Head of Learning & Development

London (1–2 days per week in office) | Full-time (4 days considered)

£80,000- £90,000 base + benefits

Hawkwood is partnering with a private equity-backed, high-growth SaaS group operating at meaningful scale across the UK and internationally.

The group serves over 14,000 customers and employs 600 people globally. Revenues have grown significantly in recent years, with further acceleration planned following a recent reinvestment. The business is now entering its next phase: continued organic growth, M&A activity, AI-enabled product expansion, and a likely exit event within a 3–5 year horizon with Learning & Development a strategic priority.

This is a newly created Head of Learning & Development role, reporting to the Group Talent Director, with a clear mandate: review, refresh and relaunch a group-wide L&D strategy that supports performance, productivity and progression at scale.

There is strong executive sponsorship and a meaningful annual L&D budget & the foundations are in place. What’s now required is a senior, commercially astute operator who can bring clarity, cohesion and pace.

You will operate group-wide initially, establishing a holistic L&D philosophy across all operating companies, before driving divisional implementation. You will lead a small, international team with the autonomy to shape structure and delivery models, balancing strategic design with pragmatic execution.

This is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-scaling, performance-focused tech environment. It requires credibility with engineers, commercial teams and senior stakeholders alike.

What you'll do:

Review, refresh and relaunch the group-wide Learning & Development strategy, ensuring alignment to commercial priorities and growth plans
Design and deliver a clear, visible L&D roadmap spanning leadership, management capability, technical upskilling and compliance
Own and evolve the group leadership development journey for both existing and future leaders
Lead a structured manager upskilling programme across a fast-growth, PE-backed environment
Spearhead AI upskilling initiatives, tailoring learning pathways by function (e.g. engineering, support, commercial) to drive productivity gains
Design distinct learning journeys for software engineers alongside commercial and operational teams
Oversee and optimise a £400–500k annual L&D budget, balancing internal capability building with external partnerships
Partner closely with senior stakeholders to translate business strategy into actionable learning interventions
Support integration of newly acquired businesses into the group learning ecosystem
Lead and develop a small international L&D team, setting expectations around ownership, delivery standards and impact measurement

You will bring:

Proven experience designing and leading L&D strategy within a scaling tech or SaaS organisation of 500+ employees, ideally in a private equity-backed environment
A strong track record of building structured development pathways for software engineers alongside commercial and operational teams
Experience creating clear progression frameworks that link skills, competencies and learning to career advancement
Confidence shaping a group-wide L&D philosophy across multiple business units and geographies
Commercial acumen, understanding how L&D drives productivity, retention and delivery against ambitious growth and EBITDA targets
Experience partnering with subject matter experts to design AI and digital upskilling journeys tailored by role type
Credibility with senior stakeholders, able to communicate succinctly and influence time-poor leadership teams
Experience leading small, internationally distributed teams and operating effectively in hybrid and remote environments
A pragmatic, hands-on approach, comfortable building structure in a fast-paced scale-up where not everything is fully formed
Experience delivering blended learning models, combining internal design with targeted external providers
Willingness to travel occasionally across UK and international offices

We recognise how competitive the current market is for senior People professionals, and Hawkwood is committed to providing a confidential, fair and positive candidate experience throughout.

If you’re interested in exploring this opportunity, please apply via this LinkedIn advert rather than by email or direct message. This ensures every application is reviewed fairly and consistently.

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