Learning and Development Manager

Your mission

The Learning and Capability Lead develops, implements, and continuously improves War Child Alliance's learning and capability ecosystem, ensuring staff, leaders, and partners have the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required to deliver the organisation's strategy and mission. The role combines strategic thinking with hands‑on implementation by designing learning frameworks, capability solutions, standards, and systems while leading their practical delivery across the Alliance and local partners. Working across functions and countries, the role strengthens organisational capability through evidence‑informed learning, innovation, quality assurance, and continuous improvement.

What you will do

This role sits within the People and Culture function and partners with leaders, managers, and teams across assigned functions, portfolios, or organisational entities. The role works closely with People and Culture colleagues across HR services, talent, reward, learning, safeguarding, and other specialist areas to provide joined‑up people support aligned with War Child’s values, operating context, and organisational priorities.

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of War Child's organisational learning and capability strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities, workforce planning, and future capability needs.
• Design, establish, and maintain organisational learning frameworks, standards, methodologies, standard operating procedures, and minimum standards that enable consistent and scalable capability development across the Alliance.
• Develop and implement structured learning pathways, capability programmes, certification approaches, and professional development journeys that strengthen technical excellence, leadership capability, organisational effectiveness, and partner capacity development.
• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of blended learning, digital learning, communities of practice, coaching models, and other innovative learning solutions that support organisational performance and knowledge sharing.
• Partner with technical teams, country programmes, and strategic partners to develop learning approaches that strengthen localisation, equitable partnerships, and sustainable capacity sharing across the Alliance.
• Act as the organisation's technical specialist on learning and capability development, partnering with business leaders, HR Business Partners, and technical teams to translate capability needs into practical and scalable solutions.
• Lead the governance and optimisation of organisational learning platforms, learning technologies, and associated processes, ensuring quality, accessibility, data integrity, intellectual property protection, branding, and compliance. (including Kaya LMS, digital badging/certification, and learning technologies where applicable)
• Develop and implement quality assurance processes for learning products, learning journeys, and learning methodologies, ensuring consistency, evidence‑informed practice, and continuous improvement across the organisation.
• Lead or coordinate learning initiatives involving technical experts, consultants, academic institutions, and strategic partners, ensuring delivery against agreed objectives, quality standards, and organisational priorities.
• Analyse learning data, capability trends, and organisational needs to evaluate learning effectiveness, identify opportunities for improvement, and inform organisational decision‑making and workforce capability planning.
• Promote and embed a culture of continuous learning, reflection, innovation, and knowledge sharing by integrating learning into organisational development, leadership development, localisation, and change management initiatives.
• Provision and delivery of (some) identified key organisational training/capacity building/onboarding for War Child colleagues or partners, when relevant
• Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI (Social Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) principles and the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) framework and are expected to actively promote this in their work.
• These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

Role‑specific Or Context Responsibilities

• Oversees the organisational learning ecosystem, including learning platforms, e‑learning authoring tools, digital badging, communities of practice, and learning analytics, ensuring effective and consistent use across the Alliance.
• Works closely with technical teams to translate Evidence‑Based Models, organisational priorities, and partner needs into scalable and contextually relevant learning solutions.
• May manage external learning designers, consultants, and strategic learning partnerships, ensuring delivery aligns with organisational standards and capability objectives.
• Support the development of learning ecosystems that enable knowledge sharing, peer learning, communities of practice, and capacity strengthening between War Child and its partners.

Your profile

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

Education

• Relevant qualification or equivalent professional experience in Learning & Development, Organisational Development, Education, Human Resources, Psychology, Instructional Design, Knowledge Management, or a related field is desirable.

Experience

• Developed and implemented organisational learning, capability development, or talent development initiatives within a complex organisation.
• Designed learning frameworks, professional development pathways, or capability programmes that support organisational strategy and workforce needs.
• Led or coordinated complex learning projects involving multiple stakeholders, technical experts, partners, or external providers.
• Built or improved digital learning solutions, blended learning approaches, or learning technologies to strengthen organisational capability.
• Worked with leaders and technical teams to translate capability needs into practical and scalable learning solutions.
• Used learning analytics, evaluation findings, or workforce insights to improve learning effectiveness and inform organisational decision‑making.
• Worked in international, humanitarian, development, education, or other values‑led environments.

Languages

• Fluency in English is required for this role.
• Additional languages may be useful depending on stakeholder groups and organisational context, for example Arabic, Dari, French, Spanish, or Ukrainian.

(Technical) Knowledge

• Knowledge of organisational learning, capability development, instructional design, and adult learning methodologies.
• Understanding of organisational development, change management, talent development, and workforce capability planning.
• Understanding of digital learning ecosystems, learning technologies, quality assurance, and learning evaluation methodologies.
• Ability to design and implement learning frameworks, standards, and scalable capability solutions.
• Ability to translate complex organisational priorities into practical learning and capability interventions.
• Ability to manage learning projects and coordinate multiple stakeholders while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Ability to analyse learning data and organisational trends to support continuous improvement and evidence‑based decision‑making.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence stakeholders across functions, cultures, and organisational levels.
• Supports inclusive, innovative, evidence‑informed, and values‑led ways of working.

What We Offer

• Location : We work with global teams with team members being based in different locations. War Child is currently operates in: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (soon to be registered), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Preference is given to applicants who reside and have valid working permits. War Child does not offer relocation.
• Type of Contract : Local contract with salary and secondary labour conditions based on the in‑country salary scale, local T&C's will apply.

Why You Should Apply

• Meaningful Impact : Contribute directly to improving the lives of children and families affected by conflict through quality education and long‑term, sustainable change.
• Professional Growth: Join a dynamic organisation that values learning, innovation, and professional development, with opportunities for capacity building and growth through the role and War Child’s global network.
• Global Reach : Play a key role in scaling a ground‑breaking programme across multiple conflict‑affected contexts worldwide.
• Collaborative & Inclusive Culture : Work alongside passionate, mission‑driven colleagues in a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace that prioritises safety, fairness and equal opportunity for all.

About Us

The War Child Alliance is an international non‑governmental organization committed to providing psychosocial support, child protection, youth empowerment programming and quality education to the children affected by armed conflict. We implement evidence‑based interventions to empower key stakeholders—including governments, educators, caregivers, and communities—to foster children’s wellbeing, education, and self‑determination. We work with global teams with team members being based in different locations. War Child is currently operates in: Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia, DR Congo, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine (soon to be registered), and Yemen. We also have offices in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Learn more about War Child and our programmes

Safeguarding and Integrity

Our work with children and at‑risk adults to keep them safe is the most important thing we do. We are committed to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in all areas of our work. We have zero tolerance for any behaviours and practices that puts children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse and/or harm. All (prospective) employees will be expected to be compliant with and sign up to our Child Safeguarding policy, our Code of Conduct and PSEA: Adults at Risk Policy. You can find the Child Safeguarding and Adults at Risk policy here: Integrity & Safeguarding - Home

Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Belonging (DEIB)

We value diversity and inclusion and are committed to ensuring that all our people and job applicants are treated fairly, irrespective of where, what or whom they were born, or of other characteristics. We want to offer a safe and inclusive workplace where all our people, especially those who are currently marginalised or underrepresented, can be themselves at work. If you have any questions about our commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Belonging (DEIB) do get in touch: View email address on click.appcast.io