Why join us
Joining the People Team at Sainsbury's as a Functional & Technical Skills Specialist offers a unique opportunity to drive impactful learning strategies that align with business objectives and enhance the core skills competencies needed for strategic success. As a key player in consulting, defining, and managing enterprise-level functional and technical skills learning, you will have the chance to collaborate with senior stakeholders, influence curriculum development, and foster continuous improvement. With a focus on customer obsession, performance excellence, boundaryless leadership, and fearless team empowerment, this role presents a dynamic environment where you can contribute to shaping the future of learning and development at a leading multi-channel retail organisation, making a tangible impact on both the business and its people.
What you'll do
As the Functional & Technical Skills Specialist at Sainsbury's, you will play a pivotal role in consulting, defining, and product managing enterprise-level functional and technical skills learning programmes across the organisation. Your primary focus will be on ensuring that a robust and scalable skill-based learning offer is developed centrally to meet business needs, while also supporting divisional teams in customising learning to address their specific requirements. You will collaborate with senior stakeholders, leadership teams, and subject matter experts to shape the technical and functional skills offer, driving strategic impact and aligning development initiatives with performance outcomes. Your responsibilities will span from leading communities of expertise to partnering with divisional leadership teams in identifying and addressing new and emerging skills gaps, ultimately contributing to the continuous improvement of learning products and the overall business impact.
Who you are
As a Functional & Technical Skills Specialist at Sainsbury's, you are a strategic and results-driven learning professional with a proven track record in designing and implementing innovative learning strategies aligned with business objectives. Your ability to diagnose skills gaps, collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, and drive the development of robust skills and capability frameworks sets you apart. With strong project management skills, commercial acumen, and a data-driven mindset, you excel in creating scalable learning solutions that deliver measurable impact and drive continuous improvement. Your collaborative mindset, problem-solving capabilities, and commitment to customer-centricity align with Sainsbury's values and leadership expectations, making you a key player in shaping the future of learning and development within the organisation.
Essential Criteria
Demonstrable experience in designing and implementing enterprise-level learning strategies aligned to business goals, including planning for both short- and long-term outcomes. Proven ability to define and deliver skills and capability frameworks that inform curriculum development and address organisational performance needs. Evidence of performance consulting with senior stakeholders, including diagnosing root causes of skills gaps and recommending targeted learning interventions. Track record of using data and insights to evaluate learning impact, including benchmarking, reporting, and continuous improvement of learning products. Experience managing cross-functional learning projects, including collaboration with subject matter experts, external providers, and delivery teams to produce scalable, high-quality learning solutions.