Head of Secure Patents Academy

This is a new, exciting and varied role with responsibility for technical training and capability management across Secure Patents, developing our people for a high-performing future. The role holder will establish and manage a Secure Patents Academy to service Secure Patents (including the Private Applicant Unit and the Secure Examination Support team) i.e. circa 550+ staff with differing training/development needs.The training/development currently includes: structured technical/legal training; informal technical training; core skills training; management training; Civil Service wide training; and specific/bespoke training for internal systems/processes.The purpose of the role is to assess current training/development to ensure effectiveness, inclusivity, and efficiency whilst also considering scalability and sustainability for a growing directorate. As Head of the Academy, the role holder will set the Academy direction. They will be expected to design and deliver training/development programmes (to include both existing and new materials) for multiple roles; provide help, guidance, and support to our technical/non-technical people; support and develop our leaders & managers; create/establish career pathways that value breadth and depth of experience; and mature our professions. The role holder will share our commitment to strengthen our talent pipelines, improve workforce agility and adaptability and support our technical/non-technical specialists to lead and manage their teams.Reporting to one of the Heads of Patents, the role holder will provide matrix management to trainers/programme managers to deliver a diverse training portfolio. We need someone who can see and influence the bigger picture, ensure that informed decisions are made and know when and how to engage in the detail; and who can work closely with colleagues in our central Talent and Learning team, and our Secure Patents and Secure Examination Support teams; sharing knowledge and best practice across the organisation.This role requires commercial awareness, great stakeholder skills, and a real people focus on personal development.Main duties consist of but are not limited to:To establish and manage the Secure Patents Academy, providing matrix management to trainers/training programme managersStrategic leadership for Secure Patents capabilities and competenciesDevelopment and ownership of strategies relating to technical learning and development and their implementationEnsuring continuous improvement and evolution of the existing Secure Patents talent management schemesResponsibility for the Secure personal development budget ensuring best value across a wide range of training and development activitiesDeveloping management information tools/solutions for training and development activities to monitor and evaluate technical learning and development, talent management and succession planningPart of the Secure Patents leadership team, contributing to decisions around current and future organisational make-upWork closely with corporate talent and learning teams to align delivery and approachesWork with HR colleagues to inform strategic workforce planning activities.Working StyleThis role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in ourNewport Office.The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.Person specificationEssential criteriaStrong leadership and management expertise with experience of leading technical/specialist teamsExperience of working in a training and/or development area, identifying opportunities for staff to develop their skills and abilities in line with organisational needsStrong written and verbal communication skillsStrong strategic mindset and ability to see the big pictureUnderstanding and experience of proactive risk managementDriven and self-motivated and demonstrates a proactive approach to overcome challengesCan build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels of an organisationHow to applyClick the Apply button and complete the application form by providing the following:CVUpload an anonymised copy of your current CV.Make sure it clearly shows how you meet the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification.500-word Personal StatementUse this to explainwhy you're suitable for the role.Structure your statement around theessential criteriain the Person Specification.Make sure to provide clear examples to show how you meet each requirement.JBRP1_UKTJ

Created: 2025-09-05