Learning and Development Strategic Lead

Integrated Care System; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare foundation is seeking a Learning and Development Strategic Lead to drive innovation in Learning & Development practices. Managing a diverse team, you'll oversee the operational delivery of educational offerings while ensuring the alignment of learning needs with strategic goals. Ideal candidates possess a Master's degree and experience in a senior management role within the NHS. This position offers a hybrid work model in beautiful Gloucestershire.

Qualifications

• Masters or equivalent professional qualification or equivalent experience in Education.
• Successfully completed a teaching/leadership qualification at post-graduate level.
• Previous management experience at a senior level.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and operational management of the Learning & Development function.
• Oversee the operational delivery of the Learning & Development Offer across the Trust.
• Instigate and support a range of learning and development initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Data analysis

Relationship management

Education

Masters or equivalent in Education

CIPD Qualified

Tools

ESR/OLM Learning Management System

Job description

Go back Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Learning and Development Strategic Lead

The closing date is 25 August 2025

Are you passionate about people and maximising their potential in work?

We have two great opportunities to join the leadership team of a high performing mental health, learning disabilities and community NHS trust. We're looking for two values-driven, innovative and highly skilled professionals to join our team within the HR Directorate as the Strategic Lead: Learning & Development and the Strategic Lead: Organisational Development.

We deliver a wide range of services in the homes and 55+ community sites across Gloucestershire. With "Good" CQC rating, sound finances and 6,000 staff, we are based in a truly beautiful part of the country which includes a diverse mix of rural and urban - from the Cotswolds, Severn Vale, Stroud Valleys and the Forest of Dean, to Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Cirencester and Gloucester city.

Our strategic goals are to deliver High Quality Care, Better Health, Sustainability and a Great Place to Work. Our People Strategy gives six commitments to achieve our Great Place to Work ambitions including: -

• Health and well-being
• Great culture, values & behaviours
• Equality, diversity & inclusion
• Full potential

Main duties of the job

Strategic Lead: Learning & Development

Band 8A - £55,690,215 to £62,682 per annum (dependent on experience)

Hours: 37 1/2 hours per week (Full Time)

Base: Invista Training Hub, Gloucester with some travel to other locations and home-working (Hybrid working)

As a skilled and experienced Learning & Development practitioner you will have the ability to deliver innovative best practice aligned to our dynamic and often fast changing needs. You will rapidly build great relationships, credibility and a local knowledge. Passionate about values and civility, you will exemplify authentic, kind and compassionate leadership.

About us

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Job responsibilities

This role provides strategic leadership and operational management of the Trusts Learning & Development function, developing and driving innovation through high quality Learning & Development practice, expert knowledge and guidance. You will lead and oversee the operational delivery of the Learning & Development Offer across the Trust, including overseeing our Organisational learning needs analysis, working to align our L&D needs to our strategic programmes such as the Leadership & Culture Programme, supporting the continual review of the Mandatory & Essential to Role training and leading on Evaluation and Impact of organisations training programmes with Team Leads.

Bringing energy, insight and a focus for learning and development, you will have responsibility for developing and driving a high-performance service culture whilst also instigating and supporting a range of learning and development initiatives. You will be highly driven, goal and action orientated, have a talent for inspiring and motivating teams, with a track-record of delivery. You will have experience of line managing teams and be a role model for inclusive thinking and practice within your field.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Masters or equivalent professional qualification or equivalent experience in Education
• Successfully completed an approved teaching/leadership qualification at post graduate E.g. Post Graduate Certificate/Diploma in higher Education, Practice Educator/Practice Teacher Qualification and/or Post Graduate Leadership programme
• CIPD Qualified

Experience

• Previous management experience at a senior level
• Experience of staff management/ staff supervision
• Experience of project management tools and techniques
• Experience of developing and implementing new systems, and projects within an organisation.
• Managed and supported learners at a senior level.
• Experience of working within a complex environment and managing relationships with key stakeholders.
• Interpreted and acted upon audited information at a senior level.
• Substantial experience of providing education & learning at all levels.
• Budgetary income/management experience.
• Experience of change management tools and techniques to support change within health and social care

Professional, Managerial and Specialist

• Experience of working on ESR/OLM or similar Learning Management System, including data analysis and reporting
• Previous experience of working within the NHS

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust