Head of Leadership Development

Job description

Leadership capability has never been more critical to business success. As Head of Leadership Development, you will shape and lead the organisation's leadership strategy, creating the frameworks, programmes and interventions that build exceptional leaders, strengthen leadership teams and enable a high-performing, future-ready culture. This is a highly influential role with visibility across senior leadership, where your work will directly support business transformation, customer trust, inclusive leadership and sustainable growth. Working across the business and the wider People function, you'll design and embed enterprise-wide leadership propositions that drive measurable impact. You'll establish leadership expectations and assessment frameworks, lead coaching and team effectiveness strategies, leverage innovative learning approaches and digital tools, and build trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders and external providers. Combining strategic thinking with deep expertise in leadership development, you'll use insight, data and organisational diagnosis to continuously evolve leadership capability across the organisation. You will also play a critical role in supporting the organisation's transformation agenda, creating the leadership conditions required to build a simpler, leaner, faster and higher-performing organisation, while enabling leaders to thrive in an increasingly agile and agentic environment. Who we are At Virgin Media O₂, we connect people to the moments that matter most. Virgin Media leads the UK for broadband reliability, speed and overall performance, while O₂ keeps people connected on the move with award-winning coverage. We're also proud to be named one of the Financial Times Top 500 Best Employers for 2026, based on one of the UK's largest employee satisfaction surveys. Join us and you'll be part of a team that stays curious, positive and focused on making life easier for our customers and each other. We're investing in the future of connectivity, from expanding next-generation 5G to exploring satellite-supported solutions that help reach rural communities and hard-to-connect places. You'll work with people who back good ideas and give you plenty of room to grow. So if you're looking for a place where you can feel supported, trusted and genuinely valued, you'll feel right at home here. Our Ways of Working We're a flexible-first organisation, because we know people do their best work when they have choice and clarity. To support meaningful collaboration, we ask everyone to spend at least eight days a month connecting with each other in person. That doesn't just mean time in the office – it could be team meetings, offsites, volunteering days, cross-functional projects, or away days. What matters is making those moments count, so when we come together, it benefits everyone. Accessible, Inclusive and Equitable for All We believe a better tomorrow starts with the choices we make today. That means moving the dial on diversity, building equity into everything we do and putting inclusion at the heart of our business. Virgin Media O₂ is an equal opportunities employer and we work hard to remove bias and barriers. We want every person who joins us, and everyone thinking about joining us, to feel seen, heard and supported. When you work with us, you'll have access to our award-winning employee network groups. These communities bring people together, champion allyship and create uplifting spaces where you can learn, share and feel part of something bigger. They play a big role in helping people feel connected from day one. The must haves Significant experience leading enterprise-wide leadership development strategies and programmes within a large, complex, matrix organisation. Proven track record of designing and implementing leadership frameworks, assessment approaches and scalable leadership curriculums that drive measurable business outcomes. Recognised executive or organisational coaching accreditation, with substantial experience delivering coaching interventions for senior leaders and leadership teams. Extensive experience influencing Executive and Senior Leadership teams, acting as a trusted advisor and leading organisation-wide leadership and team effectiveness initiatives. Demonstrated expertise in using organisational diagnostics, leadership data, insights and performance metrics to evaluate impact and shape leadership investment decisions. Proven experience leading the leadership and cultural elements of large-scale business transformation, helping drive performance and customer-focused cultural turnaround initiatives that create a simpler, leaner, faster and higher-performing organisation. The other stuff we are looking for Experience designing leadership development solutions that support large-scale business, cultural or digital transformation. Experience incorporating AI-enabled learning technologies and digital platforms into leadership development strategies. Experience managing multiple external leadership development providers and strategic learning partners. Strong knowledge of organisational psychology, adult learning theory and team effectiveness methodologies. Experience building coaching cultures and embedding coaching mindsets across large organisations. Experience creating the leadership conditions required for success in an agentic and agile organisation, supporting leaders to transition to new ways of working, decision-making and accountability. What's in it for you We know life isn't just about work , so our benefits are built to support you in the moments that matter. You'll get Bupa healthcare, wellbeing support, life cover, a pension and generous holiday, plus your birthday off. And there's more. Enjoy some extra perks on us, with optional electric vehicle lease and Cycle2Work schemes, dental insurance, neurodiversity assessments, and brilliant discounts on broadband, TV and mobile. You'll even get access to the Virgin Family platform and the O₂ Priority app, with exclusive rewards, experiences and chances to attend events at The O₂ and beyond. Next steps If this feels like a place where you can belong, we'd love to see what you can do. Once you apply, the next steps might include a call with a recruiter, a video interview, an interview with the hiring manager and a task or assessment. We'll also ask about any adjustments you might need, and we'll do our best to make them happen. We review applications and interview throughout the advert window, so it's worth applying sooner rather than later. If you're offered the role, the offer will be subject to background checks, including a criminal record check and, for some roles, a financial background check. #LI-NA1 Summary London, Reading 07-Oct-2026 Full Time Job Ref: AVT110842 Apply Now Let's stay connected Things move pretty fast around here. New tech, new products, new ideas - and new opportunities for talented people like you. So, create a tailored job alert and we'll let you know as soon as your dream role's ready for you. Create Job Alert