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

Manager, Organisational Learning & Knowledge

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)
  • Reports toDirector of Organisational Learning
  • UK framework levelUsually a manager, or the deepest specialist in a team

Also advertised as Head of Learning & Development · Knowledge Management Lead · Learning & Culture Manager

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership Chartered Management Institute · Level 5 · covers 3 of 13 standards
NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Playwork (Wales) NCFE · Level 5 · covers 2 of 13 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Principles of Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 13 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 13 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 13 standards
City & Guilds Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management City & Guilds Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 13 standards

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

The units you would start with

Manage knowledge in an organisation CMI Level 5 NVQ Diploma in Management and Leadership
Provide learning opportunities for colleagues NCFE CACHE Level 5 Diploma in Advanced Playwork (Wales)
Knowledge and information management City & Guilds Level 5 Diploma in Principles of Leadership and Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Manager, Organisational Learning & Knowledge

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

  1. Manage knowledge in an organisation Chartered Management Institute · covers 3 of 13 standards Level 5
  2. Provide learning opportunities for colleagues NCFE · covers 2 of 13 standards Level 5
  3. Knowledge and information management City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 13 standards Level 5
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, Organisational Learning & Knowledge?

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

The new skill this role is being asked for

  • AI-Powered Learning & Knowledge Orchestration
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, Organisational Learning & Knowledge plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

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

3What this role really is

This job involves making sure people learn what they need to do their work, and that useful knowledge gets kept and shared. It means building systems where learning happens as part of the job, and where people can find information when they need it. The work shapes how an organisation's collective knowledge grows over time.

4What you'd actually use

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

LMS/LXP (Docebo, Cornerstone OnDemand, Degreed) Strategic

Leading the platform selection/RFP process, defining our enterprise learning architecture, negotiating vendor contracts, and governing the overall learning ecosystem. You'll be making the big decisions about what platforms we use and how they fit together.

Knowledge Base (Confluence, Guru, Notion) Strategic

Setting the enterprise knowledge management strategy, championing adoption across all business units, and integrating the knowledge base into core workflows. You're thinking about how knowledge flows across the entire company.

Authoring Tools (Articulate 360: Rise & Storyline, Camtasia) Architect

Setting the standards for instructional design across the organisation, evaluating new authoring technologies for your team, and managing vendor relationships for any outsourced content development. You're defining how we create content.

Collaboration (Slack, MS Teams, Miro) Strategic

Defining the strategy for social learning and knowledge sharing within the organisation. You'll integrate these collaboration tools into the formal learning strategy, making sure they support informal learning and CoPs effectively.

Analytics & Visualisation (Tableau, Power BI) Strategic

Defining the key metrics for the entire learning function, using data to justify budget requests, influence executive strategy, and telling a compelling story with data about the impact of your team's work.

HRIS (Workday HCM, SAP SuccessFactors) Strategic

Partnering closely with the HRIS team to architect integrations that enable a seamless talent marketplace and link learning data directly to career progression and performance management. You're thinking about the holistic employee journey.

Financial Planning (Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning) Advanced

Owning and managing the entire L&D budget, building detailed business cases for major investments, modelling ROI for programmes, and confidently defending spending to the Finance department. This is where your accountability really shines.

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 Full authority for budgets up to £2M, with quarterly reviews and strategic alignment with the Director. Major investments (over £100K for a single item) require Director approval.
Hiring & Performance Management N/A N/A Full authority for all hiring, promotion, and performance management decisions within your team, in consultation with HR Business Partners.
Learning & Knowledge Strategy N/A N/A Define and implement the strategic roadmap for organisational learning and knowledge management, aligning with overall business objectives. Consult with the Director and executive peers for major shifts or cross-functional impact.
Technology Selection & Vendor Management N/A N/A Lead the selection process for new LMS, Knowledge Base, or Authoring tools. Full authority for vendor contracts up to £100K. Larger contracts require Director and Procurement approval.
Organisational Design (within department) N/A N/A Design the structure of your team, including roles, responsibilities, and reporting lines, in consultation with HR.

