Competency & Training Manager

Competency & Training Manager

Leading Rail Engineering & Maintenance Organisation | Barton-under-Needwood | £65,000 - £68,000 + Benefits (Potential Flexibility to £72,000)

The Situation

A leading provider of overhaul, maintenance and engineering services to the rolling stock industry is investing heavily in the development of a robust competency and training function to support future growth.

As part of this evolution, the business is seeking to appoint a Competency & Training Manager to take ownership of competency management across the organisation.

This is a business-critical position sitting within the Quality function and will play a pivotal role in ensuring workforce competence, training compliance and audit readiness across multiple operational locations.

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to build and shape a competency and training function from the ground up, while establishing and developing a new internal training school that will become a centre of excellence for workforce development.

The successful candidate will have the autonomy to create structure, implement best practice and develop a training academy that supports current operational requirements while building capability for future growth.

Working for a major player within the rail industry, you will have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by creating a sustainable competency framework, improving workforce capability, and embedding a training culture that supports operational excellence, compliance and continuous improvement.

The Key Deliverables

Within the first 12 months, the successful candidate will be expected to:

Develop and implement a fully operational competency framework. Design, establish and launch an internal training school. Create robust competency and skills matrices across the workforce. Ensure complete visibility of workforce competence across the organisation. Identify and address competence gaps and training lapses. Prepare the business for and successfully support ISO audit requirements. Establish effective governance of assessor and training processes. Embed consistent competency management practices across all relevant functions.

The Key Responsibilities

Lead the business competency management framework. Develop and maintain competency matrices and skills matrices across the workforce. Act as the lead assessor and competency subject matter expert. Manage internal Training Assessors and external training partners. Design, implement and oversee the company's internal training school. Identify skills gaps, competence risks and lapsed training requirements. Establish processes for competency assessments and re-certification activities. Support internal and external audits relating to competence and training. Produce competency reporting and compliance data for senior leadership. Work closely with Production Managers, Team Managers and the Quality function to ensure accurate competency records. Drive continuous improvement initiatives within training and competency management. Ensure compliance with industry and regulatory requirements.

The Essential Skills and Competencies

Essential Experience

Experience developing and implementing competency frameworks. Experience managing competency matrices and workforce skills records. Strong background within a regulated environment such as rail, aerospace, defence, manufacturing, nuclear, utilities or similar. Experience managing or coordinating assessors and training providers. Audit and compliance experience.

Essential Qualifications

Relevant training, assessment or competency management certifications.

Personal Attributes

Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills. Strong communicator, capable of engaging with employees at all organisational levels. Proactive and self-motivated. Resilient and strong-minded, with the ability to drive change positively. Highly organised and process-driven. Reliable and able to deliver against challenging objectives.

Location & Travel

Primary Location: Barton-under-Needwood

Travel to other operational locations may be required from time to time, with expenses covered in line with company policy.

Salary & Benefits

Salary: £65,000 - £68,000

Potential Flexibility: Up to £72,000 for exceptional candidates.

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About Ford & Stanley Group

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas – recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.

Ford & Stanley TalentWise – Business specialising in blue collar trade & technical services. Ford & Stanley Recruitment – Business specialising in white collar spanning all company functions. Ford & Stanley Executive Search – Business specialising in Executive Search & Executive Interim Solutions. Ford & Stanley Genius Performance – Performance coaching, training, and mental fitness. Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy