Learning and Organisational Development Partner

Job summary

Join Us as a Learning & Organisational Development Partner

Shape the Future. Empower People. Drive Performance.

We’re excited to welcome a new Learning & Organisational Development (L&OD) Partner to our dynamic team within the People Division at UKHO.

At UKHO, our L&OD Team is at the heart of building a thriving, future-ready organisation. We champion continuous learning, leadership excellence, and organisational performance—embedding The UKHO Way in everything we do. Through innovative learning and development programmes, we empower our people to grow, lead, and deliver exceptional outcomes for our customers.

As an L&OD Partner, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the learning and skills provision that enables UKHO to meet the needs of today—and anticipate the demands of tomorrow. You’ll collaborate across the organisation to:

• Lead the analysis, design, delivery, and evaluation of L&OD programmes.

• Manage organisation-wide projects that enhance culture, employee experience, talent planning, and capability.

• Build future-focused development strategies that support evolving business priorities and workforce needs.

• Drive meaningful cultural change in complex and dynamic contexts.

This is more than a job—it’s a chance to make a real difference. You’ll be part of a supportive, ambitious team that values innovation, inclusion, and continuous improvement. Whether you're looking to deepen your expertise or take the next step in your career, this role offers a unique opportunity to grow while helping others do the same.

Hybrid Working Expectations

This job role can be worked on a hybrid basis, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, working between the office in Taunton and remotely within the UK. Office attendance is expected a minimum 60% of the time dependant on business requirements.

Job description

• Develop deep understanding of UKHO culture, ways of working, business priorities, and workforce needs to inform targeted L&OD interventions with measurable impact.
• Provide expert internal consultancy to leaders and managers on people-centred L&OD solutions, including talent management, team effectiveness, and skills and capability.
• Embed and manage The UKHO Way and aligned employee experience through programmes, tools, and collaboration with stakeholders and networks.
• Lead leadership and management development by designing and delivering evolving a curriculum, including coaching, mentoring, and line manager orientation.
• Oversee enterprise learning provision and capability building, managing external training providers, budgets, and digital learning solutions aligned with workforce plans.
• Drive high performance and talent management best practice enterprise-wide, ensuring alignment with professions, to meet the requirements of the strategic workforce plan.
• Chair the Culture Champions network to promote OD and culture best practices across the organisation.
• Provide leadership within the People and L&OD teams, fostering collaboration, coaching, performance management, and alignment with The UKHO Way.

Person specification

1. Experience of working in a Learning and Organisational Development (OD) role in a complex organisation.
2. Proven experience translating learning theory into effective, inclusive and value for money learning solutions for diverse audiences, with expertise in designing, delivering and evaluating interventions at both strategic and operational levels.
3. Demonstrated expertise in organisational development and large-scale culture and behaviour change, using business and behavioural insights to shape, deliver and measure impact.
4. Skilled in applying OD tools and methodologies (e.g. systems thinking, diagnostics, cultural enquiry, psychometrics and deep dive analysis) within complex environments.
5. Strong influencing, engagement and internal consultancy skills, with the credibility to work effectively with senior leaders and across the organisation.
6. Sound knowledge of leadership and management development best practice, with practical experience of applying this effectively in workplace settings.
7. Experience of aligning to and implementing professions and career frameworks and delivering talent development interventions aligned to a Strategic Workforce Plan.
8. Experience of leading and managing teams or project groups within matrix structures, fostering collaboration across functions and balancing competing priorities.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,746, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £14,121 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued.

We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more.

See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply:

Please attach a copy of your CV and a 1250 word (maximum) personal statement demonstrating your relevant experience to the criteria below by clicking "Apply Now" at the bottom of this page.

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications: 11/06/2026
• Shortlisting: week commencing 22/06/2026
• Interviews: week commencing 15/07/2026

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

All applications are processed anonymously. You will be short-listed against the following criteria:

Experience:

• Experience working in a Learning and Organisational Development role within a complex organisation, translating learning theory into effective, inclusive and value‑for‑money solutions through the design, delivery and evaluation of interventions at both strategic and operational levels
• Demonstrated expertise in organisational development and large-scale culture and behaviour change, using business and behavioural insights to shape, deliver and measure impact.
• Skilled in applying OD tools and methodologies (e.g. systems thinking, diagnostics, cultural enquiry, psychometrics and deep dive analysis) within complex environments.
• Strong influencing, engagement and internal consultancy skills, with the credibility to work effectively with senior leaders and across the organisation.
• Sound knowledge of leadership and management development best practice, with practical experience of applying this effectively in workplace settings.
• Experience of aligning to and implementing professions and career frameworks and delivering talent development interventions aligned to a Strategic Workforce Plan (lead criteria)

This will be assessed against your 1250 word (maximum) supporting statement.

Interview Criteria:

You will be interviewed against the following criteria:

Experience:

• Experience working in a Learning and Organisational Development role within a complex organisation, translating learning theory into effective, inclusive and value‑for‑money solutions through the design, delivery and evaluation of interventions at both strategic and operational levels (TEST SCENARIO)
• Demonstrated capability in organisational development, including experience in large-scale cultural transformation and behavioural change and using business and behavioural insights to inform, shape and measure impact. (TEST SCENARIO)
• Skilled in using tools and methodologies such as systems thinking, diagnostics, cultural enquiries, psychometric and personality profiling and deep-dive analysis within complex environments. (TEST SCENARIO)
• Strong influencing, engagement and internal consultancy skills, with the credibility to work effectively with senior leaders and across the organisation. (TEST SCENARIO)
• Experience of aligning to and implementing professions and career frameworks, and delivering talent development interventions aligned to a Strategic Workforce Plan (TEST SCENARIO)
• Experience of aligning to and implementing professions and career frameworks and delivering talent development interventions aligned to a Strategic Workforce Plan (lead criteria)
• Experience of leading and managing teams or project groups within matrix structures, fostering collaboration across functions and balancing competing priorities.

Civil Service Behaviours (SEO Level):

• ​​Seeing the Big Picture​
• ​​Communicating and Influencing​
• ​​Managing a Quality Service​

See here for further information: Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Process:

• Single Stage Interview in the office. You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted.
• Interview will be with a panel of no more than 2 people and will last approx. 60 mins
• As part of the interview process, 30 minutes prior to the interview, you will be given a test scenario to respond to. The criteria this will demonstrate is indicated above. More details will follow in the invitation to interview.

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.

Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship.

Residency Requirements:

BPSS – non reserved

This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and is open to UK, British Commonwealth, and European Economic Area nationals. Successful applicants will be required to pass the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) and will therefore need to provide evidence if they have resided outside of the UK for a period of 6 months or longer within the last 3 years. This is not a bar to employment, but a successful applicant will be required to provide sufficient evidence to allow the UKHO to conduct meaningful background checks. Please contact the recruitment team on the email address below if you have any concerns regarding this.

Eligibility

Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Further information

Further Information

The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or view more details at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

20210309 additional pay info Opens in new window (pdf, 163kB)UKHO Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 5713kB)