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.

ROI on Learning Programmes
The return on investment for major learning and development initiatives, showing how much value we get back for every pound spent.
Target · Achieve a minimum 2:1 ROI on at least two strategic programmes annually.

A leadership development programme costing £100,000 leads to a £250,000 reduction in management turnover and a £150,000 increase in team productivity, demonstrating a 4:1 ROI.

Reduction in Internal Support Ticket Volume
How much our knowledge base and 'learning in the flow of work' solutions reduce the number of internal support requests (e.g., to IT, HR, or other departments).
Target · Reduce internal support ticket volume by 15% across key departments within 12 months.

After improving the IT knowledge base and adding quick guides, IT support tickets related to common software issues drop from 500 to 425 per month, a 15% reduction.

Time-to-Proficiency for Critical Roles
How quickly new hires in key roles (like sales or customer service) become fully productive and meet performance targets.
Target · Decrease average time-to-proficiency for Sales Development Representatives by 20% (e.g., from 90 to 72 days).

Through a revamped onboarding programme and improved knowledge resources, new sales reps hit 80% quota attainment in 70 days instead of 90.

Knowledge Sharing Culture Score
An internal survey score reflecting how employees perceive our culture around sharing knowledge and learning from each other.
Target · Improve the 'knowledge sharing' score in the annual engagement survey by 10 points.

The 'I feel empowered to share my knowledge with others' score in the employee survey rises from 65% to 75% year-on-year.

Strategic Influence & Credibility
How much you and your team are seen as essential strategic partners, not just 'order takers' for training requests. This means being brought in early on big business problems.
  • You're regularly invited to leadership planning meetings for new product launches or major organisational changes. Department heads proactively consult you on performance issues before asking for 'training'. Your team's insights are genuinely considered in C-suite discussions about talent and capability.
Team Development & Engagement
The growth, satisfaction, and overall effectiveness of your direct team. Are they happy, challenged, and delivering high-quality work?
  • Your team members are regularly promoted internally or take on more complex projects. Employee engagement scores for your team are consistently high. You receive positive feedback from direct reports about your coaching and support. The team consistently meets project deadlines and delivers high-quality outputs.
Quality of Learning & Knowledge Ecosystem
The overall user experience and effectiveness of our learning platforms, knowledge bases, and collaborative tools.
  • User feedback (e.g., through surveys, direct comments) is overwhelmingly positive about the ease of finding information and the quality of learning content. Our platforms are seen as intuitive and reliable. External audits or peer reviews recognise our learning and knowledge solutions as effective and well-designed.
Proactive Problem Solving
Your ability to anticipate future learning and knowledge gaps before they become critical business problems, and to propose solutions.
  • You present proactive proposals for new learning programmes or knowledge initiatives based on market trends or internal data analysis. You identify potential skill shortages months in advance and have a plan to address them. You're seen as someone who brings solutions, not just problems.

7Would you like it

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

What people enjoy
Building and Shaping a System

You'll spend time thinking about how all the pieces of our learning and knowledge infrastructure fit together, designing workflows, and optimising processes. You'll get a real kick out of seeing your strategic vision for how people learn actually come to life.

You're thrilled when a new integration between the LMS and the knowledge base means employees can find answers without leaving their workflow, reducing friction and increasing adoption.

Driving Tangible Business Impact

You're not content with just delivering training; you want to see how it changes behaviour and improves business metrics. You'll be constantly looking for ways to measure and prove the value of your team's work, and you'll enjoy presenting those results to senior leadership.

Successfully linking a new onboarding programme to a measurable reduction in new hire ramp-up time, and then presenting that win to the executive team, is what truly motivates you.

Developing and Mentoring a Team

A significant part of your day will involve coaching, guiding, and supporting your team members. You'll find satisfaction in seeing them grow, take on more responsibility, and deliver excellent work. You'll be building their capabilities as much as the organisation's.

