Head of Learning, Development and Talent

University of East London

We’re the University of East London (UEL) founded in 1898 and proud to change lives through education. Our goal is to advance industry 5.0 careers-first education and provide a clear path to the jobs and opportunities of the future. We’re committed to driving diversity in the 5.0 talent pipeline, working in partnership to promote talent wherever it is found and crafting a balanced, inclusive, and green future.

About the People & Culture department

The People & Culture directorate (approx. 40 staff) is organised across five distinct core functions, aligned to the delivery of our People Strategy - Talent Acquisition, Employee Experience & Development, Operations, Systems & Services, Employee Relations & Policy and Health, Safety & Wellbeing.

The People & Culture directorate is responsible, in partnership with customers across the organisation, for delivering the University of East London’s People strategy, in furtherance of the UELs strategic progress outlined in our Vision 2028 strategy. It is passionate about the delivery customer-centric and operationally excellent services to create an environment where people are attracted to work at UEL, to be supported to develop and grow, and deliver their best work in a hard-working and encouraging environment.

About the Job

This is a new and exciting role in the People and Culture department, it’s a chance to really take ownership and be responsible for all Learning, Development and Talent activity across the University. Starting with developing strong relationships with key customers across UEL, you will build a deep understanding of the development needs and training priorities – advising a strategic L&D plan to transform the existing offering.

As the owner of the approach to talent and performance you will ensure that all staff members can capture feedback on their performance and consider ways in which they can develop. This role will review what is required and create a curriculum for our leaders and managers to ensure they are able to inspire, support and enable our staff members.

Working with the People & Culture Business Partners and Talent Acquisition Partners, you will development a Talent Strategy and career development frameworks for all job families ensuring that learning and development is accessible to all.

You’ll manage a team of 5 brilliant L&D people, inspiring them to deliver high performance whilst truly valuing the diversity they bring.

The role will also be responsible for ensuring all policies, processes and procedures relating to Learning, Development, Talent, and Performance are reviewed and maintained regularly.

Some of the key deliverables of the role include:

• Design, develop, deliver, and embed an L&D strategy, Early Careers strategy and Leadership Development Strategy for the University, ensuring connection to the People Strategy, the University’s business strategy and Vision 2028.
• Develop a strategic delivery plan that ensures timely delivery of all strategies, making priority decisions according to budget, resource allocation and customer needs.
• Bring thought leadership, knowledge, experience, and innovation in all areas of L&D including Leadership Development, Technical, Behavioural, Early Careers, Career Frameworks, Digital, Coaching and Compliance – working with the team to create an L&D offering that’s engaging, impactful and achieves results to drive business outcomes.
• Be a leadership role model – lead the L&D function through truly valuing diversity of thought, prioritising inclusion and driving dedication.
• Work with colleagues across the Employee Experience and Development team to design and develop a talent management strategy ensuring connection to the People Strategy, the University’s business strategy and Vision 2028
• Work with the P&C Business Partners to ensure the Performance process is utilised and followed across the organisation to identify talent, understand individual and team development needs, and ensure development activities link to the succession planning process.

About You

You’ll be a passionate L&D professional who’s been the key lead for all things Learning and Talent and understands how important it is to drive cultural change and achieve our Business Strategy. You’ll be used to dealing with different audiences and being proactive in your engagement and how you collaborate. You’ll want to take the lead – coming from a larger organisation or a different industry and keen to take ownership of the L&D function, bring innovation and drive things forward - your positive, can-do mindset and determination to make a difference is what we need at UEL!

This is a great opportunity to get stuck in and transform how we approach Learning, Development and Talent. You’ll be part of the Employee Experience and Development team – surrounded by colleagues whose shared purpose is to make how it feels to work at UEL an engaging and exciting experience!

Benefits Package

Here are UEL we understand it’s about more than just a salary. It’s about the entire package on offer along with our excellent work environment and inclusive culture. We know the market rates for this vacancy and will offer a genuinely competitive salary DOE. 

Our amazing benefits includes:

• We care deeply about your wellbeing and our benefits include: 20% pension (4% from you, 16% from us)
• 25 days holiday (3 additional days over Christmas) plus bank holidays and 
• We’re always open to considering flexible working arrangements. 
• We have a discretionary and non-contractual shared success bonus scheme with a value of up to £5,000, 
• 3 times base salary life assurance, 
• A cashback healthcare scheme and a wide variety of other generous benefits including discounts on: Apple and Samsung products, holidays, clothing, fitness, lifestyle, dining out and weekly shopping.

How to Apply:

Kindly ensure you upload a covering letter and CV with your application.

Equal Opportunities

UEL is an inclusive equal opportunities employer and are proud of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity achievements, including: zero gender pay gap, members of Stonewall and have won Athena Swan awards. We expect all employees of UEL to accept our EDI policy and will not tolerate discrimination in any form.

We're a disability confident employer and value all applications. Please let us know if you require any reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process.

Further Details
Job Description & Person Specification

More about our benefits