Business Advisor - Skills Development Specialist - Large Businesses in Manchester

Location: Manchester

Salary: Up to £43,260 per annum

Contract: Permanent/Full-time

Shape the future of upskilling across Greater Manchester.

The GM Business Growth Hub is seeking a Business Advisor - Skills Development Specialist to support large business owners with demonstrable experience, knowledge, and credibility within all areas of skills development practice, to support business growth and good employment practice.

Core purpose:

The position focuses on delivering high-quality skills and organisation development assessments for a portfolio of large business owners and leaders. It involves diagnosing and supporting skills focused improvements across the organisation, working collaboratively with the business and other specialists/partners to implement tailored action plans which align the people development and business growth strategy, aims and objectives to improve productivity, enable growth and support the client to seamlessly access services and sources of expertise within the wider business support ecosystem.

This role will work predominantly with large, complex organisations comprising multiple departments, functions, and business units, requiring a strong understanding of structures, interdependencies, and organisational scale. The post holder will navigate diverse stakeholder groups and competing priorities, ensuring organisation and skills and organisation development interventions drive alignment, integration, and performance across the whole organisation.

Why this role matters:

Greater Manchester is delivering an ambitious agenda for growth, productivity, and skills. To be effective in this role, you must have a strong understanding of:

• The Greater Manchester Strategy (GMS), including its missions around productivity, innovation, skills, and inclusive growth.
• The GM Good Growth Fund, its priorities, eligible sectors, and how skills development contributes to improved business performance and wider economic outcomes.
• Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), particularly how leadership capability, skills development, and organisational culture support the skills needs of GM’s priority sectors.

These frameworks shape the region’s business support ecosystem, and your work will directly contribute to delivering their ambitions.

What you’ll be doing:

• Build strong relationships with large business leaders and key stakeholders to drive skills referrals.
• Lead cross-functional skills and organisational diagnostics at multi-level.
• Deliver comprehensive diagnostics across multiple departments, functions, and business units, identifying interdependencies, systemic challenges, and alignment gaps to inform organisation-wide OD strategies.
• Align organisational design across complex structures and operating models.
• Work with senior leadership to support the design and implementation of organisational structures, operating models, and governance frameworks that optimise performance and integration across divisions, ensuring clarity of roles, accountabilities, and decision-making.
• Coordinate skills and OD interventions across multiple departments and stakeholders.
• Plan and deliver large-scale OD programmes that span multiple teams and functions, ensuring consistency of approach while adapting to differing departmental priorities, maturity levels, and operational contexts.
• Drive organisation-wide change and cultural alignment.
• Lead complex change and culture initiatives across diverse business areas, ensuring alignment to organisational values and strategy, and embedding sustainable change across geographically or functionally dispersed teams.
• Enable strategic workforce and capability planning across functions.
• Analyse workforce, skills, and performance data across departments to identify capability gaps, duplication, and opportunities for efficiency, providing strategic insight to support integrated workforce planning and long-term organisational effectiveness.
• Provide impartial training brokerage using the GM Skills Map and a wide network of providers.
• Handle client enquiries across multiple channels and assess skills needs effectively.
• Record and maintain accurate client data and progress updates on the Business Growth Hub CRM.
• Conduct skills diagnostics and create clear, data-driven development action plans.
• Advise on complex workforce and training challenges, managing interventions to completion.
• Deliver tailored skills and organisation development support and group learning sessions (in person or virtual).
• Facilitate access to apprenticeships, technical education routes and work placements.
• Provide insights on labour market trends and skills shortages.
• Support inclusive employment practices and maintain Health & Safety standards.

What we’re looking for:

You’ll bring a blend of expertise, insight, and strong interpersonal skills. Essential attributes/experience include:

• Strong understanding of skills and organisational development, including funded/non-funded provision and GM skills strategies.
• Proven experience conducting skills needs assessments and creating development plans.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information professionally.
• Confident communicator with senior stakeholders, with strong influencing and negotiation skills.
• Analytical, numerate and creative in solving workforce and training challenges.
• Excellent planning, organisation, administration and project management capability.
• Strong digital skills, including CRM systems, spreadsheets and management information tools.
• Ability to use AI tools appropriately to support work and client organisations.
• High level of data literacy and commitment to accurate data collection.
• Able to work to tight deadlines and manage complex skills-related business challenges.
• Proven ability to build and maintain professional relationships with partners and stakeholders.
• Collaborative approach when working with other specialists to shape development plans.
• Relevant qualifications (Degree/CIPD/L&D/IAG) or equivalent experience.
• Experience in skills development at senior level, or ability to demonstrate equivalent capability.
• Strong track record in delivering skills assessments, advice and development activity.
• Knowledge of HR practices supporting workforce development.
• In-depth understanding of GM training provision and regional business challenges.
• Technical knowledge of designing and delivering skills development plans.
• Understanding of client-driven, engagement-focused approaches to economic development.
• Knowledge of GM strategies including GMS, GM LSIP, Work & Skills Strategy and Good Employment Charter.

Why join us?

This is a high-impact role where you will:

• Shape skills capability across Greater Manchester.
• Support businesses to grow through stronger, more confident managers and employees.
• Contribute to the delivery of regional strategies and investment programmes.
• Work with a diverse range of organisations and partners.
• Be part of a values-driven organisation committed to making a positive difference.

We are currently unable to provide sponsorship for work permits or visas. Therefore, we can only consider candidates who already have the legal right to work in the UK.

At GC, safeguarding the welfare of all individuals including vulnerable adults and young people is a top priority, and we expect all staff to uphold this standard. All appointments follow Safer Recruitment Procedures, including a DBS check carried out by Due Diligence Limited (DDC Ltd), at no cost to the successful candidate.

Please note: It is a legal offence to apply for a role involving regulated activity if you are on the Barred List.

We are committed to increasing workforce diversity and offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential criteria and either have a disability or are from a diverse ethnic community. If this applies to you, you can request consideration under this scheme during the application process.

We also aim to make our recruitment process inclusive and accessible. If you need reasonable adjustments or have any general enquiries at any stage or the recruitment process, please contact careers@growthco.uk or call us on 0161 237 4447.

Examples include:

• Meeting the hiring manager or touring the venue in advance.
• Extra time for tasks.
• Interview questions shared beforehand.
• Accessibility software or equipment for assessments.

We’re proud to support the Ban the Box campaign, which helps people with convictions access job opportunities. As part of this, we’ve removed questions about convictions from the initial application stage.

GC is committed to fostering a culture of flexibility and agile working. Many roles will increasingly support full agile arrangements. If you require more permanent flexibility, we encourage you to discuss this during your interview so your request can be considered early in the process.

All GC colleagues will work in line with the Health and Safety at work act and the GC Health and Safety Policy.