Learning & Development Specialist

Learning & Development Specialist  

Stoke-on-Trent or Woking Office 
Hybrid Working | 3 Days Per Week in the Office 
Salary: £32,000 - £35,000 + Benefits 

Are you passionate about helping people learn, grow, and reach their full potential? 

We're looking for an enthusiastic and creative Learning & Development Specialist to join our People team and play a key role in shaping the learning experience across Acosta Group Europe. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys designing engaging training programmes, managing learning platforms, and driving a culture of continuous development. 

As Learning & Development Specialist, you'll work closely with stakeholders across the business to create and deliver innovative learning solutions that support onboarding, compliance, colleague development, and business performance. 

What will You Be Doing as a Learning & Development Specialist? 

Learning & Development 

You'll play a key role in designing, developing and delivering engaging learning programmes, workshops and training solutions that support both individual and business performance. This includes creating effective onboarding and induction programmes that help new colleagues quickly settle into the business, understand our culture and embrace our values from day one. Using a blend of face-to-face, virtual and digital learning methods, you'll ensure development opportunities are accessible, impactful and tailored to a diverse workforce. 

Working closely with stakeholders across Acosta Group Europe, you'll conduct learning needs analysis to identify skills gaps and development opportunities at both an individual and team level. You'll evaluate the effectiveness of learning initiatives, measure their impact and return on investment, and continuously look for ways to enhance the learning experience while driving a culture of continuous improvement and lifelong learning. Yu will also support our early careers through our graduate programme and apprenticeships. 

LMS & Compliance 

You will be responsible for the effective management and ongoing development of our Learning Management System (LMS), ensuring all learning content remains current, engaging and aligned to business needs. You'll monitor mandatory training completion rates, maintain compliance records and support the organisation in meeting its regulatory and internal training requirements. 

In addition, you'll maintain accurate training and performance records, generate meaningful reports and insights, and continually review and improve learning resources to ensure they remain relevant, effective and user-friendly. 

Performance & Development 

Supporting the full colleague performance lifecycle, you'll work closely with managers to identify development needs and create opportunities that enable individuals and teams to reach their full potential. You'll play an active role in embedding a strong performance and development culture across the business. 

The role also includes managing apprenticeship programmes, building positive relationships with training providers and overseeing all associated documentation. You'll monitor apprentice progress, provide ongoing support and ensure learning objectives are achieved throughout the apprenticeship journey. 

Stakeholder Engagement 

Building strong relationships across the organisation, you'll work with key stakeholders to understand evolving business needs and translate these into effective learning and development solutions. You'll lead communications relating to learning initiatives, promoting development opportunities and encouraging colleague engagement with learning programmes. 

You'll also collaborate with teams on wider business projects and continuous improvement initiatives, helping to embed learning and development into the broader people agenda while supporting organisational growth and performance. 

What We're Looking For in our next Learning & Development Specialist?  

Essential Skills & Experience 

• Experience within a Learning & Development, Training, People Development or HR role. 
• Experience managing or administering an LMS platform. 
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills. 
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities. 
• Experience designing and delivering engaging learning solutions. 
• Ability to analyse learning needs and evaluate programme effectiveness. 
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications. 
• Creative, solutions-focused mindset with a passion for developing others. 

Desirable 

• L&D qualification (CIPD L&D or equivalent). 
• Experience implementing or managing internal learning programmes. 
• Experience using Thrive LMS. 
• Experience working within a fast-paced commercial environment. 

What's In It for You? 

Hybrid working 

Opportunity to influence and shape learning across the business 

Ongoing professional development and career growth opportunities Access to exclusive colleag