| Job description | Head of Business and Leadership Learning
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Victoria, London
Salary: c85,000 plus civil service employer pension contribution of 28% (a higher base may be considered for an exceptional candidate)
Hours: Open to full time & part time hours. The NAO operates a hybrid working policy where staff are expected to be in the office a minimum 2 days a week.
Deadline for applications is the 4th May
Role description
The Head of Business and Leadership Learning at the National Audit Office (NAO) plays a key role in strengthening leadership capability, professional development, and stakeholder engagement within the organization. Reporting to the Director of Learning, Development, and Talent, this role is responsible for designing and delivering learning programmes that enhance leadership effectiveness, foster a high-performance culture, and support NAO’s long-term talent and leadership development objectives.
The role is responsible for leading the NAO Business & Leadership learning offering and is accountable for the strategic approach to Business & Leadership development within the organisation. The role holder will work closely with the People Development Directors and the other colleagues in the People team to deliver strategic and operational programmes that contribute real value to colleagues in the NAO as part of its People deal. The role holder is accountable for NAO-wide learning solutions and programmes as they relate to leadership and professional skills-building.
Collaborating with the Director of Learning, Development & Talent and the Head of Technical Learning to drive the design and delivery of cutting-edge, learner-centric programmes that align with industry trends alongside operational excellence to meet the needs of the NAO.
Key responsibilities
Strategic development
•Responsible and accountable for developing and delivering the Business & Leadership learning elements of the overall NAO Learning Strategy.
•Together with the Director of Learning, Development & Talent design a complete Business and Leadership learning offer for the NAO, meeting the diverse needs of our people and reflecting best practice. To include Director leadership development as well as advising on Executive Team development.
•Develop and deliver a new Business and Leadership framework and curriculum, including content design and development.
•Enhance NAO’s internal capacity by implementing best practices in leadership training, stakeholder engagement and organisational learning
•Develop strategies to embed a high performance culture focused on efficiency, accountability and public service
Business and Leadership programmes
•Design, develop and implement individual business and leadership development programmes to build internal talent and enable succession planning
•Oversee and support the suite of learning supporting our People Management programme
•Work with the coaching lead to deliver a well-defined and targeted internal coaching offer to support the broader talent and leadership agenda alongside helping embed learning.
•Produce and track progress against L&D project plans and budgets.
•Provide coaching and mentorship to NAO leadership teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth
•Support initiatives to promote diversity, inclusion and innovation in leadership practices
Operational organisation
•Lead and performance manage a small sub-team of learning and development specialists. Recruit, onboard, coach, mentor and develop team members as required.
•Build effective working relationships across the NAO.
•Proactively collaborate with other areas of the People function to ensure the development offer is aligned and embedded with key people priorities, e.g. Performance management, Diversity & Inclusion, Well-being, Succession and talent plans, recruitment.
•Procure programmes from, and manage, external providers and work with cross-government L&D providers.
•Ensure alignment of models and frameworks used with those used in other parts of the L&D offering
•Establish KPIs to measure the success of business and leadership development initiatives
Performance excellence
•Provide specialist advice on learning, development and talent management to senior stakeholders.
•Work with the Director of Learning, Development and Talent and the Head of Technical Learning to plan and execute a regular learning needs analysis, aligned to the strategic and budget cycle, to develop an understanding of the current and future needs of the business enabling greater clarity around key issues and development of effective learning solutions
•Working in conjunction with the Director of Learning, Development & Talent and Head of Technical Learning to drive of continuous learning and development across our learning offer.
•Promote a culture of learning, innovation and professional growth, ensuring alignment with the NAO’s purpose and strategic objectives
•Be a credible and effective thought leader both in and outside the NAO, demonstrating a comprehensive and evolving understanding of leading-edge adult learning and development techniques and practices.
Required Experience & Qualifications:
•Significant experience in leadership development, business skills development, and strategic talent management within public sector organizations, audit institutions, or professional services firms.
•Proven track record of designing and delivering leadership programs and frameworks, coaching senior professionals, and driving organisational learning initiatives.
•Demonstrable relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills with experience working within professional services, government agencies or parliamentary bodies.
•Demonstrated ability to effectively engage stakeholders, foster leadership development and facilitate organisational transformation.
•Highly adept at strategic thinking, skilled in negotiation, and proficient in building strong relationships.
•Demonstrable analytical and problem-solving abilities to drive evidence-based decision-making.
•Proven ability to align business and leadership development strategies with organizational goals.
•Proven project and programme management experience
•Bachelor’s degree in Business, Public Administration, HR, or a related field (Master’s degree or professional qualifications in leadership development or organizational development preferred).
•Coaching qualification
•Up to date knowledge on Leadership and business skills both from a development and a framework perspective.
Preferred Skills & Attributes:
•Experience working in audit, financial services, public sector or other relevant industries where leadership development and strategic talent management are key components
•Extensive expertise in utilising leadership assessment tools, implementing coaching frameworks, and applying diverse learning methodologies to drive leadership development and organisational growth.
•CIPD qualified or equivalent
•Ability to influence and collaborate across complex stakeholder environments.
•Proven track record of promoting public accountability, ensuring transparency in processes, and fostering professional development through successful initiatives and measurable outcomes
•Familiarity with leadership trends, workforce transformation, and digital learning solutions.
Equal opportunities and diversity
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments
Applicants with a disability who wish their application to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should confirm this when submitting their application. Under this scheme we guarantee an interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for the role. You should also let our HR team know if you wish us to consider any Reasonable Adjustments at any stage of the process (HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk).
Applicants will not be discriminated against on the grounds of any protected characteristic or any other extraneous factor.
We are open to considering candidates who wish to fill posts on a part-time basis or as a job share. Part-time candidates should indicate their proposed availability, and any flexibility they would either want to have or be able to offer. |
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