Head of Legal Training

We are looking for a candidate who can demonstrate a passion and energy for legal training, with a demonstrable record of accomplishment of designing and executing a legal training strategy in a fast paced, service quality focused, regulated environment.

Purpose of the role:

Our L&D strategy is a key foundation pillar that will support Simply’s ambitions to achieve recognition as a market leading conveyancing service provider of choice for home movers and estate agent partners through building high quality and high performing legal teams, and a culture of service excellence

You will be responsible for designing and executing a legal learning strategy that will underpin and support Simply’s ambitious growth plans and assure our high standards of legal services quality, compliance, and service excellence.

Working with the legal, quality and compliance teams you will gather training needs, design, and execute through identifying and securing appropriate resources, a comprehensive roadmap for legal training and professional development across the business to benefit our property lawyers, legal support, and associated teams.

You will also play a significant role in creating a culture of lifelong learning in legal through ensuring excellence in supervision, mentoring, coaching, and performance feedback.

Driving excellence in legal work through the employee lifecycle, you will help us ensure all our new colleagues feel valued when they join Simply, that all our people have a comprehensive professional development and career pathway.

You’ll also be driven by gathering data and insights to support your vision, plans and delivery execution.

You will provide support, mentoring and coaching to Legal managers to ensure that their on-the-job training and supervision is at the highest quality as well as ensuring consistent working practices through adherence to Simply’s policies, procedures, legislation, and regulations where necessary.

It’s likely you will have had direct experience of delivering best in class training outcomes for core regulatory areas such as AML (Anti Money Laundering) and GDPR and a wide range of conveyancing specialist areas.

You will also likely have a strong network of contacts and training providers, and though we aim to provide training in-house, you will know when it is appropriate to recommend external interventions and digital solutions to ensure that your plans incorporate access to an appropriately wide range of materials and solutions to assure high levels of continuous legal and industry awareness and Continued Professional Development opportunities throughout the year.

Key tasks and responsibilities:

• Responsible for and directing Simply’s legal training strategy, working closely with the Chief Legal Officer, Legal Directors, HOLP, HOFA, MLRO and the Quality & Compliance team
• Working with and supported by the L&D Manager accountable for designing, implementing, and facilitating relevant professional skills training for property lawyers, all related support functions, and senior stakeholders through both face to face and through remote technologies, creating a range of ways for our learners to engage, supported with digital learning management systems.
• L&D programme and project management across including budget management, as well as leadership and contribution to broader people team or company projects.
• Ensure there is relevant administration of the function including training records, budgeting, communications and reporting as required to provide ongoing reporting and analysis on training activities.
• Strong facilitation experience including legal and business skills training relating to emerging technology and digital capability, innovation, new ways of working, change management, communication and interpersonal skills, presentation skills, leadership and management skills, resilience and wellbeing, business development, practice management and negotiation skills.
• Experience in building blended learning solutions and applying innovative thinking to designing programmes, initiatives, and material in consultation with business leaders and subject matter experts.
• Adept at building rapport and building effective working relationships with people at various levels.
• Proactive with excellent organisational skills - able manage competing priorities and work to tight deadlines.
• Able to effectively supervise and support the development of team members.
• Advocate for equality and diversity. Uphold and drive Simply’s commitments as a Disability Confident employer, as well as ensuring all training and development is designed to enable equality and inclusion outcomes.
• Provide a model and delivery CPD (Continuing Professional Development) opportunities across legal teams, through keeping up to date with latest case law, tribunal decisions and legislative reform and ensure all learning is shared and acted upon
• Be a role model for life-long learning and putting people at the heart of all learning design and implementation.
• Ensure our colleagues feel well supported through on-boarding or any other transition processes ie promotions, new legal roles, management, etc so that we deliver great client service and effective matter progression in the most efficient way.
• Ensure we have a robust supervision, mentoring and coaching process to support learners.
• Provide insight and feedback on processes, procedures, systems, ‘How To’s’ where required to ensure training is effective and we deliver outstanding service to our clients and agents.
• Ensure professional qualification channels & apprenticeships are optimal and well implemented.
• Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requirements and internal policies.

Experienced required:

• Experience of strategic learning design and delivery in a regulated professional services business
• Extensive experience of delivering training to employees
• Qualified under SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) or CLC (Council for Licensed Conveyancers) or equivalent
• Proven managerial experience, able to effectively support the development of team members
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment, target orientated and able to manage competing priorities
• Experience in working to and exceeding targets
• Experience with Agile and Design Thinking and User Experience methodologies
• Law firm, regulated professional services experience preferred
• Excellent presentation and technical literary, with good knowledge of Microsoft programs – Word/Excel/PowerPoint and ideally digital learning systems
• Ideally digital technical training experience
• Ability to communicate at all levels in organisations, present and influence
• Strong ability to build relationships with customers and key stakeholders at all levels
  

Personal attributes:

• Proud and passionate about the work that they deliver
• Engaging, enthusiastic, hardworking, and tenacious
• Organised, structured and methodical
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a strong attention to detail and the ability to communicate at all levels
• Target driven to exceed business forecasts
• Sets high standard for self and is a role model by leading by example
• Is a dedicated team player and interacts well and confidently at all levels whilst remaining professional
• Is a positive advocate for minority groups and driven by driving the highest equality and inclusion standards.

The team:

You will work directly with the People team and closely with Quality and Compliance teams and Legal teams.

We are People development and conveyancing experts who take pride in delivering outstanding employee learning and client service experiences.

About us:

Simply Conveyancing Property Lawyers (“Simply”) is one of the UK’s leading providers of residential conveyancing services to home movers. Through embracing technology and driving best-in-class client service, Simply has become one of the fastest growing conveyancing businesses in the UK.

Most of our conveyancing instructions are referred by estate agents who trust us to deliver a first-class service to their customers. Each month, more than 300 estate agency offices refer business to Simply. This includes leading agency groups such as Dexters, Hunters and Property Franchise Group, amongst others; in each case Simply is the preferred conveyancing partner of these agencies.

Our reputation for excellent customer service is underpinned by leading ratings on review sites such as Trustpilot feefo and Google.. We seek regular feedback from our estate agency partners and have scored an average of 97% over the last 12 months.

The business employs some c. 300 staff from its headquarters in Daventry and satellite offices in London, Peterborough, and Cardiff.

As well as our absolute focus on delivering excellence in client service, our future growth will be driven by:

• Our ability to hire the best property lawyers and support teams
• Providing long and fruitful careers & having great technical skills across a wide range of residential conveyancing, and exemplary behaviours
• Being a great place to work for our people; and
• Improving internal processes to deliver increased operational efficiency.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you have a disability and require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please let us know in advance so that any support, aids or adaptations can be put in place to assist you in the application process, assessments (if required) and interview. Any disability related information you disclose to us for this purpose will not be used to determine your capability for the role, but purely for the purpose of making reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process.

If you require this job advertisement in a different format, additional support with your application, or need to discuss any reasonable adjustments please contactHR@simplypropertylawyers.co.uk