EMEA Learning and Development Lead

Job description / Role

Overview / Responsibilities
Wood is currently recruiting for a EMEA Learning and Development Lead to be based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

As a member of the Learning & Development Team the Lead - Early Careers will be responsible for delivering and continuously enhancing Wood's Operations EMEA Early Careers Framework enabling the attraction, development and progression of early career talent in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region - in partnership with the business, Early Career collegues and the wider P&O team.

In order to enhance Wood's Early Career propositions, a focus of this role will be to deliver current regional offerings whilst identifying areas for improvement with a future focus. As a result, the role will drive Woods' reputation as a recognised Early Career Employer of Choice externally. This encompasses internship, graduate and apprenticeship programmes.

The role will have the opportunity to shape best in class programmes and development initiatives, by leading best practice, guidance and minimum standards to be implemented across Wood's Operations EMEA locations.

This role will work closely with a community of Learning and Development, Resourcing and P&O teams' whose focus is early careers attraction, engagement and development, and who deliver the Wood early careers objectives in region.

In addition to the Early Careers work, to support the implementation of global and regional general L&D initiatives in the MEA region.

Serving as the regional BU lead for early career talent strategy, this role will be accountable for creating an innovative approach and commitment to hiring the best and brightest talent and will have the following responsibilities

Leading the EMEA People Development team
- Providing the vision and strategy for the team
- Developing the team
- Supporting them to articulate their performance and development goals

Early career employer brand and attraction
- Work with the business to deliver the Early Careers Framework, aligned to Wood's Vision, Values and behaviors
- Partner with the resourcing team's expertise to deliver Operations EMEA's Early Careers proposition and early careers brand assets, including social media campaigns
- Drive continuous innovation and improvement to position our early career programmes as best in class and an industry leading company
- Be recognised externally as an employer of choice by creating a best-in-class Graduate Development Programme and employee experience
- Work with the ICV Manager to deliver and continuously enhance Wood's Early Careers Framework enabling the attraction, development and progression of early career talent in the region -with a specific focus on local national talent

Demand planning
- Work with Leaders, P&O Business Partners, and Resourcing teams to understand the early career requirements for Operations EMEA and how they can be addressed
- With a future focus, use workforce planning and growth capability data to work with the business to align the Operations EMEA early careers strategy
- Work with the business to increase retention of early careers employees through engagement, creating a compelling career journey, and delivering on Wood's employee value proposition

Early career assessment & selection
- Partner with the resourcing teams, and suppliers (if applicable) to deliver a consistent and fair assessment and selection process identify the strongest early career talent
- Support Wood's diversity and inclusion strategy within the assessment and selection process to reflect the targets the company has on diversity and inclusion
- Review current Operations EMEA on-boarding and induction experience and look for opportunities to improve and provide consistency across the region and aligned globally
- Deliver Internship Programme- to build company reputation and support direct feeder into the Graduate pipeline

Early Careers Development
- Deliver and facilitaton of Wood's Graduate Development programme in Operations EMEA that supports Graduates with the transition from campus to corporate. Creating the opportunity for them to learn, connect and grow by building the key capabilities required to drive their careers and the business forward
- Support the Developing Professional Network and Global STEAM and Education networks, which focuses on providing opportunities for the early carer population to connect, learn and grow. Align Global Graduate Development Programme with the networks
- Partner with wider P&O function and business to ensure that meaningful career and development opportunities are being provided as well as mentoring and coaching for entry level talent
- Work with the wider P&O function and business to identify high potential EMEA early careers talent for individuals demonstrating the potential to move into future leadership roles to strengthen Wood succession pipeline

Stakeholder & Project Management
- Provide central oversight, best practice and measure of Operations EMEA early career programmes linking in with the relevant business and P&O teams
- Work with wider P&O function to identify current state within the Operatins EMEA early careers talent pool, in order to create benchmark for future intakes
- Create clear metrics for success for programmes and track and report on these in region, driving consistency with global programmes and delivery on targets

Requirements

Knowledge, skills and experience:
- Ideally Bachelor degree in Human Resources or Business Administration
- Minimum 10 years in Learning and development field with atleast 4 years in a Lead role
- Early career talent attraction, assessment and selection and / or talent development, managing early careers/emerging talent programmes (apprenticeships / graduates / internships)
- Proven experience of managing and implementing talent initiatives and driving change,
- Experience of change management preferred.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; superior facilitation skills and experience with various audience types
- Business performance and how it can deliver and add value to its customers
- Commercial and business models
- Awareness of external factors
- Current and future industry trends
- Established and achieved challenging performance targets
- Demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning and development
- Demonstrated innovative strategies and implemented long term solutions
- Effective senior stakeholder management

Personal attributes:
- Passionate about young people's education in an engineering environment
- Connect and establish effective, cross-cultural working relationships with all levels of the organisation and externally, driving a global mind-set
- Consistently model and lead on the group's shared values
- Energy and empathy
- Balance humility and self confidence
- Anticipate the environment, be forward thinking and able to see the 'big picture' and translate strategy into specific priorities, objectives and action plans.
- Creative in the achievement of stretching objectives; does not accept failure easily
- Generate trust and credibility with audiences through continuous, open and consistent communication
- Champion and drive innovation and change initiatives, focused on improving quality and effectiveness
- Foster a customer-focused climate that delivers on expectations and strengthens relationships
- Support safety delivery and continuous improvement

Company Overview
Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering, helping to unlock solutions to critical challenges in energy and materials markets. We provide consulting, projects and operations solutions in 60 countries, employing around 35,000 people.

Diversity Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer that recognises the value of a diverse workforce. All suitably qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective criteria and without regard to the following (which is a non-exhaustive list): race, colour, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws.

About the Company

Wood is a global leader in consulting and engineering, helping to unlock solutions to critical challenges in energy and materials markets. We provide consulting, projects and operations solutions in 60 countries, employing around 35,000 people.