Learning and Development Advisor (L&D)

The People Services Team (HR) at Leigh Academies Trust is expanding and we have a fantastic opportunity to appoint an L&D Advisor. 

The core purpose of the role will be to support the establishment and growth of a core L&D function as part of the existing People Services Team. You will provide substantial support in establishing and growing the learning and development function for the Trust, ensuring that all staff have access to and receive the necessary training and development opportunities that ensure they can perform their role to the best of their abilities and can meet the changing needs of the education sector.

The reality of the role: learning and development at LAT has very much been taking place but has been somewhat sporadic, with various leaders in the organisation looking after individual elements focused on their development needs.  You will be working closely with the Head of Recruitment & Talent Management, HR Director and Deputy HR Director, and together we will work systematically to bring structure to the full L&D, offer, ensuring all employees within the organisation are catered for, that our L&D strategy has impact and developing a Learning Hub to bring all strands of L&D together.  The scope of this role is huge, and we know it will appeal to an experienced L&D professional keen to be involved in all elements of growing this function at LAT. 

We already have a number of training and development opportunities in place at LAT which are delivered by our partner organisations, and available to employees of LAT;   

• Kent & Medway Training is a well-established teacher training provider 
• Thames Gateway Teaching School Hub is a school-led centre of excellence for teacher and leadership training and development 
• LAT Apprenticeships deliver apprenticeship programmes from Level 2-4 

We also work with a number of external organisations to deliver additional development opportunities, but these relationships could be strengthened.  Our successful L&D Advisor will adopt a holistic approach in linking the existing development paths as well as identifying new opportunities to ensure that all LAT employees have access to fulfilling and purposeful training and development.  

The L&D Advisor who joins our team will be a genuine team player, thrive on working both independently and as part of a team, and have confidence in using your initiative. We are a very busy department, so you will have to multitask and prioritise your workload with great skill! Essentially, you’ll have prior experience in an L&D setting and will be an innovative and dynamic person, open-minded in your thinking and able to demonstrate your experience in working with a variety of stakeholders to produce excellent results.  Above all else, a positive attitude and motivation to perform well in this role is essential, as is a real passion for L&D and pride in representing Leigh Academies Trust in the best way possible. We want to develop our people to be the best they can be at Leigh Academies Trust, and we hope you want to be part of it.  

Our successful candidate will receive;

• A starting salary of £30,063 - £34,982 (depending on experience) per annum which increases annually subject to great performance
• 25 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays, which increases to 30 days with length of service
• Further career development and training opportunities to suit your needs and career objectives
• A full range of benefits, available to all LAT employees (click here to view)

The role is based at Leigh Academies Trust Head Office in Strood, Rochester.  Given how the pandemic has changed the way we work, LAT has adopted a hybrid approach for Head Office staff with 4 days being based in the office and the remaining day working from home.  The working basis of the role is 37 hours per week throughout the full year.  There is a need, when required, to travel to our various sites situated in South East London and Kent, for which you will be reimbursed for travel in line with LAT’s expenses policy.  

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Olivia Couzins (Head of Recruitment & Talent Management) - olivia.couzins@latrust.org.uk. Please note that all applications must be submitted electronically via our e-recruitment system; we cannot accept CVs or speculative emails outside of this system.  

Being part of Leigh Academies Trust: As of 1st September 2022, our Trust comprises 30 geographically organised academies (14 secondaries, 14 primaries and 2 special) educating 20,000 students, and employing 3,000 talented staff. The Trust is establishing four ‘clusters’ of academies: North Kent; Central Kent; South East London; Medway. In addition, the Trust is responsible for one of the region’s biggest initial teaching training organisations, a large teaching school hub and is an accredited apprenticeship provider. Our future plans are found in our Vision 2030 document available on our website.​​​​​​​

As part of Leigh Academies Trust, you will have ample opportunity to collaborate with your peers both within the academy and across the whole Trust. This is an important part of our vision as we know through experience that we perform better when we work together. You are supported to undertake regular self-development to continue your professional development and hopefully progress further within the organisation.

Our commitment to safeguarding: Leigh Academies Trust and all of our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We adopt a fair, robust and consistent recruitment process across all academies and business units which is in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. This includes online checks for shortlisted candidates - you can read more about this in our Recruitment Guidance. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check.

​​​​​​​Our commitment to equality and diversity: As a Trust, we are passionate about diversity and recognise that as individuals, we all bring something unique to the role regardless of any protected characteristics which is why we treat all of our people equally, without compromise. We are committed to providing equality and fairness throughout our recruitment and employment practices and not discriminating on any grounds.