UK

United Kingdom · Knowledge management · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports3-8 reports
  • Reports toDirector, Learning & Knowledge Ecosystems
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Head of Learning & Knowledge · Learning & Development Manager · Knowledge Management Lead · Senior L&D Business Partner

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Playwork (Wales) NCFE · Level 5 · covers 1 of 9 standards
CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 1 of 9 standards
GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development GQA Qualifications Limited · Level 3 · covers 2 of 9 standards
City & Guilds Level 4 Diploma in Learning and Development City & Guilds Limited · Level 4 · covers 2 of 9 standards
TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools (RQF) Training Qualifications UK Ltd · Level 3 · covers 1 of 9 standards
IAO Level 3 Diploma in Leadership and Management Innovate Awarding · Level 3 · covers 1 of 9 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Playwork (Wales)
Manage knowledge in an organisation CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership
Identify individual learning and development needs GQA PAA\VQ-SET Level 3 Certificate in Learning and Development
Identify the learning needs of organisations City & Guilds Level 4 Diploma in Learning and Development
Support learning and development within own area of responsibility TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools (RQF)
Data management and technology in organisations IAO Level 3 Diploma in Leadership and Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy

6 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Provide learning opportunities for colleagues NCFE · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 5
  2. Manage knowledge in an organisation Chartered Management Institute · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 5
  3. Identify individual learning and development needs GQA Qualifications Limited · covers 2 of 9 standards Level 3
  4. Identify the learning needs of organisations City & Guilds Limited · covers 2 of 9 standards Level 4
  5. Support learning and development within own area of responsibility Training Qualifications UK Ltd · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 3
  6. Data management and technology in organisations Innovate Awarding · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 3
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Ethical AI in Learning & Knowledge Governance
  • Workforce Planning with Skills Data
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

This role leads a team that designs how an organisation learns and shares what it knows. It means making sure people have the right information, at the right time, to do their work well.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Learning Experience Platform (LXP) / LMS (e.g., Degreed, Cornerstone OnDemand) Strategic/Architect

Leading platform selection, defining enterprise learning data strategy, governing the entire learning tech ecosystem, and ensuring optimal integration with other business systems.

Knowledge Management & Collaboration Platforms (e.g., Confluence, Guru) Strategic/Architect

Defining the enterprise knowledge governance model, making build vs. buy decisions for KM tools, championing knowledge-sharing culture, and overseeing the architecture of knowledge spaces.

Data Analytics & Visualization (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) Advanced

Defining the key learning & performance metrics for the entire organisation, integrating learning data into executive dashboards (e.g., in Domo), and guiding your team in advanced data storytelling.

HRIS & Performance Management (e.g., Workday HCM, SAP SuccessFactors) Advanced

Partnering with HR leadership to architect the enterprise skills taxonomy, using HRIS data for strategic workforce planning and skill gap analysis, and ensuring learning programmes align with performance objectives.

Financial Planning & GRC Tools (e.g., Anaplan, Collibra) Intermediate

Owning the L&D budget in Anaplan, developing robust business cases for major investments, and ensuring learning content and knowledge assets comply with GRC policies via Collibra.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Departmental Budget Allocation N/A N/A Propose project-specific budgets (e.g., £5K-£20K) to Lead/Manager for approval.
Team Hiring & Performance Management N/A N/A Participate in interview panels, provide feedback on candidates. Mentor junior staff.
Learning & Knowledge Strategy Design N/A N/A Design specific learning pathways or knowledge structures within a defined programme.
Vendor Selection (Technology/Content) N/A N/A Research and recommend specific tools or content providers for project needs (e.g., a specific video editing software).
Organisational Learning & Knowledge Policy N/A N/A Follow established guidelines for content governance or learning evaluation.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Critical Skill Gap Closure Rate
The percentage reduction in identified critical enterprise skill gaps within a defined period.
Target · Reduce the top 3 critical enterprise skill gaps by 20% within 18 months.

If we identify a 40% gap in 'AI Prompt Engineering' across our Product team, your team's programmes should bring that down to 20% or less within the target timeframe.

Learning Investment ROI
The return on investment for major learning technology or content development programmes, measured by productivity gains or cost avoidance.
Target · Achieve a minimum 3:1 ROI on new learning technology investments.

Implementing a new KM platform that costs £100K should demonstrate £300K in saved time (e.g., reduced search time, faster onboarding) or increased output.

