Learning and Development Manager

The starting salary for this role is £61,784 per annum, working 36 hours per week. Are you passionate about developing people and building a thriving learning culture? Do you want to lead a dynamic team that shapes the future of workforce development in local government? If so, we would love to hear from you. This role offers hybrid working. You will work flexibly, with a typical pattern of 2 days per week in the office for team collaboration, stakeholder meetings or events/workshops. We also encourage cross-team learning and development to support your ongoing growth.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About The Team

Our team exists to support colleagues across the Council to develop the skills, confidence and the leadership needed to deliver excellent services to residents. We:

• Collaborate and grow together – we learn from one another, coach across the team, and support each other to stretch professionally.
• Champion innovation – we explore new approaches and technologies to design learning that sticks and meets the needs of a modern workforce.
• Drive real impact – from early careers to senior leadership, our programmes support performance, engagement and long-term capability across the Council.

About The Role

As Learning and Development Manager, no two days are alike. One morning might begin with a meeting on leadership development needs, followed by coaching a Senior L&D Consultant on a new programme. By the afternoon, you could be analysing feedback from a recent event or working with an external provider on fresh content. You will play a central role in shaping the Council's learning offer, balancing hands-on delivery with strategic oversight. Collaborating across the organisation, you will ensure learning is timely, inclusive, engaging, and aligned with our People Strategy. We are seeking a Learning and Development Manager to lead our L&D function, driving impactful, data-led programmes that help our people thrive. You will manage a skilled team of L&D Consultants and deliver initiatives across leadership, early careers (including apprenticeships and graduate schemes), learning technologies, and performance systems. Working closely with senior stakeholders, you will help shape and deliver the Council's People Strategy, ensuring learning supports our strategic objectives, values, and service priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic and day-to-day delivery of learning and development
• Coach and develop a small, expert L&D team
• Design and oversee leadership and early careers programmes
• Build strong partnerships to identify needs and tailor learning solutions
• Use data and analytics to evaluate impact and drive improvement
• Manage external providers, digital platforms, and the L&D budget
• Stay ahead of learning and technology trends, bringing innovation to our work

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• Demonstrable experience leading and managing a Learning & Development function, including managing L&D budgets and external suppliers/partners
• Proven track record in designing and delivering strategic L&D programmes (e.g. leadership development, early careers, digital learning) with applied in-depth knowledge of L&D methodologies and frameworks (e.g. ADDIE, blended learning, digital platforms)
• Experience using data, insights, and analytics to evaluate learning impact and drive continuous improvement
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, particularly with senior leaders
• Experience managing, coaching, and developing a team to high performance

We are particularly keen to hear from candidates with proven experience in managing Learning Management Systems (LMS) and leading large-scale, mandatory training rollouts. This includes overseeing system functionality, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, and driving high engagement across a diverse workforce. Experience in these areas will be highly valued.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and respond to the following application questions (please keep each answer to a maximum of 400 words):

• Please describe your experience in leading and managing a Learning & Development function. What types of programmes have you overseen (e.g., leadership development, early careers, digital learning)?
• How have you used data and analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of learning programmes and inform improvements? Please provide an example.
• Tell us about a time you successfully influenced senior stakeholders to support a new L&D initiative. What approach did you take, and what was the outcome?
• How do you ensure your team remains innovative and aligned with emerging trends in learning and development, including the use of technology?
• This role involves managing and developing a small team. What is your leadership style, and how do you support team members to perform and grow?
• Please describe your experience managing Learning Management Systems (LMS) to deliver large-scale compliance training programmes. How did you ensure training remained up to date, effective, and aligned with organisational requirements, while also achieving high completion rates across the workforce?

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact Nicole Crawley by e-mail or on MS Teams. The job advert closes at 23:59 on 04/10/2025 with interviews to follow.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to new unitary councils in April 2027. Your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of these new councils, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents.

Commitment Wording

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview. Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we are committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.