There’s plenty about Topps Group that might surprise you. Like the scale of our Support Office in Leicester. We have Finance, Marketing, Buying, Central Operations, HR, Property, Customer Service and IT all under one roof. Tight-knit teams of talented people working together and working hard to get things done and drive results. But then, would you expect anything less from an ambitious, dynamic, market-leading, multi-million-pound retail business? After delivering our 20% market share goal of “one in five” in 2023, we have launched our new goal – Mission 365 – targeting £365 million of sales

We are currently looking for a Leadership and Skills Development Manager to join our team! Reporting into the Head of Leadership and Development, this role will lead  the development of future-ready leaders and managers as our Leadership & Skills Development Manager. In this role, you’ll design and deliver impactful, large-scale learning initiatives that strengthen organisational capability and support long-term success. Working closely with senior leaders and external partners, you’ll translate strategic priorities into engaging, scalable development programmes that build the skills, confidence and mindsets needed to drive performance and lead change. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape leadership capability and make a measurable difference across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy & Capability Design

• Identify current and emerging capability gaps using workforce data, skills analysis and stakeholder insight.
• Design integrated learning pathways that span early careers, apprenticeships, first-line management.
• Ensure capability solutions support organisational change, transformation programmes and culture shifts.

Large-Scale Programme Delivery

• Design and deliver group-wide management and leadership development initiatives, ensuring consistency, scalability and quality.
• Lead programmes supporting managers through periods of organisational change, transformation or restructuring.
• Oversee programme governance, timelines, budgets, risks and delivery plans across multiple cohorts and business areas.

Apprenticeships

• Lead or support the design and delivery of apprenticeship programmes, ensuring alignment with professional standards and organisational capability needs.
• Work closely with business units to integrate apprenticeships pathways into the wider capability strategy.
• Ensure high-quality learner experience, progression and completion outcomes for apprentices and early-career populations.
• Manage relationships with training providers, assess quality and ensure compliance with relevant funding or regulatory requirements (where applicable).

Learning Systems & Digital Enablement

• Act as a key contributor for the organisation’s Learning Management System (LMS)
• Ensure learning content, programmes and data are effectively managed, reported and optimised through digital systems.
• Work with HRIS, to improve learner experience, access to development and insight from learning data.
• Champion blended and digital learning approaches that enable scale and flexibility.

Stakeholder Engagement & Influence

• Partner with senior leaders to shape capability priorities and secure sponsorship for key development initiatives.
• Operate as a trusted adviser on leadership effectiveness, management capability and people development during change.
• Collaborate with HR, and the wider business to ensure solutions are aligned.

Supplier & Partner Management

• Source, brief and manage external learning providers, apprenticeship partners, coaches and facilitators.
• Ensure suppliers deliver value for money, quality outcomes and innovative solutions aligned to organisational needs.

Measurement, Evaluation & Insight

• Define success measures for capability, leadership and apprenticeship initiatives.
• Evaluate impact using engagement, capability assessment, progression and business performance data.
• Use insight to refine programmes and demonstrate the contribution of capability development to organisational outcomes.

What we are looking for

 

We’re looking for an experienced and credible learning professional who brings a strong track record of designing and delivering large-scale leadership and management development programmes within complex organisations. You’ll be confident supporting leaders through change, transformation and culture initiatives, and experienced in working with apprenticeships and early careers pathways. With a solid understanding of digital learning and Learning Management Systems, you’ll be able to deliver engaging programmes at scale while managing multiple initiatives from concept to evaluation. Your ability to build strong relationships, influence senior stakeholders and manage external partners will be key to success, alongside a sound grounding in adult learning, leadership development and organisational development principles. Experience aligning early careers or apprenticeship programmes with wider talent strategies, using coaching frameworks or learning analytics to drive impact, and holding a relevant professional qualification (such as CIPD, ILM or coaching accreditation) would be an advantage.

What we’ll do for you

In a culture where hard work is recognised and great results are rewarded; you can look forward to a company bonus that will give you a share of our success (up to 25% of your base salary). Then there’s a  generous staff discount, pension and life assurance, a holiday allowance that increases with length of