Purpose of job: 

To work with the business to deliver professional L&D solutions to contribute to the successful delivery of the firm’s business plan by working with the firm's leader group to understand their objectives and requirements.  The L&D Manager will help to implement and to drive forward the firm's agreed L&D strategy which underpins the firm’s business plan.   

Main duties and responsibilities:

Deliver L&D strategy to support the business

• Support the Head of L&D in developing, implementing and driving forward the firm's agreed L&D strategy which supports the delivery of the firm’s business plan.
• Provide direction and advice to the firm's leader groups on appropriate L&D solutions.
• Develop and sustain strong relationships with the firm's leader groups and achieve trusted advisor levels of relationship with them.
• Ensure that organisational development needs are identified at firm and business group level and put in place strategic solutions which will meet these needs.
• Take a lead role in developing, managing and implementing training programmes in line with requirements of the business and the L&D strategy.
• Manages strategic L&D projects (ie. management and leadership development programmes).
• Seek out appropriate assistance from external suppliers or internal presenters/course designers and manage those relationships to design and deliver sessions, including negotiating fees with the providers.
• Provide effective management and leadership to the L&D function, developing and building the skills of the team for the future.

Policies and agreements

• Ability to draft complex documents and/or adapt standard documents (e.g. responses to policy consultations, supplier agreements) with minimal input from senior colleagues.

Budgets

• Contribute to the planning and monitoring of the L&D budget.
• Show commercial awareness by negotiating discounts from suppliers.

Regulatory and compliance

As required, monitoring compliance of the training requirements of professional/legislative bodies in the firm including the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority, in particular:
• Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – monitoring compliance and dealing with any related questions.
• Managing the team to ensure that other records required for regulatory and compliance such as training records and feedback forms are up to date, so that database reports are accurate. 
• Obtaining training accreditations as required for different offices within the international network from regulatory bodies.

Online L&D Systems

• Manages members of the L&D team to develop the online global L&D systems such as the TutorPro Learning Management System (LMS); including the devising of content for e-learning.

Management reporting

• To produce regular, consistent and ad-hoc management reports to enable appropriate decisions to be made.

Participate in the management team of the global HR and L&D function

• Collaborate with the HR Director, Head of L&D and HR Managers worldwide to develop and deliver the L&D strategy.
• Develop L&D team members through coaching, mentoring and providing varied on-the-job experience to enable delivery of the L&D strategy.
• Work with the Head of L&D to manage succession planning within the function.
• Participate in management meetings, to advise, support and, where appropriate, challenge.

Key Relationships:

• Provides coaching to senior personnel in the firm to encourage continuous development at a senior level.

• Regular contact with partners to implement L&D interventions and strategic solutions.

• Regular contact with directors/senior managers to implement L&D interventions and strategic solutions.

• Regular contact with senior Simmons & Simmons employees to identify learning needs of teams and departments and provide learning interventions which will help meet these needs and marry into the L&D strategy.

• Regular contact with external suppliers of training and development to meet learning needs ensuring development of good relationships, effective management of tender processes, negotiation of the best packages and successful translation of the firm’s requirements.

• Frequent contact with the Head of L&D to provide feedback on L&D activity including team management.

• Daily contact with the L&D team to ensure that the L&D strategy is being effectively carried out.

• Regular contact with the operational HR Managers to support them in business partnering with their relevant practice groups/business service departments.

• Regular contact with the HR Managers in the centres of excellence to support delivery of their centre’s strategy.

• Regular liaison and information sharing with HRMs (London and internationally) to ensure a seamless service is provided to the firm.

Scope of role:

Responsible for managing the L&D team to deliver key projects and deliverables which impact the L&D function.  The role covers a wide range of areas including day to day tasks (department specific), cross-functional projects and ongoing strategic planning for the function.  The job influences the L&D function at the most senior level.

This role will contribute to the planning and monitoring of the L&D budget.  The L&D Manager will be responsible for managing more junior members of the L&D team.

Education/Experience/Qualifications:

• Minimum of three years’ work experience at L&D/Organisational Development Adviser/Officer level or equivalent.

• Minimum of two years’ management experience.

• Minimum of two years’ experience of working in a coaching capacity within a L&D/Organisational Development role.

• Graduate with a first or upper second class degree or equivalent.

• Experience of the design and delivery of business skills courses in a professional services or executive education environment.

• Experience of contributing to L&D strategy implementation.

• L&D related qualification would be beneficial (for example, coaching qualification).

Technical/Work-based Skills/Knowledge:

• Sound understanding of L&D strategy and implementation.

• Solid experience of working at an organisational development level.

• Good working knowledge of the training cycle.

• Solid experience of designing and delivering training/presentations.

• Excellent IT skills, especially in Excel spreadsheets, Word and PowerPoint. 

• Effective project management skills.

• Good knowledge of the market and competitor practices regarding L&D solutions.

General Skills/Attributes:

• Excellent organisational and project management skills with an eye for detail.  Extremely thorough, excellent report-writing and research skills.

• Excellent coaching and mentoring skills.

• Excellent people management skills, developing individuals to work to the best of their ability, including an ability to set expectations for continuous development and lead by example.

• An ability to formulate creative and appropriate L&D solutions and to engage with others to ensure solutions are implemented.

• Ability to have impact with senior staff and an ability to have robust conversations as required.

• Excellent relationship-builder, able to develop a broad international network of relationships across both the business services departments and with fee earners, and be able to utilise this network for expert input to courses (design and/or presentation) as required.

• Ability to inspire and create energy in others at all levels to engage in L&D initiatives.

• Ability to influence staff at all levels.

• Strong ‘client-service’ attitude and experience of working with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Ability to be a ‘self-starter’, highly motivated to getting the job done.  Willingness to work extra hours when required.

• Continually seeks self-improvement.

• Willingness to learn and use unfamiliar IT packages.