Head of Learning and Development

Sanderson; Leinster; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson, in partnership with The Talbot Group, seeks a Head of Learning and People Development to lead group-wide learning, leadership and people development strategy. You will translate priorities into multi-year plans, develop competency frameworks and ensure regulatory compliance across HIQA, NMBI and other bodies.

You will design leadership programs, build manager capability, and drive succession, talent development and internal mobility across services with robust data dashboards and

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification in Learning & Development, Human Resources, organisational psychology, education or a related discipline.
• 5+ years' experience in a senior Learning & Development / People Development role within a complex or multi-site environment.
• Experience developing and delivering organisation-wide learning and people development strategies and plans.
• Experience managing mandatory and regulatory learning, compliance monitoring and audit or inspection readiness.
• Proven experience designing leadership, management and organisational capability development programmes.
• Experience developing competency frameworks, career pathways, succession or talent development approaches.
• Strong learning systems, digital learning, analytics and process improvement capability.
• Experience leading a team and managing learning budgets, procurement and external providers.
• Strong stakeholder and change capability, including partnership with operational and professional leaders.
• Healthcare, disability or social care experience (significantly beneficial but not essential)

Responsibilities

• Lead the Group-wide learning and people development strategy aligned to organisational priorities, People strategy, service standards and values.
• Translate workforce, regulatory and operational priorities into annual and multi-year learning plans with clear outcomes, owners and measures.
• Use workforce, quality, performance, regulatory and engagement data to identify capability gaps and priority interventions.
• Own the Group-wide mandatory and regulatory learning framework, including clear training matrices by role, service and location.
• Ensure required learning is planned, delivered and monitored against organisational, HIQA, professional and other relevant standards.
• Partner with the Head of HR Operations on induction: Learning and People Development owns programme content and delivery; HR Operations owns onboarding administration.
• Maintain and continuously improve the Group induction programme, including digital, in-person and practical learning components.
• Ensure learning arrangements support relevant professional registration and CPD requirements, including CORU, NMBI, IMC and other relevant bodies.
• Design and deliver leadership, supervisory and management development programmes aligned with Group priorities and service needs.
• Build manager capability in people management, communication, performance, feedback, change and team leadership, working with the Head of Employee Relations and Engagement.
• Support the Group's performance development and supervision model through targeted learning and development interventions.
• Develop capability programmes for critical roles, new services, role transitions and changing operational requirements.
• Develop and embed competency frameworks aligned to role requirements, Talbot Group values and professional standards.
• Build career and development pathways that support progression across services, internal mobility and employee retention.
• Support succession and talent development for critical roles and leadership pipelines through clear criteria and practical development actions.
• Own the functional requirements and effective use of learning management and digital learning platforms.
• Partner with the Workforce Planning and HRIS Lead on system integration, data standards, reporting and controls.
• Produce reliable dashboards covering learning compliance, participation, overdue learning, programme effectiveness and cost.
• Lead the Learning and People Development team, setting priorities, role clarity, service expectations and accountability for delivery.
• Establish a regular operating rhythm covering the learning calendar, capacity, mandatory compliance, programme performance and risks.
• Coach and develop team members through clear objectives, feedback, development planning and cross-training.
• Ensure learning and people development activities comply with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards and organisational policies.
• Support audit, HIQA, accreditation, quality and risk activity and ensure learning-related actions are implemented and monitored.
• Maintain appropriate SOPs, process documentation, controls and evidence for key learning and people development activities.

Skills

Leadership development

Stakeholder management

Learning analytics

People development strategy

Change management

Education

Relevant professional qualification in Learning & Development, Human Resources, organisational psychology, education or a related discipline

Job description

Sanderson is partnering exclusively with The Talbot Group to recruit a Head of Learning and People Development to be responsible for leading the Group-wide learning, leadership and people development agenda across Talbot Group. Reporting to the Director of People Operations and Engagement, the role will translate organisational, workforce, regulatory and service priorities into a coherent learning strategy that builds capability, supports safe person-centred services, strengthens leadership and enables career development. You will work closely with HR Operations, Employee Relations and Engagement, Workforce Planning and HRIS, operational leaders and professional leads. A central requirement is to ensure mandatory and regulatory learning is controlled and audit-ready while building a broader culture of capability development, internal progression and continuous learning.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Group-wide learning and people development strategy aligned to organisational priorities, People strategy, service standards and values.
• Translate workforce, regulatory and operational priorities into annual and multi-year learning plans with clear outcomes, owners and measures.
• Use workforce, quality, performance, regulatory and engagement data to identify capability gaps and priority interventions.

Mandatory, Regulatory & Induction Learning

• Own the Group-wide mandatory and regulatory learning framework, including clear training matrices by role, service and location.
• Ensure required learning is planned, delivered and monitored against organisational, HIQA, professional and other relevant standards.
• Partner with the Head of HR Operations on induction: Learning and People Development owns programme content and delivery; HR Operations owns onboarding administration.
• Maintain and continuously improve the Group induction programme, including digital, in-person and practical learning components.
• Ensure learning arrangements support relevant professional registration and CPD requirements, including CORU, NMBI, IMC and other relevant bodies.

Leadership, Management & Organisational Capability

• Design and deliver leadership, supervisory and management development programmes aligned with Group priorities and service needs.
• Build manager capability in people management, communication, performance, feedback, change and team leadership, working with the Head of Employee Relations and Engagement.
• Support the Group's performance development and supervision model through targeted learning and development interventions.
• Develop capability programmes for critical roles, new services, role transitions and changing operational requirements.
• Develop and embed competency frameworks aligned to role requirements, Talbot Group values and professional standards.
• Build career and development pathways that support progression across services, internal mobility and employee retention.
• Support succession and talent development for critical roles and leadership pipelines through clear criteria and practical development actions.
• Own the functional requirements and effective use of learning management and digital learning platforms.
• Partner with the Workforce Planning and HRIS Lead on system integration, data standards, reporting and controls.
• Produce reliable dashboards covering learning compliance, participation, overdue learning, programme effectiveness and cost.
• Lead the Learning and People Development team, setting priorities, role clarity, service expectations and accountability for delivery.
• Establish a regular operating rhythm covering the learning calendar, capacity, mandatory compliance, programme performance and risks.
• Coach and develop team members through clear objectives, feedback, development planning and cross-training.

Governance, Quality & Risk

• Ensure learning and people development activities comply with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements, professional standards and organisational policies.
• Support audit, HIQA, accreditation, quality and risk activity and ensure learning-related actions are implemented and monitored.
• Maintain appropriate SOPs, process documentation, controls and evidence for key learning and people development activities.

• Relevant professional qualification in Learning & Development, Human Resources, organisational psychology, education or a related discipline
• 5+ years' experience in a senior Learning & Development / People Development role within a complex or multi-site environment
• Experience developing and delivering organisation-wide learning and people development strategies and plans
• Experience managing mandatory and regulatory learning, compliance monitoring and audit or inspection readiness
• Proven experience designing leadership, management and organisational capability development programmes
• Experience developing competency frameworks, career pathways, succession or talent development approaches
• Strong learning systems, digital learning, analytics and process improvement capability
• Experience leading a team and managing learning budgets, procurement and external providers
• Strong stakeholder and change capability, including partnership with operational and professional leaders
• Healthcare, disability or social care experience (significantly beneficial but not essential)