Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the skills and capability strategy to empower teams and enhance performance.
- Company: Join a values-driven organisation committed to building a skilled, future-ready workforce.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, 25 days leave, and excellent career development opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of skills and learning while making a real impact across the organisation.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in leading large-scale skills strategies and strong influencing skills.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace welcoming applicants from all backgrounds.
The predicted salary is between 130000 - 165000 £ per year.
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: Talent & Inclusion
LOCATION: Flexible (UK)
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £130,000 - £165,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
We’re happy to discuss flexible working. If you’d like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Head of Skills & Capability leads the organisation’s skills, learning and capability agenda, ensuring people and teams have the skills, confidence and opportunities to perform, adapt and thrive. This role sets the long-term direction for skills and learning, translating workforce and organisational priorities into a coherent, evidence‑led skills ecosystem. It brings together strategy, technology, culture change and innovation to embed skills into everyday work, strengthen performance and build future readiness. The role works closely with senior leaders to make capability and learning a shared responsibility and a genuine driver of organisational value, ensuring the organisation’s skills profile remains robust, relevant and sustainable by attending to the distinct needs, contexts and career pathways of different workforce populations across the BBC.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
You’ll join a senior Talent & Inclusion leadership team deeply committed to building a skilled, future‑ready workforce. You’ll have the space, influence and remit to shape enterprise wide capability, modernise how skills are developed, and drive meaningful, measurable impact for people, teams and organisational performance. You’ll lead a multidisciplinary team, steward a significant portfolio, and act as a visible ambassador for innovation in skills, learning and capability.
YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT
- Lead the organisation wide Skills & Capability strategy, ensuring alignment with workforce priorities and long term strategic workforce plans.
- Translate organisational change, evolving operating models and workforce needs into prioritised, adaptable skills frameworks, capability plans and career pathways.
- Design differentiated skills approaches for editorial, production, technology, corporate and early career populations, ensuring equitable access and a balanced skills profile.
- Build and maintain a data driven understanding of organisational capability, skills supply, demand and progression.
- Create and embed a joined up digital skills ecosystem, driving adoption of digital and AI enabled skills tools to enhance development and performance.
- Use data, insight and workforce intelligence to guide strategic decisions, assess impact and continuously refine the skills strategy.
- Lead, develop and empower a high performing, multidisciplinary skills team, fostering collaboration, accountability and cohesion.
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:
- Proven ability to create and deliver a compelling, organisation wide vision for skills and capability.
- Significant experience leading large scale skills and capability strategies in complex environments.
- Strong ability to anticipate organisational and sector shifts and translate insight into practical, adaptive responses.
- Excellent influencing and partnership building skills with senior leaders and stakeholders.
- Experience leading complex organisational change with a data led, commercially aware approach.
DESIRABLE:
- Deep knowledge of emerging skills technologies, digital learning platforms and AI enabled skills tools.
- Experience designing skills frameworks for diverse workforce populations.
- Background in workforce planning, talent management or organisational development.
- Experience representing an organisation externally on skills, capability or learning agendas.
- Proven ability to oversee commercial and supplier arrangements, ensuring value for money and return on investment.
If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.
Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.
BENEFITS
- Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35‑hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
- Excellent career and professional development.
- Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
- A values‑based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.
- Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.
EEO AND DIVERSITY
We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.
DISABILITY CONFIDENT
We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk
Head of Skills & Capability employer: BBC Group and Public Services
Contact Detail:
BBC Group and Public Services Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Skills & Capability
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry, especially those already working at the BBC. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info on what they're looking for.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company culture and values. Show us how your skills align with their mission and how you can contribute to their goals. Be ready to share examples of your past successes!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or use online resources to refine your answers. The more comfortable you are, the better you'll perform when it counts.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you're serious about joining our team and ready to make an impact.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Skills & Capability
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight how your skills and experiences align with the Head of Skills & Capability role. We want to see how you can bring our vision for skills and capability to life!
Showcase Your Impact: When detailing your past experiences, focus on the impact you've made in previous roles. Use specific examples that demonstrate your ability to lead large-scale strategies and drive organisational change. We love a good success story!
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We’re looking for someone who can connect with our team and stakeholders, so don’t be afraid to show us who you are and what you’re passionate about.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to the right people and shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at BBC Group and Public Services
✨Know Your Skills & Capability Strategy
Before the interview, make sure you have a solid understanding of the skills and capability strategy relevant to the role. Familiarise yourself with how the organisation translates workforce priorities into actionable plans. This will help you articulate your vision and demonstrate your alignment with their goals.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience
Prepare specific examples from your past experiences where you've successfully led large-scale skills and capability strategies. Highlight your ability to influence senior leaders and stakeholders, as this is crucial for the Head of Skills & Capability role. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.
✨Emphasise Data-Driven Decision Making
Since the role requires a data-led approach, be ready to discuss how you've used data and insights to guide strategic decisions in previous roles. Bring examples of how you've assessed impact and refined strategies based on workforce intelligence, showcasing your analytical skills.
✨Prepare for Cultural Fit Questions
The organisation values a collaborative and inclusive culture, so expect questions about how you foster teamwork and accountability within a multidisciplinary team. Think of instances where you've built a cohesive team environment and how you can contribute to their values-based approach.