Job summary
- Main area
- Training
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 430-CORP26-646A
- Employer
- Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Education & Training (Dept)
- Town
- Milton Keynes
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 30/10/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 09/11/2026
Employer heading
Head of Learning & Organisational Development
Band 8a
At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.
MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).
Our benefits
We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:
- Free on-site parking including EV charging
- Complimentary refreshments
- Flexible working arrangements
- Discounted gym membership
- Salary sacrifice car scheme
- Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
- Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
- On-site nursery (charges apply)
- A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
- VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing
Job overview
Head of Learning & Organisational Development
Department: Education & Organisational Development (OD)
Band 8a £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
Full-time 37.5 hours per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
Are you an inspiring Learning & Organisational Development leader ready to make a Trust-wide impact?
We are looking for an experienced, forward-thinking Head of Learning & Organisational Development to lead a diverse & influential portfolio spanning induction & mandatory training, learning & careers, library & eLearning services, organisational development, staff experience & benefits. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Education & OD, you will have the opportunity to shape services that support our colleagues throughout their careers & help build a skilled, compassionate & inclusive workforce
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who can turn strategy, workforce intelligence and staff feedback into meaningful programmes, measurable improvement & an excellent colleague experience.
You will bring substantial Learning & OD leadership experience, together with expertise in organisational and leadership development, digital learning, stakeholder engagement, & budget & contract management. Working with senior leaders & talented teams across Education & OD, Workforce & the wider Trust, you will influence culture, strengthen capability & ensure our services deliver lasting value for our people, patients & organisation
Interview date: 9 November 2026
Main duties of the job
The Head of Learning & Organisational Development will provide leadership and hold responsibility for performance and continuous improvements of the Learning & OD portfolio comprising four areas:
• Induction and mandatory training
• Learning & Careers
• Library and eLearning services
• Organisational development, staff experience & benefits.
The post holder will operate as the senior lead for the Learning & OD services ensuring the portfolio delivers measurable organisational impact aligned to the Trust’s vision, Workforce Strategy, Education & OD Strategy and national NHS workforce priorities.
The post holder will oversee the delivery of high-quality training, interventions and services to our workforce - current and future, ensuring we have a safe, compassionate and skilled staff. As part of that delivery, they will lead the technology enhanced learning agenda, library and knowledge services plans and implementation of the talent approach at MKUH.
The post holder will report to the Assistant Director of Education & OD and will work alongside peer leads responsible for Practice Education & Resuscitation, Medical Education and Staff Health and Wellbeing. The post holder contributes to shared departmental priorities, ensuring the Learning & OD services are aligned with wider education and wellbeing priorities.
Working for our organisation
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a “Good” rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre. We have just opened the Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards.
Further investment is underway, including the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.
Visit our website to explore the latest news and opportunities at MKUH - News - Milton Keynes University Hospital -
For further information about Milton Keynes please visit - Visit Milton Keynes
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
"We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute"
"They feel supported in their employers making reasonable adjustments to help them carry out their work, rating an 82.9%" (NHS Staff Survey 2024"
Service Leadership:
- Lead the Learning & OD function to create and deliver a high-quality and efficient portfolio that supports four core components of the Education & OD Strategy: Welcoming You, Developing You, Supporting You and Rewarding You.
- Provide leadership for the multi-functional Learning & OD service that includes monitoring of objectives and success measures, management of risks, and implementation of improvement plans when needed.
Programme Delivery:
- Oversee the identification of workforce capability gaps and development needs across the Trust through training needs analysis process.
- Ensure that actions arising from staff and service reviews, identified trends and patterns, staff survey, equality impact and standard assessments etc. are actively considered and incorporated in the training needs analysis process.
Finance and Contract Management:
- Manage relevant Learning and OD pay and non-pay budgets, ensuring effective financial control, value for money, timely escalation of risks and delivery within agreed departmental budgetary limits.
- Participate in the process of identifying and supporting delivery of efficiencies and cost improvement opportunities ensuring these are aligned to organisational priorities and do not compromise quality, safety or staff experience.
Please refer to the Job Description for further details.
Person specification
Qualifications & Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Educated to Master’s level (Level 7 professional qualification) or able to demonstrate equivalent professional knowledge and experience in Education, HR, OD, or a related field
- Accredited facilitator of one or more OD and/or psychometric tools
- A chartered member of CIPD
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive leadership experience of Learning & OD functions and accountability for outcomes within the portfolio
- Experience in designing and evaluating learning and OD programmes to make cultural change
Desirable criteria
- Experience of leading teams/services through change processes, restructures or realignment of services
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to set, lead and deliver on defined workforce priorities across the portfolio area
- Ability to develop and monitor KPIs to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of learning, leadership and development activities, ensuring alignment with Trust priorities
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Joanna Klimera
- Job title
- Assistant Director of Education & OD
- Email address
- [email protected]
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