programme and other structured pathways.
• Develop systems to measure and report on training effectiveness.
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure training initiatives align with the college's operational goals and values.

About You:

• A proven L&D professional with experience designing and delivering training across a diverse workforce.
• Comfortable working with frontline staff (eg, tradespeople, porters, catering teams) as well as senior stakeholders.
• A confident builder of systems and structures, excited by the opportunity to create something new and impactful.
• Strong coaching and facilitation skills, with an ability to engage and empower managers.
• Knowledge of compliance, health & safety, and sector-relevant training standards.
• Personable, grounded, and able to build trust across different working environments.

Why This Role Matters:

This is a newly created position offering the chance to build a meaningful and lasting training and development function within a respected academic institution. You'll have the opportunity to shape strategy, influence culture, and make a clear impact across the organisation. The role has strong long-term potential and is well-positioned for someone looking to take ownership and drive change in a supportive and values-driven environment.

While this is initially a 2-year fixed-term contract, there is a strong commitment to making the role permanent-subject to the successful candidate demonstrating its long-term impact.