Learning & Development Manager (12 month FTC)

Focus Group is one of the UK's fastest‑growing technology businesses — £300m revenue, 1,300 people, 30,000 SME customers, and a $1bn valuation achieved in 2024. Backed by Hg Capital and growing fast through both organic expansion and strategic acquisition, we’re investing seriously in how our people learn and grow.

We need an experienced L&D professional who is energised by doing — someone who can design and deliver outstanding learning experiences across a diverse, geographically dispersed workforce. The strategy is set. Now we need someone to bring it to life.

If you thrive on seeing your work make a real impact on real people, this role is for you.

The role involves joining our People team and reporting to the Head of People, working across the entire Group — partnering with leaders and teams to deliver learning that is practical, engaging, and directly connected to business outcomes. Your days will be hands‑on, designing and facilitating programmes, running induction cohorts, building digital and blended content, and managing apprenticeship activity — all while keeping an eye on impact and continuously improving what you deliver.

In practice, this means:

• Designing and facilitating leadership and management development programmes — from first‑time managers through to senior leaders
• Building and running a compelling, consistent onboarding experience for every new joiner, including colleagues coming in through acquisition
• Creating blended learning solutions — in‑person, digital, and on‑the‑job — that work for a workforce spread across multiple sites
• Delivering commercial and customer excellence programmes that embed consistent standards and behaviours across the business
• Managing our Apprenticeship Levy activity end‑to‑end — provider relationships, learner progress, compliance, and reporting
• Owning mandatory and compliance training across the Group, ensuring nothing falls through the gaps
• Championing self‑directed learning through curated content, platforms, and internal knowledge sharing

You’ll also support the Head of People in translating capability gaps into practical learning solutions, and contribute data‑led insight on the effectiveness of what we do.

What we’re looking for:

You’ll be a skilled practitioner — someone who’s as comfortable in the room facilitating a session as you are building the content that goes into it. You’ll bring:

• Proven experience designing and delivering learning programmes that drive measurable change — not just activity
• Strong facilitation skills, with the confidence to deliver to mixed audiences including senior leaders
• Solid instructional design capability across blended formats — digital, in‑person, and on‑the‑job
• Experience managing the Apprenticeship Levy and working with external training providers
• The organisation to juggle multiple workstreams at pace in a complex, multi‑site business
• A collaborative approach — working closely with People Business Partners, operational leaders, and divisional heads
• A CIPD Level 5 qualification or above would be great, as would experience in a PE‑backed, high‑growth, or acquisitive business. A background in tech, telecoms, or professional services is helpful but not essential — we’ll get you up to speed.

Why Focus Group?

We’re a business that moves quickly, thinks ambitiously, and genuinely invests in its people. Our values — respect, integrity, teamwork, and ambition — shape how we work every day.

This is a high‑visibility role with real variety and a real remit. You’ll have the support of a collaborative People team and senior stakeholders who understand the value of great learning. And with a workforce growing through both hiring and acquisition, there’s no shortage of meaningful work to get stuck into.

Location: Hybrid working from our Shoreham by Sea HQ, with occasional travel to other Focus Group offices across the UK.

Contract: 12‑month Fixed Term Contract

Salary: £70,000