One of your junior specialists successfully leads their first major project, and you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in their growth, knowing your guidance played a part.

What frustrates people
  • The 'SME Bottleneck': Your entire strategy hinges on brilliant experts who are also the busiest people, and they often see 'knowledge sharing' as a distraction from their 'real work'.
  • Proving ROI on 'Soft' Initiatives: Quantifying the pound-value impact of leadership development or communication skills is incredibly hard and a constant fight for budget.
  • 'Mandatory Training' Apathy: Being forced to roll out compliance courses that everyone hates, which then sours their view on all other learning.
  • Legacy Tech Handcuffs: Being stuck with a clunky, universally disliked LMS chosen years ago that stops you from creating the modern experience you want.
  • The 'Quick Fix' Request: A senior leader has a bad meeting and immediately demands 'training for everyone' without any real diagnosis of the actual problem.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely individual contributor path: This is a management role, so you'll be leading and developing others, not just doing the work yourself.
  • Complete autonomy over budget without scrutiny: You'll own a significant budget, but you'll constantly need to justify it and demonstrate value to senior leadership and Finance.
  • A static, predictable environment: The world of work and learning is always changing, so you'll need to adapt and evolve your strategy constantly.
  • Zero political navigation: You'll need to influence and persuade across the organisation, which means dealing with different agendas and priorities.

8Who you work with

This role is absolutely critical for our long-term growth. You'll directly influence our ability to innovate, adapt to market changes, and retain top talent by ensuring our people are continuously developing. Your work directly impacts our operational efficiency by making sure knowledge is shared effectively, reducing redundant effort and speeding up problem-solving. Ultimately, you're building a more intelligent, resilient organisation.

Inside the business
  • Director of Organisational Learning
  • HR Leadership & Talent Acquisition
  • Business Unit Leads (Sales, Product, Engineering, Operations)
  • Finance Department
  • IT & Infrastructure Teams
  • Senior Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across all departments
Outside the business
  • Learning Management System (LMS) Vendors
  • Knowledge Base Platform Providers
  • Content Authoring Tool Suppliers
  • External Training Providers & Consultants
  • Industry Bodies & Professional Networks

9What you need before you start

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

  • Proven experience leading and developing a team of learning or knowledge management professionals, with demonstrable success in their growth.
  • A track record of managing significant departmental budgets (ideally £500K+) and demonstrating ROI on learning investments.
  • Deep expertise in at least one major LMS/LXP platform and a modern knowledge base system, including strategic implementation and governance.
  • Extensive experience in designing and implementing comprehensive learning strategies that are directly linked to business outcomes.
  • Demonstrable ability to influence and build strong relationships with senior leaders and cross-functional teams, often without direct authority.
  • A strong portfolio of successful learning programmes and knowledge initiatives that have driven measurable impact.

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 basic reporting, we need to use data to predict future skill gaps, identify at-risk learners, and proactively intervene. This means linking learning data with performance data to truly understand impact and forecast future needs.

Learning Record Stores (LRS) & xAPI · Predictive Analytics for Attrition/Performance · Data Storytelling for Executives

  • This quarter: Take an online course on advanced Tableau or Power BI techniques, focusing on data blending and predictive functions.
  • Next quarter: Partner with our Data Science team to explore potential correlations between learning engagement and performance metrics.
  • Within 6 months: Develop a new dashboard that integrates learning data with HRIS data to provide a more holistic view of talent capability.
  • Within 9 months: Present a 'future skills' forecast to the executive team, backed by data, outlining potential skill gaps and proposed learning interventions.

Quick win: Start by identifying one key business problem (e.g., high churn in a specific team) and see if you can find any learning data that might correlate. Even simple correlations can spark bigger projects.

Digital Adoption Platform (DAP) Integration & Strategy

Simply providing training isn't enough; we need to ensure employees actually adopt and effectively use new software and processes. DAPs offer in-application guidance and support, which is becoming crucial for driving behaviour change and reducing 'scrap learning'.

