View Vacancy - CPK - Learning and Development Manager, B3 (L)

This is an exciting role for an enthusiastic, proactive and flexible Learning and Development professional to be our Learning and Development Manager. Working closely with colleagues as part of the Corporate Operations team, you will play a key role in supporting the DIT China region achieve its objectives as articulated in the Regional Trade Plan, of which the over-arching ambitions are: 

Objective 1 - Driving and inspiring UK exports to China, significantly increasing the UK market share of China's goods imports, and more than double the value of UK services exports.

Objective 2 – Consistent trade policy engagement with China to achieve incremental market access, mitigate business risk and prepare for future trade deals

Objective 3 - Broadening and deepening the UK-China investment partnership, positioning the UK as the top European destination for Chinese investment and providing strong support for UK investors.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) was established by the Prime Minister in July 2016 to integrate and elevate the Trade agenda; help secure a better deal for the UK as it negotiates a successful exit from the EU; and, establish new relationships with other countries around the globe. DIT promotes British trade across the world and ensures the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us, securing and improving the economic well-being and stability of the UK, and helping to create tens of thousands of jobs every year.

Context:

DIT has one of the largest representations of the 18 government departments working in China, which are coordinated and led by Her Majesty’s Ambassador who is responsible for the UK’s relationship with China. Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) is responsible for Trade and Investment work in China, one of nine global regions and the largest DIT overseas network in the world. With 200 staff across six posts - Beijing, plus Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Wuhan – DIT, as part of the UK government network in China offers a fast-paced place to work at the heart of UK: China Government relations. 

Detail

The Corporate Operations Directorate is responsible for supporting all DIT China teams across our six locations to achieve our objectives and ambitions as stated in the Regional Trade Plan. The Corporate Operations directorates includes a number of cross-cutting responsibilities supporting sector teams to work efficiently and effectively, including Operations (People, Finance, Business Performance, Contract Management), Business Relations and Ministerial Engagement, and Marketing & Communications. 

As Learning and Development Manager, you will be working within the Operations strand of the Directorate, directly responsible for the development and promotion of the DIT China Learning and Development Strategy, of which current priorities are Leadership and Management capability building and a further emerging focus on Trade Policy.

Reporting directly to the Head of People, this highly visible and delivery focused role will require regular engagement with stakeholders from across the network, including our team in Hong Kong, the DIT Senior Leadership team, the FCO Learning and Development lead and the DIT Skills and Capability team based in London, to help solidify a regional approach to learning and development matters.  

Responsible for the day to day management of all learning and development activities, this role will require the jobholder to maintain the network Learning and Development budget (circa £100k), identifying activities that deliver both value for money and address wider learning needs. The jobholder will also need to think outside of the box to develop innovative and impactful in-house learning and development solutions.

Roles and responsibilities:

Learning and Development Strategy (30%)

• Lead the creation and development of a DIT China wide (approx.200 people) learning and development strategy, which aligns to Regional Trade Plan ambitions and addresses feedback from the annual People Survey.
• Establish a vision for interactive, engaging and impactful learning and development solutions, setting direction to embed a learning culture across the China Region. Work with the Senior Leadership Team and individual Directorates to ensure a coordinated approach to delivery and to identify skills, knowledge and capability gaps through the implementation of a Capability Review exercise.
• Work closely with the FCO to design and deliver a better quality cross-China network learning and development offer. 

Learning and Development Delivery (30%)

• Deliver a suite of learning and development solutions to meet identified learning needs.
• Lead on the design, delivery and development of formal programmes and campaigns, including the provision of team and individual learning solutions across the DIT China Region.
• Work with external suppliers, both within Mainland China and in the UK where necessary, to provide bespoke training courses.
• Lead the sharing of best practice and internal expertise across teams and Posts.
• Organise and deliver regular induction events and the delivery of generic courses.
• Ensure effective evaluation and reporting of all L&D activity across the China Region, feeding into wider People initiatives.

Stakeholder Management and Communication (30%)

• Raise the visibility and staff understanding of DIT China Region L&D offer, including raising the profile of the team with HQ.
• Provide clear information and timely communications for all initiatives and activities.
• Engage a wide range of stakeholders at all levels of the organisation, lead L&D discussions as part of internal working groups and committees, and report to the Senior Leadership team on a regular basis.  

Financial Management (10%)

• Ensure effective management of the centralised L&D budget, ensuring all spends aligns with identified priorities and supports the delivery of the L&D strategy and wider Regional Trade Plan.
• Establish clear and transparent budget principles and processes to ensure fair spend across the network, ensuring value for money, and strategic, effective use of resource.
• Provide accurate spend forecasts and process claims in a timely manner.

• Proven experience in areas of learning and development
• Highly proficient in written and spoken English 
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills
• Excellent networking skills
• Strong organisational skills and ability to demonstrate ownership in terms of delivering key L&D initiatives.
• Broad understanding of learning and development concepts and processes.
• Good IT Skills, including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint.