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
Operations Training Manager (Large Organisation)
5-8 years at Manager/Senior Manager levelSkills to master
- Scaling programmes across multiple sites, managing larger teams (10-20+), developing strategic relationships with operational leaders, managing a significant departmental budget, proving ROI beyond 'smile sheets'.
You're ready to move on when
- Successfully led a major, multi-year operational enablement initiative that delivered measurable business impact.
- Consistently exceeded budget and performance targets for your department.
- Built and retained a high-performing team, with clear succession plans in place.
- Regularly invited to contribute to broader business unit strategy discussions.
- 2
Head of Learning & Development (Large Enterprise)
7-10 years at Head of L&D levelSkills to master
- Enterprise-wide learning strategy, managing diverse learning portfolios (not just operations), influencing across different functions (Sales, Product, Tech), strong HR business partner skills, advanced learning technology architecture.
You're ready to move on when
- Owned the learning strategy for a significant part of a large, complex organisation.
- Successfully implemented a new enterprise-wide learning platform or methodology.
- Demonstrated ability to drive cultural change through learning initiatives.
- Strong relationships with C-suite and senior functional leaders.
- 3
Senior Consultant (Operations / Learning & Development)
8-12 years in senior consulting rolesSkills to master
- Client relationship management at executive level, diagnosing complex organisational problems, designing and implementing large-scale change programmes, strong business case development and presentation skills, managing diverse project teams.
You're ready to move on when
- Led multiple successful engagements focused on operational excellence or organisational capability for large clients.
- Consistently delivered projects on time and budget, exceeding client expectations.
- Developed and presented strategic recommendations to C-suite clients.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing project teams.