In-App Guidance & Walkthroughs · Contextual Performance Support · Usage Analytics & Optimisation

  • This month: Research leading Digital Adoption Platforms (e.g., WalkMe, Pendo, Whatfix) and understand their core functionalities.
  • Next quarter: Identify one specific software rollout or process change where a DAP could significantly improve adoption. Develop a business case.
  • Within 6 months: Lead a pilot project implementing a DAP for a critical business application, measuring its impact on user proficiency and support tickets.
  • Within 9 months: Develop a long-term strategy for integrating DAPs into our overall learning and knowledge ecosystem.

Quick win: Explore free browser extensions that offer basic in-app guidance for common tools your team uses. See how they work and what impact they have on your own productivity.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attend industry conferences (e.g., Learning Technologies, KMWorld) to stay abreast of emerging trends and network with peers.
  • Actively participate in professional communities of practice (online and offline) focused on learning, talent development, or knowledge management.
  • Contribute to industry thought leadership through articles, presentations, or webinars, sharing your expertise and insights.
  • Seek out mentorship opportunities from senior leaders within or outside the organisation to accelerate your strategic leadership skills.
  • Take advanced courses in business analytics, data storytelling, or change management to strengthen your strategic capabilities.

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.

AI-Powered Learning & Knowledge Orchestration

AI is rapidly changing how we discover, create, and consume information. Competitors are already using AI to automate content creation, personalise learning paths, and identify knowledge gaps at lightning speed. If we don't embrace this, we'll be slower, less efficient, and our learning experiences will feel outdated.

  • LLM Integration for Content Creation
  • Adaptive Learning Pathways
  • Intelligent Knowledge Search & Discovery
  • AI for Performance Support

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Instructional Design Models (ADDIE/SAM)
  • Kirkpatrick & Phillips Models
  • Knowledge Auditing & Mapping
  • Communities of Practice (CoP) Cultivation
  • Performance Consulting
  • Andragogy & Neuroscience of Learning

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 Organisational Learning Strategist (L4)

    3-5 years

    Skills to master

    • As an L4, you'd have mastered architecting complex learning and knowledge solutions, managing significant stakeholder relationships, and perhaps informally mentoring junior team members. You'd be excellent at diagnosing business problems and designing multi-faceted interventions. The jump to Manager means adding formal team leadership, budget ownership, and broader strategic accountability.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led multiple complex learning programmes end-to-end, demonstrating measurable business impact.
    • Consistently sought out and taken on leadership opportunities, even if informal (e.g., leading a project team, mentoring new joiners).
    • Demonstrated strong influencing skills with senior stakeholders, getting buy-in for your strategic recommendations.
    • Developed a solid understanding of the financial aspects of learning and knowledge initiatives, including budgeting and ROI calculations.
  2. 2

    Manager, Learning & Development (from another company)

    Direct entry

    Skills to master

    • You'd bring existing managerial experience, including team leadership, budget management, and strategic planning. The key here is to quickly adapt to our specific industry, culture, and existing tech stack, and to deepen your expertise in the 'knowledge' aspect of the role, which might be new.

    You're ready to move on when

    • A proven track record of leading and developing high-performing teams in a learning or talent function.
    • Experience managing a similar scale of budget and demonstrating financial accountability.
    • Strong examples of successfully implementing learning and knowledge strategies that drove business results in previous organisations.
    • A clear understanding of the nuances of knowledge management beyond just formal training.
  3. 3

    Senior Knowledge Manager (from another department or company)

    2-4 years (with L&D focus)

    Skills to master

    • You'd be bringing deep expertise in knowledge architecture, content strategy, and community cultivation. To become a Manager of Organisational Learning & Knowledge, you'd need to significantly develop your formal instructional design, learning technology, and talent development skills, as well as formal team leadership and budget management.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Expertise in designing and managing enterprise-level knowledge bases and information architecture.
    • Proven ability to foster knowledge-sharing behaviours and build communities of practice.
    • Demonstrated interest and some experience in formal learning and development methodologies.
    • Strong project management skills, having led complex knowledge management initiatives.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to roles such as Chief Learning and Knowledge Officer or Chief People Officer, shaping how a whole organisation learns and shares knowledge.

