The Role
The Learning and Development Assistant Manager is responsible for the delivery and impact of the Saffery Academy non-technical training, aligned to the firm’s strategic priorities, talent agenda and EVP. This role is crucial in ensuring the delivery of high-quality learning programmes that support career development and provide deep insights into relevant topics.
Operating with a high degree of autonomy, the role holder owns the end‑to‑end learning lifecycle for non‑technical programmes, that strengthen performance, progression and engagement across the firm.
The ideal candidate will have experience in learning and development within a professional services environment, strong project management skills, and the ability to work within budget constraints.
The Learning and Development Assistant Manager will have access to support from the Learning and Development Administrator – a shared resource across the L&D team.
Key Responsibilities:
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L&D Strategy: Work closely with the Head of Learning and Development to successfully embed the Saffery Academy. Ensure continued alignment of L&D activities with Saffery’s commercial and strategic objectives. Exercise judgement and autonomy in determining priorities, approaches and solutions to ensure learning investment delivers measurable organisational value.
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Fundamentals Training: Own the design, quality and effectiveness of the firm’s induction experience (excluding Risk and Regulatory training), ensuring a consistent and engaging welcome that accelerates performance and integration for new joiners.
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Accountable for ensuring that all induction learning is aligned to the firm’s values, culture and employee value proposition. Lead the development of materials and curate high‑quality content by partnering with subject matter experts across the business, ensuring accuracy, relevance and long‑term sustainability of the offer.
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Accelerators: Hold end‑to‑end accountability for high‑impact career‑milestone programmes. Work closely with Learning Business Partners, review feedback and set and monitor course KPIs. Ensure these programmes directly support progression, performance and readiness for increased responsibility.
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Own the relationship with external providers delivering accelerator programmes, setting direction, shaping programme design and ensuring delivery meets the firm’s strategic and commercial requirements. Work closely with Learning Business Partners to diagnose evolving needs, commission changes and ensure learning is embedded and applied in the business.
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Masterclasses: Define the strategic intent, focus and priority topics for non‑technical masterclasses in consultation with Learning Business Partners and senior stakeholders.
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Own the end‑to‑end design and delivery of the masterclass programme, including identification and engagement of high‑quality internal and external speakers. Ensure sessions provide meaningful insight, stretch thinking and address current and future capability needs across the firm.
- On Demand Learning: Using learning expertise, work with Linked-In Learning curation team to build non-technical learning pathways that will complement our wider L&D offering.
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Communications: Prepare and distribute communications related to non-technical training programmes, maximising attendance at all events. Exercise judgement in tailoring communications for different audiences and seniority levels, positioning learning as a strategic enabler rather than a transactional activity.
- Coaching: Hold accountability for the firm’s preferred supplier list of coaches, ensuring governance, quality and alignment with organisational standards.
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Ensure all coaches are appropriately qualified, contracted and positioned to deliver value, and that coaching provision supports broader capability and performance objectives rather than operating as a standalone intervention.
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Budget Management: Manage the budget for all non-technical training programmes, ensuring it is allocated for maximum return on investment. Ensure all learning initiatives are managed within budget. Ensure invoices for programmes under management are promptly processed.
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Monitoring and Evaluation: Ensure all attendance is accurately recorded onto the Learning Management System, and that evaluation data is captured for all courses, to enable the monitoring of learning impact.
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Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the organisation to ensure alignment and support for learning initiatives.
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Presentation and Facilitation Skills: The role holder will be required to facilitate training sessions and deliver presentations both in-person and online as part of delivery of our L&D curriculum. These would include Induction sessions, and some non-technical training sessions.
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Supplier Management: Maintain strong relationships with external training providers. Secure contracts with providers, in line with the firm’s procurement process ensuring the right commercial terms are in place.
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Insights: Maintain a strong knowledge of learning trends, technologies and approaches. Apply insight proactively to evolve the firm’s learning approach, ensuring non‑technical learning remains contemporary, effective and aligned to external best practice and internal needs.
- Project Management: Support and lead on L&D projects as and when required, following agreed processes and reporting protocols.
You
Strong experience in Learning and Development, ideally with time spent working in professional services.
Skills:
- Strong project management and organisational skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to analyse data and measure program effectiveness.
- Budget management experience.
Personal Attributes:
- Flexible and able to adapt to changing business needs.
- Creative thinker with a passion for continuous improvement.
- Team player with a collaborative approach to working with others.
- Strong problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Reward and Benefits:
- A 35-hour working week with flexibility around the core hours of 10am-4pm
- Agile working policy giving you the option to work from home for up to 3 days per week.
- 25 days annual leave. After 5 years’ service, the entitlement will be increased by 1 day.
- In addition, employees are entitled to buy or sell up to 5 days holiday a year
- Contributory pension scheme (The firm will contribute 5% of salary on a matched basis with employee from their date of joining)
- Life assurance cover of 4 x annual salary,
- Eligibility for the firm’s Profit-Sharing Plan that runs from October to September each year. The scheme enables staff to share in the profits of the firm.
- New client referral scheme. Members of staff introducing a new client to the firm, have the potential to receive a referral payment of up to 10% of the first year’s total fees.
- Staff have access to health assessments, cancer screenings and health cash plans through the flexible benefits programme.
- Access to a number of additional benefits with preferential rates under the flexible benefit programme, health cash plans, health screening/GP support, critical illness cover, dental and travel insurance, Techscheme, Cyclescheme, Gymflex and a Workplace ISA.
About us
Saffery LLP is an adviser to individuals and businesses across a range of sectors, providing market-leading accountancy, audit, business advisory, tax and VAT services. Founded in 1855, we are the UK’s 15th largest accountancy firm.
When you work with us at Saffery, you work with people who know your name, not just a job title. We’re a place shaped by friendly, intelligent people who are individually excellent and collectively exceptional. We’re committed to our clients, but also to our greatest asset – our people.
As a proud member of Nexia, a leading, international network of independent accounting and consulting firms, we’ve got access to local insight on a global scale.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us. With our ED&I strategy, Everyone Belongs, we are building on our positive work culture and implementing initiatives to improve diversity and strengthen our equitable culture of inclusion, led from the top.
We hope you will apply to us, whatever your background, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, disability or neurodivergence, because individual differences equal collective strength. Built on values of excellence, integrity, enthusiasm and collegiality, Saffery is where Potential meets Personal.