Audit Stream Learning & Development - Lead Programme Manager (Fixed Term Contract) in Ipswich

We are BDO, an accountancy and business advisory firm providing the advice and solutions entrepreneurial organisations need to navigate today's changing world. We work with ambitious, entrepreneurially-spirited and high growth businesses that fuel the economy.

Learning and Development (L&D) is a key enabler of our strategy as an Audit Stream and critical to our success. It supports our ability to attract, develop and retain talented people who take pride in their work and successfully deliver for our business. Effective L&D underpins quality and productivity by supporting our people to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their work, helping them reach their personal and professional potential.

The Lead Programme Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Learning Implementation team, a group of 5-6 individuals who are geographically spread across the UK. They will be responsible for the strategic sourcing and management of various external suppliers including venues, facilitators, licenses and event production. Together with the other team leads, they will manage the book of work for learning across the Stream, with audiences of 3,600 learners covering both in person and virtual learning.

The Lead Programme Manager will own the effective delivery, prioritisation, and execution of the Audit L&D calendar of events, ensuring learning is implemented effectively, in an efficient and standardised manner. They will work closely with colleagues across the L&D team, particularly the Audit L&D Operations team and the Leadership Team (LT). A working knowledge of Audit and the associated regulatory environment and practical experience of learning implementation is essential for the role.

You will be responsible for:

• Strategic sourcing and management of various external suppliers ensuring that service level agreements are established to serve business needs effectively and in a commercially viable way.
• Owning the implementation aspects of all programmes and projects, including tracking, risk management and reporting.
• Building and maintaining key strategic supplier relationships.
• Communicating effectively with the L&D team and other central teams such as Procurement, Finance, IT and Facilities.
• Establishing the learning implementation strategy to optimise ways of working across the team and deliver effective learner experience.
• Driving the transformation of learning implementation through standardisation, automation and optimisation.
• Leveraging practical learning implementation experience and working knowledge of audit and the regulatory environment.
• Managing the day-to-day activities within the Learning Implementation team, providing coaching and leadership.
• Collaborating with other teams within BDO to support effective delivery.
• Providing onsite project management support for programmes as appropriate.
• Leading on various transformation projects in Learning Implementation.

You’ll be someone with:

• Current experience working as a Manager (or equivalent) with a strong knowledge of learning and development and best practice implementation.
• Experience of working with and across horizontal business partnering, design and delivery teams.
• Enhanced knowledge of working with suppliers, ensuring value-for-money and operational excellence.
• A strong working knowledge of Audit and the associated regulatory environment.
• A proven track record of transformation and bringing about continuous improvement.
• Experience of working with other teams within an organisation; Procurement, Finance, IT, Facilities etc.
• Strong project management skills and exceptional communication skills.
• Experience of leading a geographically spread team would be advantageous.

We’re proud of our distinctive, people-centred culture. Our agile working framework helps us stay connected, bringing teams together where and when it counts. At BDO, you’ll always have access to the people and resources you need to do your best work.

We help entrepreneurial businesses to succeed, fuelling the UK economy. Our success is powered by our people, which is why we’re always finding new ways to invest in you.