Head of Learning & Development

Specsavers; Burnaby; Hybrid; CAD 147,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation & volunteer day

Birthday day off

Health & dental benefits

RRSP matching

Wellbeing support

Profit sharing

Free parking

On-site wellness

Team events

Job summary

Specsavers Canada is seeking a Head of Learning to define and lead the Learning & Development strategy, curriculum, and delivery across store teams and franchise partners. This strategic role focuses on curriculum design, global alignment, and measurable business impact rather than just delivery volume.

You’ll partner with Retail, Clinical, Partner Development and Operations leaders to embed a blended learning model and drive capability, engagement, and readiness across Canada.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in Learning & Development, capability, or talent functions within complex or high-growth organisations.
• Experience in a franchise model or highly customer-focused retail environment is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to design and lead end-to-end learning systems and curriculum—beyond individual programs.
• Strong strategic judgement with the ability to prioritise effectively and make clear, confident decisions.
• Experience working with global frameworks and collaborating across international markets.
• Proven ability to build trust and credibility with senior leaders, Partners, and operational teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and own Canada’s L&D strategy, building a scalable curriculum supporting store team capability, franchise partner readiness, and career development.
• Own end-to-end curriculum architecture, address operational needs, close capability gaps, and build skills for sustainable performance.
• Adopt a global-first approach, adapt content where needed, and create Canada-specific content when global solutions fall short.
• Design and embed a blended learning model (in-person, virtual, on-demand) that drives engagement and operations integration.
• Provide strategic leadership across L&D, Pathway, and Partner Development, influencing priorities and investments, and collaborating across markets.

Skills

Senior leadership

Learning & Development

Strategic judgement

Global collaboration

Stakeholder management

Job description

Location: This hybrid role requires 3 days on-site at our Burnaby, BC office and 2 days remote per week.

Welcome to Specsavers – where we’re not just about eyecare and eyewear, but changing lives through better sight. Ranked the 5th Best Workplace™ in Canada and 12th globally by Great Place to Work®, we’re proud of our optometrist-owned model that makes high-quality, eyecare and eyewear accessible to all Canadians.

Founded 40 years ago in the UK by visionary husband and wife optometry duo Doug and Mary Perkins, Specsavers has remained privately owned since day one. Today, we are a $7.8 billion global business with over 45,000 colleagues across more than 2,700 retail optical locations.

In Canada, our support office is based in Burnaby, BC. Since entering the market in 2021, we’ve been scaling rapidly, now with over 270 locations nationwide. With advanced clinical equipment and a wide range of affordable, high-quality eyewear, we’re transforming the way Canadians experience eyecare.

If you’re passionate about making a difference and want to be part of a values-driven organization, join us as we continue to grow. Together, we can change lives through better sight.

What You’ll Do

The Head of Learning is responsible for defining and leading the Learning & Development strategy, curriculum, and delivery model for Specsavers Canada.

This role ensures learning across store teams and current and future franchise partners is relevant, widely adopted, and drives measurable improvements in capability, engagement, and readiness, including ownership of compliance and mandatory training.

This is a strategically focused leadership role, centred on curriculum design, prioritisation, global alignment, and business impact—rather than delivery volume or attendance.

Key Responsibilities

Learning & Development Strategy

• Define and own Canada’s L&D strategy, building a clear, scalable curriculum that supports store team capability, franchise partner readiness, and development across all career stages, while continuously evolving to meet business growth and changing needs.

Curriculum Ownership & Relevance

• Own the end-to-end curriculum architecture, ensuring learning content addresses current operational and commercial needs, closes identified capability gaps, and builds the skills required for sustainable, high-performing Partnerships
• Adopt a global-first approach — leverage and adapt existing global content wherever possible, avoiding unnecessary local duplication, and develop Canadian-specific content where global solutions do not meet local needs

Learning Delivery & Adoption

• Design and embed a blended learning model (in-person, virtual, on-demand) that drives strong engagement and integrates learning into day-to-day operations in partnership with cross-functional leaders in Retail, Clinical, Partner Development and Operations.

Leadership, Governance & Collaboration

• Provide strategic leadership across L&D, Pathway, and Partner Development, influencing priorities and investment decisions, while representing Canada globally and collaborating across markets to drive alignment and best practice.

What We’re Looking For

• Senior leadership experience in Learning & Development, capability, or talent functions within complex or high-growth organisations
• Experience in a franchise model or highly customer-focused retail environment is strongly preferred
• Demonstrated ability to design and lead end-to-end learning systems and curriculum—beyond individual programs
• Strong strategic judgement with the ability to prioritise effectively and make clear, confident decisions
• Experience working with global frameworks and collaborating across international markets
• Proven ability to build trust and credibility with senior leaders, Partners, and operational teams

Compensation: $147,000 - $161,000 base salary, plus quarterly bonus, profit sharing, and benefits. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience

Speccies’ Benefits

• 5 weeks of vacation and 1 paid volunteer day per year
• 1 extra paid day off plus an eyecare voucher to celebrate your birthday.
• Health and dental benefits, RRSP matching and a Healthcare Spending Account active from your first day.
• Mental health and wellbeing support, including $3,000 annually for practitioner care and access to our Employee Assistance Program.
• Quarterly bonuses, based on your performance.
• Annual Profit Share program to recognize your part in Specsavers’ success.
• Free parking, access to the building gym, and a fully stocked kitchen with snacks and coffee/tea.
• On‑site wellness offerings in-office, including RMT and yoga sessions.
• Team and company social events, including holiday and annual celebrations.

Behaviours We Value

• Collaborative: We work together as one Specsavers to deliver on our purpose
• Curious: We question, explore, and seek out diverse perspectives to develop our knowledge and understanding
• Courageous: We challenge the status quo, we experiment with good ideas, and we are brave, bold, and fast in our decision making
• Compassionate: We care, support, and help each other
• Commercial: We treat money wisely and make decisions that are good for our customers, our partners, our people and for the long term

We hope that in applying with us, you value these things as well!

Our Hybrid Work Model

Experience the best of both worlds. At Specsavers, we embrace a hybrid approach that balances in-office collaboration with the flexibility to work from home. We come together in office three days a week to connect, innovate, and keep our culture thriving.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Specsavers, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We believe that a diverse team enriches our work environment and enables us to achieve our goals. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and abilities to apply. If you believe you can contribute to our mission and vision, we welcome your application, even if you don't meet every qualification listed. We value the unique skills and perspectives each individual brings to our team.

Accessibility and Accommodations

We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible workplace. If you require accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know by contacting us at [e-mail]. We will work with you to meet your needs and ensure a fair and equitable experience.