UK National Audit Office
Professional Training Advisor
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Job title: Learning & Development - Professional Training Advisor
Contract type: Permanent
Location: London with a minimum of 2 days per week in the office
Salary: London c£32,517 per annum plus civil service pension scheme employer contribution of 28.9%
Role overview
The National Audit Office (NAO) supports Parliament in holding government to account and improving public services, with a focus on driving long-term, sustainable performance. As an independent body, we scrutinise public spending to ensure value for money for taxpayers and deliver recommendations that lead to financial savings and better service delivery across the public sector.
An opportunity has arisen within the Professional Training team (PTT), and the main purpose of this role is to co-ordinate the different stages of the NAO graduate and apprentice programme, supporting onboarding and the qualification pathway of successful students and delivering strong administrative and advisory support across a range of People processes and areas.
The successful candidate will provide relevant advice and support to key internal and external stakeholders in an effective and timely way to achieve high service standards. This post will impact successful delivery of a range of Professional Training tasks and will, therefore, affect the contribution of the wider People Team to the business, customer satisfaction and our performance.
Key responsibilities
The Learning & Development - Professional Training Advisor will be responsible for delivering Professional Training process and assignments in a prompt, accurate and responsive way to a high standard to meet business needs. This will include:
- Supporting all administrative aspects of the ACA programme, such as booking study and exam leave, overseeing and reporting on college attendance and mock completion, processing exam results, and supporting payroll inputs.
- Working with colleagues to develop study pathways in line with the NAO’s college timetable.
- Providing guidance and support throughout the trainee and apprentices qualification journey.
- Working collaboratively within the People team to ensure consistency of service, including providing responses to professional training queries received via the HR Portal in a professional manner and to agreed SLAs, escalating complex issues when required.
- Supporting communication and engagement with trainees, keeping internal training pages up to date and dealing with qualification queries, escalating to the Senior Professional Training Advisor or Head of Professional Training where required. This will range from dealing with basic queries about college allocations to sensitive and confidential cases impacting their studies.
- Building relationships and liaising with external providers, including our college and institute, to ensure a high level of service is provided to the NAO and that they are keeping abreast of new information or issues that may affect the NAO’s work.
- Inputting data accurately and providing management information using NAO’s systems. Undertake data analysis where required (for example exam pass rate analysis).
- Monitoring and reporting on ICAEW regulatory activities to key stakeholders.
- Prioritising and planning work demands and commitments to ensure an efficient service across the wider People team and to deliver work delegated by the Head of Professional Training and Senior Professional Training Advisor.
- Following policy and processes related to their work package accurately, to identify and implement improvements and efficiencies.
- Supporting our People Deal and goals for diversity and inclusion by championing initiatives.
- Completing ad-hoc assignments to a high standard.
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Relationships and Accountability
Reporting to the Head of Professional Training, you will work closely with graduates and apprentices, performance coaches, and colleagues across the People Team, Finance, and wider corporate services. You will also build strong relationships with external training providers, including colleges and the ICAEW, to ensure a high-quality service. While the role has no direct line or budget management responsibility, you will operate within agreed Professional Training budgets and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, including senior management, to deliver an effective and responsive service.
Essential criteria (used for shortlisting)
- Experience in professional qualifications training and/or Learning & Development, ideally within the professional services, education sector or a training provider
- Proven administrative and coordination experience in a fast-paced environment
- High level of attention to detail and accuracy in data management
- Clear and effective communication and presentation skills
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data analysis and reporting
Key skills and behaviours
- Demonstrated knowledge of Professional Qualification Training, Apprenticeships and Learning & Development.
- Ability to plan, organise and administer a busy programme of work to a high standard of accuracy and quality, responding to changes in priorities as required, to ensure that key deadlines are met, e.g., exam data processes, monthly pay runs.
- High level of attention to detail, working methodically and accurately to ensure all relevant college, student data details are correct.
- Self-starter, using creativity and initiative when seeking solutions.
- Communication and presentation skills to deliver challenging messages sensitively.
- The ability to engage and build relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work well in a team, adopting a collaborative and inclusive approach.
- Numerical and Microsoft Excel skills, with an ability to analyse data, produce reports and provide accurate management information, in a clear and user-friendly way.
- Commitment and motivation to deliver a high-quality service and proactively seeking ways to implement improvements to processes.
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What we offer
- 35 days annual leave, including public holidays
- Choice of Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) or a stakeholder pension scheme
- Flexible working opportunities
- Personal and career development support
- On-site canteen and gym
- Interest-free season ticket loan
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Online staff discount scheme
- Payment of professional subscriptions, health checks and eyesight tests
- Enhanced non-contributory death-in-service benefit
How to apply
Please upload your most recent CV and a Covering Letter no more than 2 pages clearly outlining your interest and suitability for the role against essential criteria and key skills before the deadline.
The closing date for applications is 23:59pm Sunday 4 October.
Selection Process
Applicants shortlisted for interview will be asked to complete an Excel assessment in advance. Interviews will take place in person at our offices in Victoria, London during week commencing 19 October.
Equal opportunities and diversity
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments: Applicants with a disability who wish their application to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should confirm this when submitting their application. Under this scheme we guarantee an interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements for the role. You should also let our HR team know if you wish us to consider any Reasonable Adjustments at any stage of the process (HR Service Desk: HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk).
Nationality Requirements
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with (or eligible for) status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
Please note, we are not able to sponsor work visas. Please contact us at hrservicedesk@nao.org.uk should you have any questions on your nationality eligibility.
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