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, Organisational Learning & Knowledge is actually changing.

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 Manage knowledge in an organisation, worked against Manager, Organisational Learning & Knowledge.

Manage knowledge in an organisation Level 5

Applied to your work in Manager, Organisational Learning & Knowledge

This unit aims to provide learners with an understanding of knowledge management principles, strategies, and the role of technology within organisations. Upon completion, learners will be able to identify, assess, and effectively manage knowledge assets to support organisational objectives.

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, Organisational Learning & Knowledge
  • Instructional Design Models (ADDIE/SAM)
  • Kirkpatrick & Phillips Models
  • Knowledge Auditing & Mapping
  • Communities of Practice (CoP) Cultivation
  • Performance Consulting
  • Andragogy & Neuroscience of Learning
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, Organisational Learning & Knowledge is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. This is a significant step up, moving from managing a department to shaping the entire function across the business unit. You'll set the multi-year strategy, influence at the most senior levels, and manage a much larger budget and team (including other managers).

    • Defining enterprise-wide learning technology roadmap
    • Leading large-scale organisational change initiatives
    • Developing global learning and knowledge strategies
    • External thought leadership and industry representation
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, managing a learning and knowledge function involves a lot of heavy lifting. From drafting content to analysing data and personalising learning paths, there's always more to do than hours in the day. But here's the thing: AI isn't just a buzzword; it's a practical tool that can genuinely give you back hours every week, letting you focus on the strategic work that really matters.

We're not talking about replacing people; we're talking about empowering them. Imagine an AI assistant that handles the tedious, repetitive tasks, freeing up your team to be more creative, more strategic, and more impactful. For a Manager in Organisational Learning & Knowledge, this means less time in the weeds and more time shaping the future of how our organisation learns and shares knowledge.

Content Draft Generation

Use AI to analyse lengthy technical documents, recorded expert interviews, or even meeting transcripts. It'll then whip up a first draft of a knowledge base article, a micro-learning script, or a set of FAQs. This cuts out hours of initial writing and structuring, letting your team focus on refining and adding the human touch.

Knowledge Gap Analysis

Feed AI all the user search queries from your knowledge base and LMS. The AI can then cluster failed searches and common themes, pinpointing the most urgent content gaps and learning needs. This replaces hours of manual report analysis, giving you actionable insights much faster.

Personalised Path Curation

Imagine an AI acting as a learning concierge for every employee. It can recommend a personalised mix of articles, courses, videos, and even potential mentors based on an employee's role, recent performance data, and stated career goals. This makes learning far more relevant and engaging, without your team having to manually curate for hundreds of individuals.

Campaign Comms Assistant

Use AI to draft targeted communication campaigns for new learning initiatives or knowledge updates. It can generate different versions tailored for various audiences (e.g., senior leaders, managers, individual contributors), boosting relevance and engagement. No more staring at a blank page trying to craft the perfect internal email.

Common questions

Common questions

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

Common routes in include Lead Organisational Learning Strategist (3-5 years), Manager, Learning & Development (from another company) (Direct entry) and Senior Knowledge Manager (from another department or company) (2-4 years (with L&D focus)). Times vary with prior experience.

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

This role can lead on to Director of Organisational Learning (3-5 years), depending on the skills you build.

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

Increasingly, AI-Powered Learning & Knowledge Orchestration. 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.

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

The skills built in this role, including strategic leadership, team development, performance consulting and building learning and knowledge systems, apply across industries. They transfer to sectors such as technology, finance or public services. Helping people learn and share knowledge well matters in any organisation.

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 plan, free 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.