Internal Mobility Rate
The percentage of employees moving into new roles internally, supported by clear career pathways and development.
Target · Increase internal mobility rates by 10% year-on-year.

If 10% of our new hires for a specific role previously came from internal transfers, we'd want to see that number climb to 11% or more, showing our development programmes are working.

Knowledge Asset Utilisation & Currency
The rate at which knowledge base articles are accessed and rated as helpful, alongside the percentage of critical articles reviewed and updated within the last 6 months.
Target · Maintain 85%+ 'helpful' rating on top 100 knowledge articles; 90% of critical articles reviewed/updated bi-annually.

Our 'How to Process a Refund' article gets 500 views a month and has an 88% helpful rating. Your team ensures it's reviewed by Finance every 3 months.

Team Engagement & Development
The overall engagement, retention, and professional growth of your direct reports.
Target · Achieve 80%+ team engagement scores (e.g., via pulse surveys) and 90%+ retention of high-performing team members.

Your team's average engagement score is 82%, and you've successfully mentored two specialists into strategist roles this year, showing real growth.

Strategic Influence & Partnership
How effectively you partner with senior leadership and other departments to shape the overall business strategy, ensuring learning and knowledge are considered early on.
  • You're regularly invited to strategic planning meetings, your team's insights are sought before major initiatives kick off, and you're seen as a trusted advisor, not just a service provider. You'll hear things like, 'We can't launch this without L&K's input.'
Team Leadership & Development
The effectiveness of your leadership in building a high-performing, engaged, and skilled team.
  • Your direct reports feel supported, challenged, and see clear career paths. They consistently meet or exceed their objectives, and you're proactively coaching them through challenges. You'll see low team turnover and strong internal promotions.
Organisational Learning Culture
Your contribution to fostering a culture where knowledge sharing and continuous learning are embedded in day-to-day work.
  • You'll see more organic knowledge sharing, active Communities of Practice, and a general willingness across the organisation for people to teach and learn from each other. People will volunteer to be SMEs, and the KM platform won't feel like a chore.
Innovation in Learning & Knowledge
How your team explores and implements new approaches, technologies, or methodologies to improve learning and knowledge sharing.
  • Your team is running pilots for new AI tools, experimenting with different content formats, or redesigning learning pathways based on the latest research. You're not just doing things the old way
  • you're always looking for better, smarter ways to work.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Building & Developing a High-Performing Team

You get a real buzz from coaching your direct reports, seeing them grow into new responsibilities, and celebrating their successes. You actively look for opportunities to mentor, provide constructive feedback, and create a supportive environment where your team can do their best work.

You've just helped one of your specialists land a promotion to a strategist role, and you're already thinking about how to backfill and develop the next person.

Driving Strategic Organisational Impact

You're motivated by seeing your team's work directly contribute to major business objectives, like closing critical skill gaps or improving employee retention. You love the challenge of translating high-level business goals into concrete learning and knowledge strategies.

Your team's new onboarding programme has demonstrably reduced time-to-productivity for new sales hires, directly impacting the company's revenue targets.

Shaping the Future of Learning & Knowledge

You're excited by the opportunity to define and implement innovative learning and knowledge strategies that genuinely transform how the organisation operates. You enjoy researching new methodologies and technologies and figuring out how to apply them effectively.

You're leading the charge on integrating AI into our knowledge base, seeing the potential for massive productivity gains across the company.

What frustrates people
  • The 'Training Panacea' Request: Being asked to build a one-hour workshop to fix a deep-seated cultural or systemic issue that training alone cannot solve.
  • Proving ROI on 'Soft' Initiatives: The endless battle to quantify the financial impact of communication skills or leadership development to a skeptical CFO.
  • Content Graveyard Maintenance: Inheriting a legacy LMS or SharePoint site with thousands of outdated, irrelevant, and untagged documents that you're now responsible for – and then having to lead your team through the clean-up.
  • 'Flavor of the Month' Leadership Fads: Being forced to pivot your entire team's strategy to support the latest bestselling business book the CEO just read on vacation.
  • The SME Bottleneck, scaled: Not just one SME, but entire departments being slow to provide crucial knowledge, holding up your team's entire project portfolio.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely hands-on content creation role – you'll be managing, strategising, and coaching, not spending all day in Articulate Storyline.
  • A static, predictable environment with minimal change – expect regular pivots and new challenges.
  • A role where all your work is immediately visible and celebrated – much of your impact will be systemic and long-term, requiring patience and persistence.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes our organisation's ability to learn, adapt, and retain critical knowledge. You'll be building the internal muscle that allows us to innovate faster, onboard new talent more effectively, and ultimately, stay ahead of the competition. Your decisions here will impact our P&L by improving productivity and reducing costly errors.

