Head of Academy

Openwork Limited; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension match

Critical illness

Income protection

Death in service

Private medical

Dental insurance

Volunteer days

Holiday + bank holidays

Flexible benefits

Job summary

The Openwork Partnership is seeking a Head of Academy to lead the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the OBS Academy programmes across the group. This hybrid role is based in Swindon and is a 12-month fixed-term contract.

You will manage the Academy Development team, drive partnerships, ensure high quality training events, and align programmes with strategic objectives, with a strong emphasis on financial advice excellence.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering Academy programmes in Financial Advice.
• Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning is key.
• Strong learning and development remit in a professional services setting.
• Experience within a partnership or financial advice network is a bonus.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Academy Development team with coaching and motivation.
• Develop and deliver Academy programmes aligning with Partnership objectives.
• Maintain high knowledge and capability across the team.
• Collaborate with Firm Principals to support their people.
• Oversee planning and delivery of training events.
• Monitor effectiveness through feedback and follow-up reviews.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Learning & development

Coaching

Programme delivery

Education

Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning

Job description

As Head of Academy, you will lead the design, delivery and continuous improvement of the OBS Academy programmes across The Openwork Partnership.

You will manage the Academy Development team, ensuring effective day-to-day delivery of programmes, supporting team performance and development, and creating a collaborative environment that encourages success.

The role plays a key part in helping The Openwork Partnership achieve its vision of being recognised as a leading developer of qualified and capable financial advice professionals across the UK.

Please note, this is a 12 month FTC and is a hybrid role based in Swindon.

• Salary - up to £95,000
• Bonus scheme - on target bonus - 17.5%
• Pension scheme - contribute up to 5% of your salary and Openwork will match you and put in an extra 5%
• Critical illness cover
• Income protection
• Death in service
• 27 days holiday + bank holidays, with the opportunity to buy up to an additional 10 days
• Up to 3 working days per year of paid time to participate in volunteering activities
• A range of other flexible benefits to include private medical insurance, dental insurance and much more.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Academy Development team, providing coaching, support and motivation
• Develop and deliver Academy programmes that support Partnership objectives
• Maintain high levels of knowledge and capability across the team
• Work with Firm Principals to support the development of their people
• Oversee the planning and delivery of training events, ensuring quality and effectiveness
• Monitor effectiveness through feedback and follow-up reviews
  

What will you need to succeed?

• Experience working within Financial Advice, delivering Academy programmes
• Level 4 Diploma in Financial Planning is key
• Strong understanding of learning and development within a professional services environment
• Experience working within a partnership or financial advice network is a huge bonus
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills

Why us?

At The Openwork Partnership, we're a dynamic, fast paced, and growing business with huge ambition. This is all made possible by the brilliant people who are part of The Openwork Partnership family. We're investing heavily in our colleagues, continuously striving to give them the platform to develop personally and professionally and reach their full potential. We're also very proud of our culture, as one of the Best 100 Large Companies to work for in 2022. The Openwork Partnership values, and respects individuality and we are committed to building an inclusive culture and environment which truly recognises and celebrates our colleague's individual differences and identities - just like our financial advice, for us, it's personal. We believe everyone can make a difference and your race, religion, disability, and gender will never be a barrier. At Openwork, we have a strong ethic of care for each other where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will bring your best self to work if you are trusted to choose when, where and how you do it.