Head of Learning and Development Jobs
Organizations that fail to take learning and development seriously stagnate in their marketplace and lose their best talent to rival companies. Fortunately, all large forward-looking companies not only have L&D at the heart of their HR strategies, they have teams of people dedicated to that end alone. The head of L&D oversees the team, which could be anything from one or two L&D specialists in an office to dozens around the country.
The head of learning and development’s main task is designing and executing coaching strategies that are custom made for the needs of the company and its employees. For maximum impact this is a two-way street, so employees at all levels are appraised but are also given the chance to air their own views on the most contentious and defining subjects, and this information is then fed back into their personal development programmes. The ultimate aim is to increase productivity by enhancing engagement and reducing employee churn.
The skills required
The typical head of L&D companies are looking for are already a senior learning and development professional or are someone who has a proven track record of delivering L&D to teams of employees. Sometimes a blank canvas is preferred as the company is able to instil its values and culture into the role, but a deep experience of a challenging L&D execution is usually preferred.
A firm background in HR is a requirement for most positions, so that the candidate needs to be aware of how learning and development fits into the bigger picture. Experience of dealing with the sector in which the company operates will also be advantageous to the applicant, as all fields have different expectations.
Head of Learning and Development Jobs in Dartford
At the eastern side of the London conurbation, just to the south of the Thames, a few hundred metres of agricultural land separate the city from its neighbour Dartford. As the crow flies, Dartford is about 14 miles (23 km) from the centre of London. The M25 cuts right through the middle of the town and becomes the Dartford tunnel if you’re heading north (anticlockwise) or the Queen Elizabeth Bridge if you’re heading south (clockwise). Interestingly, the tunnel and bridge are not technically part of the motorway – they form the A282 so that vehicles not permitted to use the motorway can use them – so the M25 is not a complete loop.
Dartford has a long industrial history, with brewing, paper-making, cement making, lime-burning, chalk mining, chemical manufacturing and heavy engineering all going on, with a ready market just up the river in London. However, as the twentieth century wore on, most of these industries died out and Dartford’s service sector got stronger, alongside plentiful light industry. Nowadays there are several trading and industrial estates around the town, and the old Blue Circle Cement factory was demolished and the land used for the huge Bluewater shopping centre. Next to the river is Littlebrook oil-fired power station.
With plenty of industry sill in existence in the town, fantastic connections and one of the UK’s largest shopping centres on its doorstep, Dartford is a prime location for Head of Learning and Development jobs. It is also a large town, whose population tops 85,000, or 100,000 if the whole borough is taken into account. Opportunities in the logistics sector could hardly be more promising than those presented by Dartford’s profile.
Popular locations
Find Head of L&D Jobs with Cast UK
With offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester and a client list that covers the whole of the UK, Cast UK is the first place many HR professionals contact when they are ready to take the next step in their careers.
Similarly, many companies now come direct to us the moment they deduce that they need a head of learning and development. That’s how we are able to provide a fast, high quality service to clients and candidates alike. We can only put your name forward if we have your details, however.
That’s why you should call us today on 0333 121 3345 so that we can get your name in our system and let you know of any openings that could be attractive to you.
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