Apprentice & Development Partner

At Ian Williams, we’re passionate about developing our people and creating long term career opportunities. We’re looking for a Programme Partner (also known as Apprentice and Development Partner) to join our People Development Team and support colleagues through our apprenticeship and trainee programmes.

You will partner with managers across the business and take ownership of a group of Apprentices, Trainee Surveyors and Associate Contract Managers, primarily within our Painting division. From recruitment through to programme completion, you will provide the guidance, coaching and challenge that helps our people succeed and progress their careers with Ian Williams.

We’re looking for someone who is organised, proactive and confident building strong stakeholder relationships. Experience in apprenticeships or early careers would be beneficial, although strong business partnering, stakeholder management, coaching, and programme coordination experience is equally valuable.

This is a 24 hour contract over 4 days, offering some flexibility around working hours and hybrid working, with at least three days a week in the office.

We offer the following benefits:

Participation in our company profit share scheme

Employer pension contribution of 5%

23 days annual leave plus public holidays with the option to buy up to 5 days or sell up to 3 days per year

Annual pay reviews

Enhanced maternity/paternity pay

Training and development opportunities

Exclusive discounts from our preferred suppliers

Access to the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity to support your health and wellbeing, including free legal and financial advice

The Programme Partner role:

You will:

Build strong, trusted relationships with learners, managers, mentors, training providers, and key stakeholders across the business, acting as a valued partner in the development of our people

Independently manage a portfolio of apprentices, trainees, and development programmes, maintaining oversight of progress, identifying priorities, and ensuring successful outcomes

Champion a coaching and development culture, supporting managers and mentors to develop talent and provide an excellent learner experience

Coordinate and oversee programme delivery, working collaboratively with internal and external partners to ensure compliance, quality, and timely completion of programmes

Continuously seek opportunities to improve processes, learner outcomes, and the overall effectiveness of our people development programmes

Manage the cyclical end-to-end recruitment of learners. There are multiple recruitment campaigns a year depending on the programme

Note: This partnering role may require some travel to business units, sites, and training venues.

What will you bring as a Programme Partner:

Essential

Proven experience of building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships across a diverse organisation

Experience managing your own workload and priorities independently, with the ability to balance multiple activities and competing demands

Strong organisational skills with the ability to maintain oversight of a portfolio of people, programmes, or projects

An accurate, detail-focused approach with excellent administrative and record-keeping skills

The ability to influence, support, and challenge stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes

Excellent communication skills with the confidence to engage effectively at all levels of the business

A genuine passion for developing and supporting people to reach their potential

Desirable

Experience within learning and development, talent, apprenticeships, early careers, HR, coaching, or a related field

Experience working in the construction/property maintenance industry

Experience working with the Digital Apprenticeship Service (DAS), and/or Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) processes.

* Knowledge of vocational qualifications, apprenticeships, or early careers pathways

About Ian Williams Ltd

Discover more about us by reviewing our website, and feel free to visit our social media platforms, along with Indeed and Glassdoor.

Ian Williams is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Diversity is more than a commitment at Ian Williams - it is the foundation of what we do. We are fully focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, and all other characteristics that make us different.

We reserve the right to shortlist prior to the closing date.

Ian Williams Ltd will use applicants’ details for recruitment purposes only. For more information, please read our Candidate Privacy Notice located at our website.

We are delighted to have strong relationships with our preferred agencies, therefore we politely request no agencies engage with us in regards to this position.