Head of Academies
The Very Group, United Kingdom

We’re The Very Group, home to Very.co.uk, Littlewoods.com and a team of 4,000 super-talented people.

We’re the UK’s largest integrated digital retailer and financial services provider, and we’ve been helping customers say yes when it matters most for over 100 years. In that time, we’ve consistently reinvented our business to adapt to economic conditions and industry changes going from bricks, to clicks, to mobile.

But despite our passion for reinvention, we’ve never wavered from our purpose; to make good things easily accessible to more people. It means giving our customers the brands they love, an outstanding shopping experience and flexible ways to spread the cost.

We’ve continued to deliver for our customers throughout the Covid-19 outbreak and we’ve done it by transforming the way we work.

We’re fired up for the future and the next stage in our development. We’ll give customers access to more great brands for themselves and their families, a seamless shopping experience and even more control of their finances through innovation in flexible ways to pay.

Ready to reinvent? Get in touch.

This is a unique opportunity to play a leading role in the delivery of The Very Group’s bold and ambitious 5-year strategy.

You will be joining the ‘oldest start-up in town’ with a clear and compelling mission: to build the business capabilities Very needs to continue the reinvention and thrives for another 100 years.

Accountable for the scoping and execution of a scaled Academy model across The Very Group, you will be the architect of the physical and virtual space where people will learn, share, contribute expertise and advance the state of knowledge. This is about upskilling, reskilling and engaging Very’s people in complex skills and the trend towards hybridisation that is driving more sophisticated and specialised job profiles. This is about ensuring that Very’s people develop capability in the areas that are most critical to realising Very’s ambition.

Innovating with data and technology is at Very’s core so you will start with establishing the Tech Academy to create a world-leading function of technologists who will and fuel Very’s continued growth. Through a holistic whole-person approach you will support the development, not just of outstanding software engineers, data scientists, information architects and UX designers, but of future leaders of the digital economy. A magnet for the very best professionals, The Very Tech Academy will attract and retain the best of the best.

And because we now live in a world where every part of business, from marketing to sales to operations to customer care, has been reinvented in a digital way, all of Very’s people will not just need to pick up some digital skills; they will have to understand a broad base of digital skills to a degree. This is about reinventing how business is done.

‘Who you are’ is considered to be more important than ‘what you’ve done’ However you will be hugely passionate about the world of talent. Moreover, you will be phenomenally capable, driven, ambitious and humble in equal measure. You’ll be both a dreamer and a doer; someone who sets the bar high, always pushes for more, and is capable of turning great ideas into action.

Additionally, you will be/have:

• A leader who creates a climate of spirit and energy, balancing the softer, intuitive elements of leadership with a drive for impact and the utmost operational standards
• A blend of creativity, commerciality, bravery and an innovative mindset
  
• Charismatic, with highly developed communication skills. Comfortable speaking with an audience and able to inspire colleagues at all levels
  
• Future-focused, keeping abreast of the latest trends and thinking in the talent and broader people spaces through your network, and bringing to life the best of the external world internally
  
• An appreciation of the evolving tech world and exposure to agile ways of working
• The commercial awareness to act as a true business partner and further embed your team as value-additive partners across the business
• A consummate professional, dedicated to delivering results and developing your own career, whilst building close relationships with your peers and internal customers. A bias towards action will be obvious in everything you do
  
• Able to integrate with, influence and hold accountable key senior stakeholders and colleagues at all levels
• Equally comfortable straddling both the strategic and operational domains
• The ability to not only ‘think’ innovatively and present new ideas, but also execute on these ideas across a complex and fast paced business environment

• 10,000 flexible benefits allowance
• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• Flexible working culture
• Onsite g

Job Rewards and Benefits