Senior Manager, Capability Development

About the role

The Senior Manager, Capability Development serves as a strategic capability consultant and trusted business partner who helps leaders build the skills, behaviors, and capabilities needed to drive performance and achieve business goals. This role owns the diagnosis of performance challenges, uncovers root causes, and designs practical, scalable solutions that improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness. Success in this role is measured not by training delivered, but by the impact created - such as stronger leadership, improved team effectiveness, increased client impact, accelerated adoption of new ways of working, or measurable business outcomes. The ideal candidate brings a consulting mindset, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence stakeholders while building capability in a fast-paced, client-centric environment where innovation, commercial thinking, and measurable results matter. This position leverages learning as one of many tools to accelerate capability and performance.

Key facts

What you'll do

Design and deliver targeted capability initiatives that support both immediate business needs and longer-term skill building, aligning solutions with strategic priorities.

Act as a trusted advisor to business and capability leaders, identifying root causes behind performance challenges and shaping solutions that align with commercial priorities.

Co-create practical, scalable learning experiences that connect directly to how teams work and embed capability development into everyday workflows.

Enable teams to build skills while delivering work, minimizing disruption to billable time and protecting capacity for client delivery.

Apply creative thinking to develop engaging, non-traditional learning approaches that move beyond standard training to address real business challenges.

Define clear success metrics tied to behavior change and business performance, tracking progress and continuously refining approaches based on data and feedback.

Partner closely with People Business Partners (PBPs), SMEs, and global and local stakeholders to align on priorities, scale solutions, and drive consistency across teams.

Explore and implement AI-powered tools, learning technologies, and performance support resources to accelerate capability development and enhance solutions.

Balance quality with speed in fast-paced, billable environments, ensuring that capability solutions are both impactful and efficient to implement.

Champion a culture of impact over activity, focusing on observable behavior change and measurable outcomes that drive business results.

Build and maintain strong working relationships across functions, fostering collaboration and shared ownership of capability outcomes.

Identify opportunities to integrate learning into real work contexts, designing interventions that support application on the job.

Leverage insights from data and stakeholder feedback to iterate and improve capability programs continuously.

Serve as a subject matter expert in capability development, bringing thought leadership and best practices from across the industry and the organization.

Support the development of capability frameworks and tools that enable scalable and consistent delivery across the business.

Requirements

6 to 8 years of experience in learning and development, capability building, or organizational development.

Strong consulting and stakeholder influence skills, with experience partnering with senior leaders to drive change and capability initiatives.

Demonstrated ability to diagnose root causes and design targeted, practical solutions that address real business needs.

Strong business acumen and understanding of commercial drivers, including how capability investments support organizational objectives.

Experience designing and embedding learning into the flow of work to minimize disruption and maximize application on the job.

Deep knowledge of adult learning principles and modern learning approaches, including how to adapt methods to different audiences and contexts.

Exceptional facilitation, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders and build consensus.

Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a matrixed environment, balancing competing demands and timelines effectively.

Experience in an agency, consulting, or other billable environment is strongly preferred, providing familiarity with client-facing delivery and commercial constraints.

Experience supporting customer-facing or commercial teams is strongly preferred, ensuring relevance to client impact and business outcomes.

Ability to work within the guidelines and expectations for locations that require in-office presence, hybrid arrangements, or remote flexibility as defined by regional policies.

Commitment to adhering to timelines, deliverables, and quality standards in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

willingness to engage in continuous learning and professional development to stay current with capability trends and practices.

Alignment with Real Chemistry's values of collaboration, innovation, and impact, contributing to a positive and inclusive team environment.

Practical notes

The role operates within the parameters defined in the job summary and requirements, with work arrangements varying by location. Some positions may offer hybrid or remote flexibility, while others may require regular in-office presence. For offices in the United Kingdom and certain regions, in-person attendance may be required. Employees within a one-hour commute of a Real Chemistry office are generally expected to work in-person two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or while on client premises. Employees in regions without an office may work remotely and participate in periodic in-person collaboration, culture-building, and learning events. Compensation details and engagement terms are to be confirmed as indicated in the source materials. Travel requirements and visa sponsorship details, where applicable, will be communicated during the hiring process. Applicants needing accommodations during the interview process should notify their recruiter.