Learning & Development Advisor in Barnsley

Haywood & Padgett Ltd is a well-established food manufacturing business based in Barnsley, producing high-quality bakery products for customers across the UK.

Operating across a 24/7 manufacturing environment, our people are at the heart of our business.

As we continue to develop, we want to strengthen the way we train, support and develop our employees by introducing a dedicated Learning & Development function.

This is a newly created role and a great opportunity for someone to help shape and develop our approach to learning and development across the whole business.

The Person & Role

We are looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Learning & Development Advisor to join our HR team.

Reporting directly to the HR Manager, you will take ownership of Learning & Development across Haywood & Padgett, bringing together training requirements across Operations, Technical, Health & Safety and HR into one structured and consistent approach.

This is a hands‑on, site‑based role where you will work with a high level of autonomy, spending time across the business and on the shop floor to understand our people, processes and training needs.

A key focus will be ensuring training goes beyond simply completing or signing off a process.

We want our employees to genuinely understand what they have been taught, demonstrate competence and feel confident in their roles.

Alongside operational and compliance training, you will help develop our wider L&D approach, including talent management, management development, career pathways and succession planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the day‑to‑day coordination and delivery of Learning & Development across the business, bringing together HR, Technical, Health & Safety and operational training into one structured and consistent approach.
• Carry out Training Needs Analysis (TNA), identify skills and competency gaps, and develop and maintain training plans, training matrices and departmental skills matrices.
• Deliver and coordinate practical shop‑floor training, including coding and labelling, metal detection, sieving, food safety and other operational training, working closely with subject matter experts to ensure training is accurate, current and compliant.
• Develop and deliver engaging learning through a range of methods, including practical demonstrations, toolbox talks, workshops, presentations, coaching, one‑to‑one training, visual resources and hands‑on assessment.
• Develop a structured approach to practical training, competency assessment and sign‑off, ensuring employees are trained and progressed in a timely manner.
• Develop and maintain a Train the Trainer programme, supporting managers, Area Leaders and other internal trainers to deliver effective and consistent workplace training.
• Manage the company's i HASCO online learning platform, including course allocation, completion monitoring, refresher requirements and reporting.
• Review and support the delivery of an effective site induction and onboarding training programme, ensuring new employees receive a consistent introduction to the business and the training required for their role.
• Work with HR to develop and deliver appropriate people management training for managers, including areas such as performance management, absence management, employee development and other people‑related processes.
• Support wider employee development and progression across the business, including career pathways, 9‑box talent reviews, Individual Development Plans, succession planning and management and leadership development.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of training and identify opportunities for improvement, including training needs arising from new equipment, process changes, incidents, audit findings and changes to procedures.
• Maintain accurate, confidential and audit‑ready training and competency records, ensuring sensitive employee and business information is handled appropriately.

Qualifications and Experience

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate

• Previous Learning & Development, workplace training or training‑focused experience within a food manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of Learning & Development principles, including adult learning, Training Needs Analysis (TNA), learning design, delivery and evaluation of training effectiveness.
• Experience delivering practical and engaging training within a shop‑floor/manufacturing environment, including assessing employee understanding and practical competence.
• Good understanding of food manufacturing standards, processes and the importance of compliance.
• Experience developing engaging training materials and resources, with the ability to adapt training to different levels of experience, confidence, literacy, language ability and individual learning needs.
• Experience working collaboratively with HR, Operations, Technical, Health & Safety and managers at all levels to identify and address training and development needs.
• An understanding of how L&D supports the wider HR and people agenda, including performance, employee development, engagement, talent management, career progression and succession planning.
• Proven ability to work independently, use own initiative and take ownership, proactively identifying what needs to be done rather than relying solely on direction from others.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage multiple training requirements and respond effectively to changing operational priorities.
• Strong communication, presentation and IT skills, with experience maintaining accurate training records, matrices and/or Learning Management Systems.
• Preferred

Ideally, candidates will hold one or more of the following qualifications or be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience:

• CIPD Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice, or equivalent Learning & Development qualification. Although, a higher‑level L&D qualification would be more desirable.
• Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET) or equivalent teaching/training qualification.
• Recognised Train the Trainer qualification.
• Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) or equivalent assessor qualification.
• Level 3 Food Safety in Manufacturing or equivalent.
• Level 3 HACCP or equivalent.

We recognise that the right candidate may not hold all of the above qualifications.

For someone with strong food manufacturing and Learning & Development experience, together with the right approach and practical training ability, we would be happy to support further relevant qualifications and professional development.

Skills

You will be

• An engaging, confident and approachable trainer who genuinely enjoys developing people and building strong relationships across all levels of the business.
• Proactive and self‑motivated, comfortable working independently, taking ownership and using your own initiative.
• Confident working within a busy food manufacturing and shop‑floor environment, with the flexibility to work across different shifts when training requirements dictate.
• A strong communicator with excellent presentation, facilitation and coaching skills, able to simplify technical or complex information into clear and practical learning.
• Able to adapt your approach to suit different levels of experience, confidence, literacy, language ability and individual learning needs.
• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail, and confident in constructively challenging where training or competency standards need to improve.
• Professional, trustworthy and discreet, with the integrity to handle sensitive employee and business information appropriately.

Confidentiality is essential.

As part of the HR function, you will have access to sensitive employee and business information, including performance, development, talent and succession information.

A high level of integrity, professionalism and discretion is therefore required at all times.

• Opportunity to shape a newly created Learning & Development role and have a real influence on how learning, training and development is delivered across the business.
• Opportunity to work across all areas of the organisation and make a visible impact on employee development, skills and progression.
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