Inside the business
  • SVP of People & Culture
  • Heads of Product and Engineering
  • Sales Leadership
  • Finance Director
  • Legal & Compliance Teams
  • Departmental Leads (your internal clients)
Outside the business
  • Learning Technology Vendors (e.g., Degreed, Guru)
  • Content Development Agencies
  • Industry Bodies (e.g., Learning & Performance Institute)
  • Consultancy Partners

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven experience (at least 3-5 years) managing and developing a team of learning or knowledge professionals.
  • Demonstrable track record of owning and managing a significant departmental budget (e.g., £500K+).
  • Experience designing and implementing learning or knowledge strategies at a functional or departmental level.
  • Strong ability to influence and present to senior leadership, articulating strategic value and securing buy-in.
  • Deep understanding of at least one major LXP/LMS and one major KM platform, including their strategic application and integration.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced Learning Analytics & Predictive Modelling

Moving beyond descriptive analytics ('what happened') to predictive analytics ('what will happen') in learning. This involves using machine learning to forecast skill decay, predict training effectiveness, or identify employees at risk of disengagement based on learning behaviour.

Machine Learning for Learner Behaviour · Learning Record Store (LRS) & xAPI · Data Governance for Learning Data

  • This month: Review our current learning analytics capabilities and identify gaps for predictive modelling.
  • Next quarter: Explore vendors or open-source solutions for advanced learning analytics and LRS capabilities.
  • Within 6 months: Lead a proof-of-concept project for predictive modelling (e.g., predicting course completion rates or skill retention).
  • Within 12 months: Develop a roadmap for integrating advanced analytics into our overall learning strategy.

Quick win: Identify one key learning metric where a simple correlation with a business outcome could provide valuable insight. Start tracking it.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending industry conferences (e.g., Learning Technologies, KMWorld) to stay abreast of new trends and network with peers.
  • Subscribing to leading L&D/KM journals and research publications to deepen theoretical and practical knowledge.
  • Actively participating in professional communities of practice (online or in-person) to share insights and learn from others.
  • Seeking out mentorship from senior leaders within or outside the organisation to develop executive presence and strategic thinking.
  • Undertaking leadership development programmes or courses focused on managing high-performing teams and driving organisational change.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Ethical AI in Learning & Knowledge Governance

As AI becomes embedded in content creation, personalisation, and knowledge retrieval, understanding its ethical implications (bias, privacy, hallucination) and establishing clear governance frameworks will be critical. We can't just use AI; we need to use it responsibly.

  • AI Bias Detection & Mitigation
  • Data Privacy & Security for AI
  • Transparency & Explainability (XAI)
  • AI Hallucination & Validation Strategies

Workforce Planning with Skills Data

The pace of change means organisations need to be much more agile in understanding their current skill inventory and anticipating future skill needs. This role will increasingly partner with HR to use learning and performance data to inform strategic workforce planning, ensuring we have the right talent for tomorrow.

  • Skills Taxonomy Development
  • Skill Gap Analysis & Forecasting
  • Internal Talent Marketplace Integration
  • Learning & Development's Role in Succession Planning

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Instructional Design & Learning Models (Strategic Application)
  • Performance Consulting & Needs Analysis (Department-Wide)
  • Knowledge Management Frameworks (Enterprise Design)
  • Competency Mapping & Skills Taxonomy (HRIS Integration)
  • Agile Project Management for Learning (Portfolio Management)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Lead Learning & Knowledge Architect

    3-5 years in a Lead role

    Skills to master

    • Deep expertise in designing complex learning ecosystems and knowledge flows, strong technical understanding of learning platforms, proven ability to influence technical decisions and mentor junior architects.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led the design and implementation of 2-3 major learning or knowledge system architectures.
    • Consistently received feedback on strong technical leadership and mentoring abilities.
    • Demonstrated ability to present complex technical solutions to non-technical senior stakeholders.
  2. 2

    Senior Learning Strategist (from a larger organisation)

    4-6 years in a Senior Strategist role

    Skills to master

    • Experience managing a portfolio of learning programmes, strong business acumen, ability to translate business needs into learning solutions, and experience working with significant budgets.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed end-to-end delivery of 5+ complex learning programmes with measurable business impact.
    • Proven ability to manage significant project budgets and external vendors.
    • Track record of influencing senior business leaders on learning strategy.
  3. 3

    Senior L&D Business Partner

    5-7 years in an L&D BP role

    Skills to master

    • Exceptional stakeholder management, deep understanding of business unit needs, strong consulting skills, and experience in diagnosing performance gaps beyond just training.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully partnered with multiple business units to deliver impactful L&D solutions.
    • Consistently acted as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders.
    • Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and drive adoption of learning initiatives.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to a Chief Learning & Knowledge Officer role, setting learning strategy at board level. It can also lead to a VP of Talent Development role, covering talent and performance across an organisation.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Provide learning opportunities for colleagues, worked against Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy.

