Learning & Development Lead

Company description

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.  

As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity. 

Our teams of interdisciplinary experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results. 

We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport.  

Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands. 

PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life. 

Job description

This Learning & Development Lead you are accountable for shaping, delivering and continuously improving a portfolio of learning and capability initiatives that support business priorities and enable our people to grow and thrive in their careers.

You will lead and mentor others, manage complex stakeholder relationships, use insight and data to drive decisions, and ensure high standards of operational excellence across delivery.

You are recognised as a trusted expert and advisor, capable of influencing senior stakeholders, leading teams through change, and embedding a strong learning culture.

Learning strategy and portfolio management

• Determine annual priorities and projects aligned to firm strategic priorities.  Translate these insights to a road mapped programme portfolio.
• Own the PA curriculum across blended, in-person, virtual and on-demand modalities and ensure accessibility across geographies
• Share vision and direction with Talent & Development leads and take learning specialists with you to deliver against agreed priorities
• Bring best practice, new thinking and external insight into projects to improve quality and impact
• Own a portfolio of learning programmes and ensure quality delivery, active participation and programme currency.  Engage across programme sponsors/stakeholders, digital learning, and trainer community to maximise learner experience. 

Learning culture & engagement

• Identify the barriers to learning experienced by PA people and lead initiatives to enable access to learning.
• Build trusted relationships, influence senior stakeholders and use networks to deliver outcomes and enable others
• Drive campaign style communications, learning communities, and use mentoring and manager enablement to increase adoption and transfer of learning.

• Ensure learning opportunities are easy for busy consultants, leader, and business professionals to find and apply learning at point of need.

• Ensure all learning experiences are perceived as relevant, inclusive and well designed.

Team leadership

• Lead, mentor and develop a small team of learning specialists; set standards for design, facilitation, and service levels; build internal faculty capability (SMEs/partners) for scalable delivery.
• Collaborate with Talent & Development leads on delivery of the Talent plan and relevant people plan items, leveraging all resources and ensure congruency with budgetary requirements.
• Partner with PA Workday Team, Digital Learning, and L & D Operations over delivery and optimisation of the LMS and digital learning ecosystem; ensure great learner UX, robust reporting and compliance where required
• Maintain programme documentation, dashboards, and manage risks for consistent, audit‑ready execution.

Measurement & continuous improvement

• Use data, insight and evidence to evaluate success, improve effectiveness and inform decisions — not just report activity.
• Track adoption, enrolment, completion and confidence scores for core curriculum programmes
• Monitor engagement (Growth driver – Learning) and take actions to promote a learning culture and maintain a positive narrative around learning at PA.
• Use data to test and iterate content, modality and scheduling to maximise learner experience.
• Manage annual programme reviews with learning specialists and sponsors using data, feedback and impact stories to course‑correct

Learning Operations

• Lead and develop the L& D Operations team, setting clear direction, standards and priorities to ensure the efficient, high‑quality delivery of learning administration, scheduling, governance and learner support across the learning portfolio.
• Own and optimise the use of Workday Learning, maximising functionality to improve learner experience, automate workflows, ensure data integrity and support scalable delivery of programmes across the business.
• Streamline learning operations and reporting, reducing manual and repetitive tasks through the intelligent use of AI and automation technologies, and introducing clear, consistent dashboards and insights to support decision‑making and performance tracking.
• Strengthen collaboration between Learning Operations, Learning Specialists, and the Digital Learning team, enabling seamless end‑to‑end delivery by aligning processes, sharing data and insight, and ensuring operational excellence underpins innovative, learner‑centred design.

Hybrid working - our approach is to be in the office or on client site a minimum of 2 days per week. 

Qualifications

Proven L&D manager experience in management consulting or professional services leading multi‑programme portfolios and a small L&D team.

Skills: Stakeholder consulting, instructional design oversight, facilitation (preferred), learning analytics, and programme operations.

Mindset: Data‑led, outcomes‑focused, comfortable with partnership cultures and high‑performing fee‑earner audiences.

Qualifications: Desirable: CIPD (L&D), familiarity with modern learning tech.

Success measures

Seen as a trusted advisor and learning expert

Stakeholders actively seek input and guidance

Challenges are addressed early through strong relationships and credibility

Positive impact on confidence scores from programme start to completion

Positive impact on Growth driver – learning scores

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.

All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.

We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government’s guidance on security vetting before applying.

Additional information

Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.

Our purpose guides how we work with our clients and our teams, and support our communities, to deliver insight and impact, solving the world’s most complex challenges. We're focused on building a workplace that values human difference and diverse mindsets, and a culture of inclusion and equality that unlocks the potential in our people so everyone can be their best self.

Find out more about Life at PA here .

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Annual performance-based bonus
• PA share ownership
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We’re committed to advancing equality. We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us on [email protected]

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