Training Operations Manager

Pragma Global; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Pragma Academy in Midrand seeks a Training Operations Manager to bridge learning strategy and execution. You will run the Academy as a profitable business unit, overseeing scheduling, delivery, quality, accreditation, and multi-million rand revenue targets.

Lead the support team, SMEs, and contractors, ensuring a memorable learner experience across classroom, VILT, e-learning and workplace. The role requires 8+ years in learning and development with at least 3 years in management, and a proven

Qualifications

• Must have 8+ years in learning & development; 3+ years in management with budget control and KPIs.
• Strong track record in achieving QCTO/SETA accreditation and managing accreditation bodies.
• Experience with national and international corporate training programmes across multiple locations.
• Ability to implement ILT/VILT/e-learning and cost-saving digital delivery.

Responsibilities

• Develop annual strategic objectives for the Academy and align learning with business goals.
• Oversee day-to-day operations: calendar, registrations, scheduling, venues, equipment, and vendors across locations.
• Manage subscription-based learning services and client onboarding.
• Lead Academy support teams, SMEs, and contractors; report on KPIs at monthly meetings.
• Plan and monitor the Academy budget, cost of sales, and gross profit.
• Drive new programmes, improve existing offerings, and manage course life cycles.
• Ensure LMS, QMS and EISA readiness; supervise internal assessment and moderation.

Skills

Leadership

Budget control

KPI targets

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Communication with execs

Travel flexibility

Education

NQF Level 7 qualification in Education/Training & Development or related field

NQF Level 8 Honours preferred

ODETDP qualification at NQF Level 6 or equivalent

SABPP registration (HR Associate or higher)

Tools

MS Office 365

ERP system (Acumatica/MS Dynamics)

LMS administration (Moodle or similar)

Quality management & accreditation tools

Sage VIP exposure

Job description

Job Description

The Training Operations Manager bridges learning strategy and operational execution at Pragma Academy, a QCTO-accredited Skills Development Provider and Assessment Centre delivering asset management and maintenance training through public courses, customised corporate programmes and occupational qualifications (including the Occupational Certificate: Maintenance Planner, NQF Level 5). You will run the Academy as a profitable business unit, accountable for the scheduling, delivery, quality, accreditation and profitability of all training, with budget accountability for multi-million rands in annual revenue. Leading the Academy support team, SME and contractor facilitators, you will ensure that every learner has a memorable experience across the blended learning journey (classroom, VILT, e-learning and workplace), and that learning initiatives run efficiently, stay within budget and directly support the Academy's commercial growth.

Minimum Requirements

• Relevant NQF Level 7 qualification (degree or Advanced Diploma) in Education, Training & Development, Human Resource Management, Business Administration or a related field. An NQF Level 8 (Honours) qualification is strongly preferred.
• Occupationally Directed Education, Training and Development Practices (ODETDP) qualification at NQF Level 6, or an equivalent occupational ETD qualification.
• Advantegous: Registered Skills Development Facilitator and/or assessor and/or moderator.
• Advantegous: Professional registration with the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) at HR Associate level or higher, or equivalent professional-body registration.
• Advantageous: certification in instructional design, adult learning methodologies or project management; involvement in a learning assurance or quality body.
• At least 8 years' experience in learning and development / skills development, of which at least 3 years at manager level leading multi-disciplinary teams (instructional designers, facilitators, performance coaches, administrators and contractors) with budget control and KPI targets.
• At least 1-3 years managing the operations of an accredited training provider or academy as a business unit, including a multi-million-rand annual revenue budget and gross profit targets.
• At least 3 years' hands-on experience achieving and maintaining QCTO and SETA (CHIETA or similar) accreditation as a Skills Development Provider AND Assessment Centre, including the QMS, internal assessment and moderation, and preparing learners for EISA.
• At least 2 years applying systems and technology to streamline processes, including implementing ILT, VILT and e-learning with demonstrated cost savings.
• Proven track record of securing and maintaining professional-body endorsement of programmes (e.g. SAAMA CPD, WPiAM, ECSA CPD).
• Experience managing SETA relationships and compliance, including grants, learnerships and WSP/ATR reporting.
• Project and programme management of large national and international corporate training programmes across multiple locations, including instructor scheduling, venues, equipment, vendors and simultaneous live-class translation.
• Advantageous: exposure to an engineering, asset management or maintenance training environment.

Knowledge

• Skills Development Act, Skills Development Levies Act and NQF Act; the OQSF Policy and QCTO policies on accreditation, assessment (EISA) and certification; and the transition from legacy to occupational qualifications.
• The Post-School Education and Training (PSET) system and the roles of QCTO, SAQA, DHET, SETAs and professional bodies.
• L&D best practice: training needs analysis, instructional design, adult learning, competency-based training frameworks, blended learning and training evaluation / ROI measurement.
• Financial management principles: budgeting, cost of sales, gross profit and corrective action.

Skills & competencies

• Project and process management: running multiple training cohorts, vendor relationships and tight schedules at the same time.
• Technical proficiency: advanced MS Office 365; an ERP system (Acumatica, MS Dynamics or similar); LMS administration (Moodle or similar) and virtual training tools. Sage VIP exposure is an advantage.
• Analytical: budgeting, tracking training metrics and evaluating data-driven learning outcomes.
• Communication and stakeholder management: clear verbal and written communication with executives, Business Development/sales, clients, trainers, QCTO, SETAs and professional bodies; report writing and presenting at executive level.
• Leadership, mentoring, change management and performance management.

Additional Requirements

• Valid driver's licence (Code 08 / B) and own vehicle.
• Willing to travel locally.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategy & Academy operations
  • Participate in developing the annual strategic objectives, aligning the Academy's learning and commercial training portfolio with broader business objectives, and translate these into practical implementation plans and Balanced Scorecard KPIs.
  • Oversee day-to-day training operations: the annual training calendar, learner registrations, and the scheduling of facilitators, venues, equipment, materials, contractors, vendors and suppliers across multiple locations, in line with sales and marketing projections.
  • Manage subscription-based learning and enablement services with clients, including onboarding, agreed learning pathways, platform access and ongoing support
  • Lead, mentor and performance-manage the Academy support team, facilitators, SMEs and contractor resources (targets, retention, development and engagement), and report on action plans and Balanced Scorecard items at the monthly management meeting.
• Financial management
  • Plan, monitor and report on the Academy budget and cost of sales, reconcile financial reports and apply corrective action to keep gross profit.
  • Identify commercial growth and revenue opportunities, and manage the full course life cycle: input to the developing of new programmes in response to emerging needs, regularly evaluating existing offerings for improvement and cost reduction, and retiring courses that are obsolete or no longer viable.
  • Establish and streamline systems for cost-effective learner registration, invoicing, payment follow-up and certificate issuing.
• Learner experience, content & LMS
  • Create a memorable learning environment in the classroom, VILT and the learning management system (LMS), and mentor and coach facilitators to engage learners effectively - make learning spark.
  • Work with SMEs and instructional designers to keep training materials current, relevant and engaging; introduce new facilitation techniques and oversee the technical implementation of ILT, VILT and e-learning.
  • Administer a reliable, user-friendly LMS/LXP and quality-assure all learner records, attendance, progress data and reporting.
  • Monitor every learner's journey, gather participant and stakeholder feedback, and produce evaluation reports that measure KPIs, impact and return on investment (ROI). Establish learner mentorship and workplace processes so that learning transfers to the workplace, including the workplace components of occupational qualifications.
  • Conduct regular learning subscription client reviews to monitor learner engagement, adoption and workplace application, report against agreed service levels and outcomes, and coordinate service improvements and renewals with Business Development.
• Corporate & public training delivery
  • With Business Development, define clear learning pathways and role-based training matrices for corporate clients and compile project plans for national and international programmes.
  • Project-manage customised corporate programmes within agreed timescales and quality standards across multiple locations (including translation and simultaneous live-class translation), aligned with client project plans. Maintain ongoing client engagement through regular steering committee meetings, track and report against agreed KPIs, and verify that delivery meets client and learner requirements.
  • With the Academy Business Development Manager, set up the annual public training schedule (classroom in Midrand and Cape Town, VILT and blended).
• Quality assurance, accreditation & endorsement
  • Maintain QCTO and SETA (CHIETA) accreditation as a Skills Development Provider and Assessment Centre, as well as course and qualification accreditation.
  • Maintain the Quality Management System (QMS) and evidence for audits, monitoring and verification visits, closing out findings within agreed timeframes. Manage internal assessment and moderation, learner readiness for the External Integrated Summative Assessment (EISA), certification, and the transition of legacy qualifications to occupational qualifications.
  • Secure and renew professional-body endorsements: SAAMA CPD endorsement of Academy courses and WPiAM endorsement and accreditation of the Asset Management Masterclass.
  • Manage SETA relationships, grant funding (discretionary and mandatory grants, learnerships) and statutory skills development reporting (WSP/ATR).