Provide learning opportunities for colleagues Level 5

Applied to your work in Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy

This unit aims to equip learners with the skills to encourage learning and development in colleagues. Learners will be able to help colleagues identify learning needs, plan and implement learning opportunities, and review and update their development plans.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy
  • Instructional Design & Learning Models (Strategic Application)
  • Performance Consulting & Needs Analysis (Department-Wide)
  • Knowledge Management Frameworks (Enterprise Design)
  • Competency Mapping & Skills Taxonomy (HRIS Integration)
  • Agile Project Management for Learning (Portfolio Management)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Director, Learning & Knowledge Ecosystems

    3-5 years in the Manager role

    Level 6 (Director/VP)

    • Workforce planning and talent management integration at an enterprise scale.
    • Leading large-scale organisational change initiatives related to learning culture.
    • Defining and overseeing the entire learning technology stack and vendor ecosystem.
    • Developing global learning and knowledge strategies for multi-national operations.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, running a Learning & Knowledge Strategy function involves a mountain of tasks, from content curation to performance analysis and team management. Imagine if you could give your team back a significant chunk of their week, freeing them up for the truly strategic work. That's exactly what AI can do for your department.

At Zavmo, we're not just talking about theory; we're actively integrating AI into our daily workflows. For a Manager in Learning & Knowledge Strategy, this means you'll be empowered to implement tools that automate the tedious, repetitive parts of your team's work, allowing them to focus on designing innovative learning experiences, building strategic partnerships, and driving real business impact. Think of AI as your force multiplier, not a replacement.

AI-Powered Content Curation & Creation

Your team can use AI tools to quickly analyse internal documents – project debriefs, technical specs, meeting notes – and external feeds. This allows them to generate first drafts of knowledge base articles, microlearning modules, and quiz questions in minutes, not hours. You'll be transforming raw information into structured, engaging learning assets at lightning speed, letting your team focus on refinement and strategic alignment.

Knowledge Gap Analysis Engine

Imagine an AI engine that constantly monitors search queries in your KM system (especially those with no results), questions asked in Slack/Teams, and support tickets. This AI clusters these into themes, proactively identifying the most critical knowledge gaps across the organisation. As a manager, you'll use these insights to strategically prioritise your team's content development efforts, ensuring they're always addressing the most pressing needs.

Personalised Learning Path Generator

Oversee the implementation of AI engines that recommend personalised learning content sequences (articles, courses, videos, mentors) based on an employee's role, current skill level (pulled from HRIS/performance reviews), and career goals. This means your team spends less time manually curating paths and more time refining the overall strategy and ensuring content quality, leading to more relevant and engaging learning for everyone.

SME Interview & Transcription Assistant

Equip your team with AI meeting assistants (like Fathom or Otter.ai) to record, transcribe, and summarise knowledge-harvesting interviews with Subject Matter Experts. The AI can even identify key action items and concepts, creating an instant outline for a new course or guide. This dramatically reduces the post-interview workload, making SME wrangling a much more efficient process for your team.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy?

Common routes in include Lead Learning & Knowledge Architect (3-5 years in a Lead role), Senior Learning Strategist (from a larger organisation) (4-6 years in a Senior Strategist role) and Senior L&D Business Partner (5-7 years in an L&D BP role). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy progress to?

This role can lead on to Director, Learning & Knowledge Ecosystems (3-5 years in the Manager role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Manager, Learning & Knowledge Strategy?

Increasingly, Ethical AI in Learning & Knowledge Governance and Workforce Planning with Skills Data. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 5

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in knowledge management

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Skills built in this role include strategic thinking, team leadership, data-driven decision making, and expertise in learning and knowledge systems. These carry into leadership roles in other industries, such as EdTech, consulting, or large organisations with complex learning needs. They can also lead into broader HR leadership or organisational development roles.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.