Professional Training Specialist

London

13/03/2024

Context and main purpose of the job:
Job Description
Location: London
Employment: Permanent
Salary: c£49,000
The National Audit Office (NAO) supports parliament to hold government to account and to improve public services. We focus on driving long-term sustainable improvement in public service delivery and work with government and our stakeholders to deliver better performance. In a nutshell, we help the nation spend wisely.
The Human Resources team provides a full range of HR services and support to ensure we have the high calibre people needed to deliver our ambitious strategy. The HR team consists of around 19 staff, working closely together to deliver a high-quality professional service and is formed of the following sub-teams:

Attendance and Wellbeing/Business Partnering

Resourcing, Reward, Performance and Professional Training

Systems and Data

We are pleased to advertise a vacancy for a Professional Training Specialist, Band 2.
This role will oversee all aspects of the NAO’s professional accountancy training schemes for graduates and apprentices. Approximately 85 trainees join the office each year with around 220 trainees on the scheme at any one time.
Our accountancy trainees are an integral part of the NAO’s workforce and form our main pipeline to more senior grades. Ensuring that we have a high quality, well run programme in which trainees receive support, advice and guidance to progress through their ACA exams and achieve ICAEW membership is a key strategic priority for the NAO. This is a high profile, exciting role with the opportunity to work with multiple stakeholders and make a real difference to trainees as they start their career with us.

Main responsibilities

Overseeing all operational elements of the NAO’s graduate and school leaver training schemes.

Ensuring that NAO trainees receive high quality support from the training team and that all elements of the scheme, including college bookings, processing exam results and responding to queries are completed quickly and accurately and with an emphasis on customer service.

Designing and implementing developments to enhance the training scheme, ensuring trainees receive support and training to put them in the best position to pass their exams and achieve their ICAEW qualification.

Managing communication and engagement with trainees including attending forums and drop in sessions and responding to staff survey feedback.

Managing relationships and contracts with external bodies, including our college provider and the ICAEW to ensure a high-quality service.

Ensuring HR Business Partners have the information they need to implement workplace adjustments and amended exam pathways for trainees.

Provide direct support to trainees on reasonable adjustments and exam pathways as required.

Undertaking analysis of data (including exam pass rates and campaign data) to identify trends and put forward recommendations for action.

Managing team budgets.

Briefing other colleagues, including senior management, on elements of the training scheme, including pass rates, college timetables, and trainee engagement.

Management of two junior colleagues.

Relationships and Accountability
Reports to: Head of HR Operations
Internal relationships: The post holder will work closely with a range of internal colleagues, including the NAO’s QPRT, the Trainee Experience Programme manager, the wider HR team, Learning and Development; service line leadership, including Executive Directors, trainees, and performance coaches.
External relationships: The post holder will also work closely with external partners including our college provider and the ICAEW.
Staff resources managed: Supervising junior colleagues.

Skills, experience, attributes and qualifications
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate: -

Experience of managing a Professional Training scheme of a similar size and scope to the NAO’s programme.

Customer focused with the experience of providing a high quality service to multiple stakeholders.

Strong excel skills and ability to analyse data to identify trends and key risks.

Experience in managing online systems.

Proactive in identifying improvements in how we do things and opportunities to add value.

Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver high quality services and advice in a timely and efficient way to meet business needs.

Works collaboratively with others to achieve the best outcome and service to clients.

Communicates clearly and succinctly and is credible and influential in meetings with a range of stakeholders.