Learning & Development Specialist | Circa £45,000 + excellent benefits | Full time or Part time (4 days pw) | Hybrid

Are you excited by the opportunity to shape organisational capability and support people to grow in their careers? Thatcham Research is looking for a Learning & Development Specialist to join our L&D team and help drive learning initiatives that align with our People Strategy and wider business goals.

This brand-new role offers the chance to influence how we identify skills gaps, design career pathways, and deliver meaningful learning experiences across the organisation.

You’ll play a key role in strengthening our organisational capability, while also supporting the wider L&D team through facilitation, coaching, and stakeholder engagement. Your ability to blend data-driven insights with creative learning design will help us develop a forward‑looking, skilled workforce.

As the new Learning & Development Specialist, you’ll:

Partner with People Partners and Managers to carry out training needs analyses and create tailored development plans for teams, including conducting skills gap analysis where required.

Analyse workforce and learning data to inform workforce and succession planning, support updates to the L&D strategy, and recommend targeted L&D interventions.

Support the L&D Manager in designing our approach to competency frameworks and career pathways, providing guidance, coaching and constructive feedback to both managers and learners.

Work closely with individuals, managers, and the wider L&D team to identify learning opportunities aligned to roles and career aspirations, contributing to the design and facilitation of learning events.

Document key L&D processes and workflows, producing clear process maps that support efficiency, consistency, and wider business understanding.

Assist in creating and updating high‑quality learning materials and resources to support a wide range of development initiatives.

Skills & experience that will set you up for success:

Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate confidently across teams and levels.

Strong coaching and advisory capabilities to support individuals through their professional development journeys.

A proactive, collaborative and adaptable approach, with the ability to build trusted relationships and respond to evolving business needs.

Knowledge or experience working with competency frameworks and career pathways

Experience of strategic workforce planning would be beneficial

Experience in learning design and facilitation, creating engaging and accessible learning experiences.

Previous experience in an L&D environment, ideally within a generalist or specialist capacity.

Analytical thinking, with the ability to interpret performance and competence data to inform learning needs analysis.

An understanding of core HR processes, with confidence using MS Office and HRIS systems.

Ability to evaluate learning outcomes, translating insights into meaningful, actionable improvements.

Did you know...

Research tells us that men are more likely to apply to jobs if they meet only 60% of the criteria, whereas women often hesitate or don't apply unless they meet all of the criteria. This difference in application behaviour can contribute to the gender gap in career advancement and opportunities.

We know the perfect candidate doesn't exist! If you think you have what it takes but don't tick every box, we'd still encourage you to apply - it could be a perfect fit!

Perks & Benefits

Salary - Circa £45,000 dependent on skills & experience.

10% non-contributory pension
29 days holiday (inclusive of Christmas shutdown) + public holidays
Group Life Assurance (equal to 4 x basic salary)
Group Income Protection (after 6 months’ service)
Salary Sacrifice schemes (cycle to work, home & tech scheme)
Enhanced and competitive parental leave for all parents, regardless of gender or family structure
Moneyhealth’s Financial Coaching & Wellbeing Platform
Health Cash Plan (cash back on eligible medical treatments)
Benenden Health Care (opt-in benefit)
Reward & Recognition Programme
Discounted gym membership
Sports & Social club
Payroll charitable giving
Subsidised on-site restaurant
Free on-site parking

When we work

Our standard working hours are 8:30 - 16:30 Monday - Thursday, early finish on Friday - 8:30 - 15:45 (Talk to us about flexible working if this doesn’t quite suit you – we take work-life balance seriously!)

How we work

We understand the benefits of remote and in-person collaboration and therefore have a hybrid working model – you’ll be expected to work from our office in Thatcham at least two days per week.

What we do

At the cutting edge of automotive research in the UK, Thatcham Research has a unique role in shaping the design of new vehicles and influencing ever higher standards of safety, security and repair. With an on-site Crash Laboratory, Repair Technology Centre and Training Academy, our research expertise is driving some of the very latest automotive developments in technology, materials and standards in this fast moving and highly technical industry.

Our Gamston facility is one of the UK’s leading sites for active safety, trialling and assessing the latest crash avoidance and driver assistance technologies.

Our Values

As an organisation that believes a strong set of Values are key to our organisational success and a sense of belonging for all colleagues, we ask that you understand, represent and apply our Values of Fearless, Inquisitive, Resourceful, Supportive and Trusted and demonstrate these Values throughout the recruitment process.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace which values diversity and embraces each individual's authentic self. We are proud to champion a culture where colleagues freely share their diverse perspectives, recognising that these contribute to our innovative spirit. Our journey of growth and understanding is continuous as we actively invest in diversity training, workshops, and partnerships to ensure positive change.

Beyond our partnerships with the Automotive 30% Club and Women in Data (WiD), we collaborate with various organisations to advance equity not only in gender but also across ethnicity, age, disability, social mobility, LGBTQ+ identities, experiences, and thinking. Our aspiration is to create an environment where everyone thrives, achieves, and experiences a genuine sense of belonging.

Recruitment process

We’re proud to manage our recruitment in-house and believe this direct approach enables us to give you the best possible Employee Experience we can – which starts right here, your application! We’re continuously striving to improve the candidate journey, and transparency (or communication) is a key area of focus – yes, even with salary & benefits.

What can you expect from our recruitment process?

Regular updates on the progress / outcome of your application
An initial telephone screening call with a Talent Acquisition Partner
First interview with the hiring manager, usually via Teams
Second/Final interview, in-person at our office (we may give you a role specific task to present on!)
Personalised feedback following your interview – because everyone deserves that!
An opportunity to give us your honest feedback in a short survey on all of the above

Check out our post on using AI during your application and interview!

We’re committed to removing barriers. If there are any adjustments we can make to better support you, please let us know when you apply.

All applicants must have Right to Work in the UK.

If you're experiencing any issues with our career site or application from, please let us know here: careers@thatcham.org ⁠

Learning & Development Specialist