Closing Date
2026-04-28
Job Title: Skills & Capability Lead
Location: Durrington/hybrid
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours
About the Role
We’re looking for a dynamic and forward‑thinking Skills & Capability Lead to shape the future of learning, capability and performance across our organisation. This is a senior leadership role that sits at the heart of our transformation agenda—driving a culture of continuous improvement, capability excellence and high performance.
Reporting to the Head of Talent, Capability & Leadership, you will set the strategic direction for business skills development, lead a high‑performing team, and ensure that the organisation’s workforce has the right skills, behaviours and expertise to deliver on our current and future priorities.
This is a role for someone who thrives in complexity, is energised by building something exceptional, and can influence at every level of a fast‑moving organisation.
What you will be responsible for
1. Designing and delivering the organisation’s multi‑year capability and learning strategy, aligned to business priorities, workforce planning and future‑skills needs.
2. Leading and developing a team of learning specialists to deliver strategic, high‑impact learning solutions.
3. Establishing learning governance, frameworks and enterprise standards that ensure consistency, quality and measurable value across all learning activity.
4. Owning and managing the business skills training budget, including forecasting, vendor/msp management, and prioritising investment to ensure cost‑effective delivery.
5. Leading organisation-wide learning programmes, including induction, mandatory training, behavioural and business skills development, and enterprise capability uplift.
6. Designing high‑quality training solutions, both internally developed and through external providers, ensuring content is engaging, modern and aligned to our skills strategy.
7. Driving continuous improvement and innovation, including digital learning, data‑driven decision making and future learning technologies.
8. Building strong relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders, ensuring capability needs are understood, prioritised and embedded.
9. Assuring quality and compliance across all training provision, ensuring learning meets internal standards, regulatory requirements and business expectations.
Additional Requirements Specific to the Role
10. Oversight of MSP/learning provider performance and commercial management.
11. Development of enterprise-wide skills frameworks and capability pathways.
12. Occasional travel for team leadership, supplier meetings or programme delivery.
What you’ll bring to the role
Essential
13. Proven experience leading, designing and delivering enterprise‑wide learning and development programmes.
14. Strong leadership capability with experience managing teams and/or centres of expertise.
15. Experience creating or leading learning governance frameworks and policy development.
16. Budget ownership experience, including vendor management and commercial oversight.
17. Strong instructional design and programme development skills.
18. Experience working with learning management systems and digital learning platforms.
19. Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organisation-wide adoption of new practices.
20. Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to use data to evaluate impact and shape decisions.
21. CIPD qualification or equivalent experience.
Desirable
22. Coaching qualification or experience.
23. Experience working with MSPs or large external training providers.
24. Knowledge of psychometrics or talent assessment tools.
25. Experience in workforce planning, capability mapping or organisational development.
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.
You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need.
If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself)
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional information:
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.
Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all preemployment checks, including security vetting.
Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.
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