People Development Operations Manager

Northampton Business Directory; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading automotive training provider is seeking a People Development Operations Manager in Milton Keynes to oversee the operational delivery of their training department. This role involves ensuring effective training strategies, managing personnel, and leading the transition of the Academy. Candidates should possess strong leadership skills, experience in people development, and an understanding of training technologies. Competitive salary and excellent benefits, including hybrid working, are offered.

Benefits

Hybrid working

Enhanced parental leave

Eligibility to annual bonus scheme

Company car and loan car scheme

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Competitive pension

4x basic salary life assurance

Qualifications

• Proven experience in overseeing organizational training.
• Direct management of People Development support functions.
• Ability to analyze complex information effectively.

Responsibilities

• Ensure smooth operation of the Scania Academy site.
• Drive and deliver the relocation of the Academy.
• Research and specify training disciplines and best practices.
• Monitor departmental KPIs for informed decision making.
• Prepare reports and present findings.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

People management

Analytical skills

Excellent communication

Education

Training/People Development qualification

Job description

SGB

People Development Operations Manager

Location: Milton Keynes (Brand New Scania UK Learning Academy)

Working hours: Monday to Friday 08:45 – 5:00pm

Salary: £55,000 plus an excellent benefits package

Benefits

• Hybrid working
• Enhanced parental leave
• Eligibility to annual bonus scheme
• Company car and access to a fantastic loan car scheme
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Competitive pension
• 4x basic salary life assurance

Summary

An opportunity for an organised and strategic leader to support the successful operational delivery of our People Development department. Reporting into the Head of People Development, you will support the strategic delivery of Technical, Apprentice, Commercial and Leadership training and Development throughout our business, as well as overseeing project, stakeholder and supplier management. This is a crucial role aligning all training disciplines, to deliver accurate planning and delivery of training, and an exceptional delegate experience.

You will have experience in People Development as well as identifying emerging technologies and trends to propose innovative ideas for continuous improvements. As operations manager you will have people management experience, responsible for our administrative support, instructional design and method engineering teams.

This role will be based at our new Academy in Milton Keynes from around July 2026 with occasional travel to Loughborough (current Academy) until the move.

In this role you will:

• Ensure the smooth operation of the Scania Academy site (currently based in Loughborough).
• Play a significant role in driving and delivering the relocation of the current Academy from Loughborough to Milton Keynes.
• Support with the research and specification of all training disciplines, creating best practice policies, procedures, and training.
• Research and engage new training providers and vendors in the areas of learning & development; Technical, Apprentice, Leadership, Commercial and Health and Safety.
• Identify business needs for learning and competence development based on the current vehicle parc and rolling fleet of Scania products and services.
• Interpret business needs effectively, to understand and develop learning briefs to scope out the end user learning journeys.
• Define measures of success that link People Development programmes to tangible benefits and return on investment.
• Continually monitor departmental KPI’s to enable informed decision making. Including pro-active subscription management.
• Prepare extensive reports and present findings to all levels of the business.
• Support the research of learning & development trends and innovation including methods, technology, software, systems, and equipment.
• Assist with strategic planning for future competencies and job roles as defined by the roadmap for upcoming products and services, considering business priorities and strategy.
• Support Technical & Method Engineers, Learning & Development teams and branch workshops with the research and specification of equipment, tooling, software, and systems.
• Management of support function, including Administration, Reception, Instructional Design, Method Engineering and Business Analytics.
• Coach and support direct line reports to understand their role and develop efficiencies in processes
• Ensure everything we do is delivered in a compliant way in accordance with our internal policies & guidelines, and legislative requirements.
• Ensure data protection rules and regulations are adhered to regarding candidate details.

About you

• Leadership – pro-actively ensuring successful delivery of training objectives and the development of our people.
• Strategic thinking – proven experience overseeing the planning, development and delivery of organisational training company wide.
• People management – directly responsible for managing our People Development support functions as well as Instructional design, method engineering and business analytics.
• Organised – responsible for the smooth running of day-to-day Academy operations.

• Analytical – analysing complex information with the ability to translate this into meaningful insights.

• Stakeholder & supplier influence – influencing both stakeholders and suppliers to ensure our strategic goals are delivered on time, with excellence.

• Training/People Development qualification.
• Automotive understanding - an excellent working knowledge of the automotive industry, technology trends and Scania products (desirable).
• Excellent communication – communicating across the board, verbally, in writing and through presentations.

Closing Date

30.01.26

Interview Dates

5th and 6th February 2026

Next steps

1. If you like the sound of this position, please apply today.
2. A member of the Scania Recruitment team will contact you to discuss your application.
3. If you are successful at that stage, you will be invited to have a conversation with the hiring manger.