Learning and Development Lead

Acorn Recruitment; Barnstaple; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Benefits package

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Acorn by Synergie is recruiting an experienced Learning & Development Lead for a manufacturing business in the UK. You will drive the L&D strategy to build workforce capability and develop future leaders across a fast-paced operation.

You will combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, coaching managers and aligning learning with performance goals, succession planning and compliance within a manufacturing context.

Qualifications

• Five+ years in L&D, Talent Development or Organisational Development.
• Experience designing and delivering leadership and management development.
• Experience with leadership coaching and stakeholder management.
• Digital learning tools and LMS experience.
• Strong communication and organisational skills.
• Data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead learning and development initiatives across the business.
• Develop and deliver the site's L&D strategy.
• Identify skills gaps and implement development solutions.
• Design and facilitate leadership and management training.
• Support succession planning and talent development.
• Coach managers to build high-performing teams.
• Lead onboarding and induction programmes.
• Ensure training compliance and maintain records.
• Evaluate learning effectiveness and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Facilitation

Coaching

Stakeholder management

Communication

Organisation

Data-driven decisions

Leadership development

Education

Bachelor’s in HR/ED/OD/Psychology

Tools

Learning Management System (LMS)

Insights

MBTI

DiSC

Hogan

Job description

Learning & Development Lead | L&D Lead | Learning and Development Manager

Introduction

Acorn by Synergie is delighted to be partnering with a successful manufacturing business to recruit an experienced Learning & Development Lead.

This is an opportunity for a passionate L&D professional with a strong background in manufacturing to drive workforce capability, develop future leaders and create engaging learning experiences across a fast-paced operational environment.

We are looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery and is passionate about helping people grow, develop and perform at their best.

What We Offer

The opportunity to shape and influence learning across a growing manufacturing business.

A highly visible role with a genuine impact on people and performance.

A supportive and collaborative culture.

A competitive salary and benefits package.

Key Duties

Working closely with operational leaders and the wider HR team, you will lead learning and development initiatives across the business, ensuring employees at all levels have the skills, knowledge and support needed to succeed.

Responsibilities include:

Developing and delivering the site's Learning & Development strategy.

Identifying skills gaps and implementing effective development solutions.

Designing and facilitating leadership, management and skills-based training programmes.

Supporting succession planning and talent development initiatives.

Coaching managers to build high-performing teams and strengthen people management capability.

Leading onboarding and induction programmes for new employees.

Managing training compliance, learning records and development pathways within a manufacturing environment.

Evaluating learning effectiveness and using data to drive continuous improvement.

Building strong relationships across Operations, Quality, HR and senior leadership teams.

Requirements

To be considered, you must have previous Learning & Development experience within a manufacturing, engineering, production or industrial environment.

You will also have:

At least five years' experience in an L&D, Talent Development or Organisational Development role.

Strong experience designing and delivering engaging training programmes.

Strong facilitation, coaching and stakeholder management skills.

Experience supporting leadership and management development.

A confident, proactive and solutions-focused approach.

Experience using learning management systems and digital learning platforms, with exposure to tools such as Insights, MBTI, DiSC and Hogan.

Excellent communication and organisational skills.

A bachelor's degree in HR, Education, Organisational Development, Psychology or a related field.

A data-driven approach to decision-making.

Acorn by Synergie acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment.