Senior Training Manager

Key Information

Job title: Senior Training Manager
(known internally as Senior Business Partner - Learning Quality & Apprenticeships)

Salary: Circa £85,000     Grade: Band 4

Contract type: TfL     Reference: 4137  

Team: Learning Quality and Apprenticeships     Directorate: Chief Operating Officer

Contract details: Full-time     Location: Victoria, London SW1 with hybrid working
Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements

Application closing date: 23 April 2026 @ 2359

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.  

Overview of project/role

Our Learning Quality and Apprenticeships teams play a vital role in developing the skills and competence of colleagues across London Underground, Elizabeth Line and other operational modes, supporting the wider TfL mission to keep London moving. The department delivers a broad range of high‑quality operational and technical training — from safety‑critical learning to specialist areas such as track, signals and engineering — ensuring teams across the network have the competence needed for safe and reliable operations. It also leads TfL’s structured apprenticeship schemes, combining classroom learning at Acton Training Centre with hands‑on experience across the network, supported by mentors, placement managers and development advisers who help apprentices grow and succeed.

As a Senior Training Manager, you’ll have an excellent opportunity for you to join the senior leadership team shaping Operational Training across Transport for London. In this role, you’ll set the vision for learning quality and excellence, leading the standards for our Operations Apprentice Unit as well as the wider training delivery that supports every area of TfL Operations.

You’ll lead multiple teams and specialist functions responsible for delivering apprenticeships and workplace qualifications in line with external regulatory requirements, including ESFA and Ofsted standards. You’ll also oversee teams focused on trainer professionalism, skills accreditation and the quality and audit of our training delivery outputs, ensuring they continue to meet ORR and other regulatory expectations.

As a key member of the Operational Training senior management team, you’ll help build a strong, collaborative training community that drives effective solutions, promotes consistency and enhances the overall quality of learning across operational areas. Working across the full department — and partnering closely with stakeholders from a range of operational functions — you’ll ensure that learning outcomes are aligned with business needs and support high‑quality performance across the network.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead a specialist training function to deliver effective training solutions across operational and asset environments, ensuring they meet the needs of the business
• Be accountable for compliance with all activities required to meet ESFA funding rules for levy drawdown and Ofsted expectations as well as
• Maintain compliance with standards set out by training bodies such as City & Guild and industry standards in line with ORR and other regulatory bodies
• Liaise and partner with stakeholders to advise on and manage training programmes and strategies within the Apprentice Unit, ensuring business demand is met and customer satisfaction is exceeded
• Management of multiple teams of training specialists and circa 200 Apprentices to support development and drive performance improvements
• Create and maintain trainer quality by developing robust quality assurance capability, setting clear trainer standards and professional qualification and development
• Support the organisation’s revenue strategy by developing forward looking revenue streams and strengthening customer relationships
• Ensure effective supplier management by overseeing external providers and commercial contracts in line with organisational policies
• Drive continual improvement of training processes, systems and frameworks to better meet business needs, enhance accountability and support strategic problem solving

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Skills

• Commercial and high analytical and financial awareness to enable business critical decisions to be made effectively (Essential)
• Ability to interpret and challenge business proposals to provide the business with the best solution to meet the business requirement (Essential)
• Ability to utilise knowledge of TfL/external processes to determine the most effective learning intervention for the business (Highly desirable)
• High level of business acumen and commercial awareness – an understanding of the market (Highly desirable)

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of blended learning and training quality cycle (Essential)
• Knowledge of Employer Provider status, ESFA regulations and OFSTED processes (Essential)
• Business degree or relevant professional qualification or equivalent (Highly desirable)
• Knowledge of change management techniques (Highly desirable)
• Experience of leading operational delivery in a complex, real-time railway operations environment (Desirable)

Experience

• Proven experience of leading and delivering training in a large complex organisation (Essential)
• Leading multiple teams and functions at a senior management level (Essential)
• Proven experience of working with young people (16+ years) in an apprentice/educational environment (Essential)
• Negotiating with key stakeholders in the business and suppliers (Essential)
• Managing diverse teams in both project and line management environments (Highly desirable)
• Working in a highly unionised environment (Desirable)

Application Process

• Please apply using your CV and a one-page cover letter
• Think carefully about the skills, knowledge and experience in the advert and cover this in your CV and cover letter
• PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.

Benefits

In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:

• Final salary pension scheme
• Free travel for you on the TfL network
• Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home
• 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
• TfL is committed to work-life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
• Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
• Tax-efficient cycle-to-work programme
• Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
• Discounted Eurostar travel

We will make every effort to give you as much notice as possible, however some interviews/assessments could be organised at short notice.

Vetting Process

At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/careers/our-vetting-process) explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.