We're hiring! Training Manager

Role: Training Manager

Salary: £32,000 - £35,000 (dependent on experience)

Closing date: (Closed)

Hours: 0.8 - 1 FTE

Office based/hybrid

Apply: Send your CV and covering letter to imogen@retrofit.coop

People Powered Retrofit (http://retrofit.coop) is a unique One Stop Shop for retrofit, assisting householders in Greater Manchester and beyond in refurbishing their homes to high environmental standards. Complimenting our end-to-end client service, we provide contractor training to improve the skills and quality of the supply chain whilst carrying out consultancy work for like-minded organisations and local authorities. Though the majority of our training is delivered in the North West of England, our services support high quality retrofit training across the UK through partnerships and collaborations.

We are ‘people powered’: a member-led organisation subscribing to co-operative principles, motivated by the challenge of tackling climate change and contributing to national and international carbon reduction targets.

We’re looking for an experienced training manager to support us in the development and delivery of our training strategy, maximising the impact our organisation has in developing the retrofit supply chain in Manchester and across the UK.

A highly responsible and varied role, the training manager is involved in both strategic development and implementation, building relationships and seeking new opportunities, while also ensuring the smooth day-to-day operations of the training unit’s programme and project delivery. The training manager works with a variety of subject matter experts to develop new courses and forms part of our management team, collaborating with our Partnerships Manager as well as those leading on technical, business and operational areas.

With challenging national retrofit targets and increasing awareness of the role supply chain development can play in reskilling the UK workforce and regenerating local economics, this is a highly strategic role - with the opportunity to meet with and influence policy makers at all levels of government. At the same time, our work enables you to interact with experts with a lived experience of retrofit and real on-the-ground insight and experience.

We have a flexible approach to working location, although ask for a minimum of two days a week in our Manchester city centre office. Some travel is expected in this role, as we work with organisations across the North West and beyond, but we try to minimise unnecessary journeys wherever possible.

Strategic

• Building strategic relationships with partners, stakeholders and commissioners.

  • Managing content licences/sub-licenses.

  • Assessing new opportunities and gaps in provision.

  • Market research.

  • Creating and acting on business plans.

  • Utilising information gleaned from networking, events and course feedback to inform strategies and direction for the unit.

• Working with team members to secure new funding and commissions, building and maintaining relationships with external partners.

• Keeping up to date with the retrofit training landscape, attending networking events and finding opportunities to engage with the development of the landscape.

• Developing strategies for the training service e.g. IP, marketing, pricing, capacity building. Facilitating workshops and meetings to get input from team members and partners on these strategies.

• Developing key performance indicators and monitoring the efficacy of the training unit against these. Reporting back to senior management and the board on progress.

• Input into broader strategic development surrounding the organisation, acting as subject matter experts for training and learners.

Programme delivery

• Supervising of and supporting in the scheduling of courses in line with strategic direction, coordinating with venues and other team members to ensure that the course is delivered in a timely manner.

  • Carrying out risk assessments.

  • Overseeing inventory management.

  • Occasional facilitation of training e.g. on webinar.

  • Liaising with course trainers before and after the delivery of course.

• Recruiting and onboarding trainers, evaluating performance in accordance with internal trainer handbook, trainer specification and learner feedback.

• Overseeing and approving marketing and communication materials.

• Analysing data from course evaluations to inform improvements.

Project Management

• Having overall accountability for project management and delivery of internal and external projects.

  • Budget oversight and spend control.

  • Resource management.

  • Time/resource planning and coordination.

  • Quality control activities.

• Coordinating with other members of the team to build project plans, identify costs and create briefs.

Overseeing new course development

• Collaborating with colleagues, learners, strategic partners and supply chain professionals to assess the potential for new service provision.

  • Carrying out training needs analyses.

  • Developing proposals for training projects.

• Commissioning course authors and overseeing the development of course materials in line with structured training outcomes.

• Ensuring a cycle of monitoring and evaluation of courses is kept up to date.

Supply chain engagement and management

• Contributing to the strategic development of our local value networks (learners and local supply chain), in line with the training unit’s growth.

• Championing the needs of the local supply chain in the training and other business units’ strategies.

• Networking with the local supply chain to raise awareness of People Powered Retrofit and gather intelligence for training course development.

Operational

• Line management of other members of the team, including conducting performance reviews alongside the operations manager.

• Developing systems and processes with the operations manager to ensure the smooth and high quality running of the training unit.

• Overseeing budgets, costs for all courses and assets, and profitability of training courses.

• Recruiting, onboarding and training new members of the team, where applicable, alongside the operations manager.

You’ll have experience as a training manager and have worked on programme delivery (on site) and new course development before. You’ll understand what makes high quality and accessible training and will be able to manage projects to ensure this quality every time.

You’ll be great at drawing people together, sifting through lots of information to find the crux of it, figuring out what to do, and having the confidence to make it happen.

You’ll be strategic and collaborative; looking to build strong, values-driven relationships with similar organisations and finding ways to work together.

You’ll be used to working in a small team and independently, with a proactive approach to your work. We’d expect you to have experience of managing multiple projects, team members and budgets.

Experience of retrofit and the construction industry is desirable but not crucial. Regardless of your background, you’ll be keen to learn, curious about the training landscape, and with a sharp eye for spotting opportunities.

For an informal chat on the role, please contact Imogen Sykes, our operations manager, at imogen@retrofit.coop.