We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity
To apply for this role you will need to provide a personal statement (max 1000 words) to demonstrate your relevant skills and knowledge, and outline your experience of the following:
- Experience of working in a leadership role with the ability to make decisions and accept accountability and responsibility for them
- Experience of applying analytical thinking to simplify complex problems, employing pragmatism and undertaking evaluation into successful delivery
- Experience of effective management of stakeholders, enabling clear, honest communication to ensure the successful delivery of a project
- Experience of working within learning design and delivery
Background Information
HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) is responsible for the delivery of probation services in England and Wales. In 2015, the Transforming Rehabilitation programme saw the landscape of probation services change significantly, with the creation of 21 privately run Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and a publicly owned National Probation Service. These reforms led to around 40,000 more offenders receive post-sentence supervision in the community. In July 2018, the Justice Secretary announced the intent to undertake a fundamental reform of probation services with a further announcement, in June 2020, as to the intention to renationalise the service. The Prime Minister has also announced the recruitment of 20,000 new police officers and a series of reforms to sentencing policy to deliver the Governments’ ambitious future vision for the Criminal Justice System.
This suite of changes has, and will continue to have, a fundamental impact on how probation services operate, demand on the system, and the way that services are delivered to offenders who serve all or part of their sentence in the community. This in turn has a crucial impact on our workforce. We recognise that to make sure our probation workforce is fit for the future, resilient and able to respond to upcoming challenges we must do something more to make sure we attract the right people to the profession; ensure that every member of the workforce is able to build their capability and skills on an ongoing basis; allow those working across probation the opportunity to develop and further their careers; and, make sure that our workforce feels valued and appreciated for their sterling work. To this end, the Probation Workforce Programme has been established. This rapidly expanding programme team offers exciting opportunities to lead the design and delivery of a new strategic approach to workforce planning, standard setting and learning and development across the probation service, and will require strong and collaborative working across HMPPS and MOJ.
Head of Learning Design Faculty
This is an exciting opportunity to take on a non-operational, senior leadership role based within the Probation Workforce Programme. You will be responsible for shaping and implementing the new Learning Design Faculty function and for championing an innovative, learner-centred design approach and the use of blended learning.
The purpose of the Learning Design Faculty is to provide end-to-end management of the commissioning of learning, the subsequent sourcing, procurement and/or (re-) design of learning through to quality assurance and testing of the learning resources and experiences; ensuring they support the professional standards and meet the agreed learning outcomes.
Overview of the job
This is a non-operational, senior leadership role based within the Probation
Workforce Programme, responsible for setting up and implementing the new Learning Design Faculty team. The purpose of this team is to provide end-to-end management of the commissioning of learning, the subsequent sourcing, procurement and/or (re-)design of learning through to quality assurance and testing of the learning resources and experiences; ensuring they support the professional standards and meet the agreed learning outcomes.
The post holder will shape, build and establish the new Learning Design Faculty team, bringing high level energy and expertise to developing a new function. They will identify capability needs and implement new resource structures and ways of working. They will take ownership for innovative learning design and a positive learning experience.
The post-holder will be a strong advocate for change, championing and nurturing the new model and motivating others to understand and embrace the change in culture for learning and continuous professional development across the organisation.
The post holder will be responsible for overseeing the learning commissioning route, ensuring that learning requirements are prioritised against the HMPPS organisational strategic priorities and the strategic learning priorities for the NPS. They will share learning demand data and insights gathered through the commissioning route with key stakeholders to inform the learning strategy and workforce planning requirements for future learning design and delivery.
Once learning has been commissioned, the post holder will be responsible for providing oversight for the sourcing, procurement and/or (re-)design of quality assured learning resources and experiences that will be delivered digitally, virtually, socially or face-to-face. They will champion the leaner-centred design approach and the use of blended learning; ensuring that the learning resources and experiences meet the organisational and strategic learning outcomes and create a quality learning experience that is positive, engaging and accessible to all learners at point of need.
The post holder will ensure that the Learning Design Faculty team work closely with the Learning Services team and other key business stakeholders or SMEs to identify and understand the strategic learning requirement and the desired learning outcomes. When required, they will support the team with establishing working groups to enable the design and development of learning resources and experiences that meet the learning outcomes and support the professional standards; ensuring the learning is fit for purpose for ways of working now and in the future.
The post-holder will ensure that the team adhere to the defined quality standards and controls for the design, development, testing and iteration of learning. They will provide input and guidance to the Quality Board, shaping the quality approach for the future and ensuring robust evaluation measures are in place to assess the effectiveness of learning.
The post holder will have formal line management responsibility for the Learning Design and Experience and the Learning Commissioning Team Leads and is responsible for the overall management of the Learning Design Faculty team,
monitoring effective use of resources and identifying and shaping budget requirements and the cost management approach.
The post-holder will provide leadership to all Learning Design Faculty staff, acting as a positive and proactive role-model. They will be responsible for the setting and maintenance of high standards and clear objectives, and for driving changes within the team, staff development and reshaping the team, when required.
This role is HQ based and will require occasional travel to other HMPPS sites/regions.
Summary
The main purpose of this role is to:
- Provide learning design expertise and effective leadership skills to develop, set and sustain the strategic direction of the Learning Design Faculty team.
- Focus on delivery through people; defining, setting and contributing to the team's objectives in line with the learning strategy and overall aims.
- Take responsibility for capacity and resource planning, based on learning demand data and insights to ensure the successful delivery of all team commissions/projects within the required timescales.
- Challenge conventional ways of thinking; champion the new L&D model and new ways of working to promote and encourage a culture of learning and continuous development across the organisation.
Responsibilities,Activities and Duties
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Provide learning design expertise and effective leadership skills to develop, set and sustain the strategic direction of the Learning Design Faculty team.
- Focus on delivery through people; defining, setting and contributing to the team's objectives in line with the learning strategy and overall aims.
- Take responsibility for capacity and resource planning, based on learning demand data and insights to ensure the successful delivery of all team commissions/projects within the required timescales.
- Challenge conventional ways of thinking; champion the new L&D model and new ways of working to promote and encourage a culture of learning and continuous development across the organisation.
- Ensure that all learning solutions have clear learning outcomes that align with the strategic priorities, are regularly evaluated and iterated where viable and demonstrate clear added value.
- Own and develop individual learning design and experience products/ content as well as supporting the team in the delivery of their work.
- Build, protect and promote the reputation of the team, taking responsibility for the team to meet the required and expected standards of delivery, performance and behaviour.
- Ensure all learning design and experience work adheres to the defined quality requirements and controls and meets professional standards.
- Develop and manage direct reports, fulfilling all line management duties as required, including performance and attendance management.
- Lead by example and be a strong advocate for learning, taking responsibility for own continuous professional development and building the capability of the team.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues at all levels across the programme and organisation in the design and delivery of learner-centred learning resources and experiences.
- Establish and manage relationships with key internal, external providers and stakeholders, and holding suppliers or stakeholders to account where needed.
- Attend programme meetings/Boards to represent the team and inform/ influence key SLT decisions.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.
Behaviours
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Managing a Quality Service
- Seeing the Big Picture
Experience
- Experience of working in a leadership role with the ability to make decisions and accept accountability and responsibility for them.
- Experience of applying analytical thinking to simplify complex problems, employing pragmatism and undertaking evaluation into the successful delivery.
- Experience of effective management of stakeholders, enabling clear, honest communication to ensure the successful delivery of a project.
- Learning design and delivery.
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