Learning & Development Specialist

Learning & Development Specialist– Cape Town/ Pretoria

Nal'ibali's mission is to spark a love of stories, build language and literacy skills, and promote a lifelong reading culture in homes, schools and communities across South Africa. Our work transforms communities into learning spaces whether in the homes, centres, schools and community spaces children get adequate opportunities to read and engage with enticing content, stories.

We are seeking a Learning & Development Specialist who will design, implement, and monitor structured training initiatives for both our internal staff and our external literacy Programmes. This is a dual-focus role that will help employees thrive in their roles while ensuring high-quality, standardized training delivery to strengthen literacy outcomes nationwide.

Role and responsibilities:

HR – Internal Learning & Development (50%)

Learning and Development Strategy Implementation

• Roll out Nal'ibali's Learning & Development strategy in line with organisational priorities.
• Design and implement policies and frameworks for internal learning.
• Align training plans with workforce planning and performance management.
• Engage leadership to ensure buy-in for L&D initiatives.
• Translate organisational goals into measurable training outcomes.
• Create a 3–5-year Learning and Development roadmap to support growth.
• Benchmark Nal'ibali's training practices against NGO/education sector standards.
• Promote a culture of continuous learning across all levels.
• Develop annual Learning and Development budgets and manage expenditure.
• Provide input to HR policy updates relating to staff development.

Training Coordination & Facilitation

• Source, assess, and contract reputable training providers.
• Schedule training sessions across departments with minimal disruption.
• Facilitate selected in-house training (onboarding, soft skills, leadership, compliance).
• Manage logistics for both virtual and in-person sessions.
• Provide guidance to managers on training requests.
• Develop training evaluation tools (surveys, feedback forms).
• Ensure training is accessible to staff in all provinces.
• Create blended learning opportunities (online + classroom).
• Manage training materials and content library.
• Track facilitator performance and quality of deliver

Skills Gap Analysis & Career Development

• Conduct organisation-wide training needs analysis annually.
• Collaborate with line managers to map team-specific skills requirements.
• Develop and implement individual development plans
• Support career pathing and succession planning.
• Identify high-potential employees for leadership pipelines.
• Develop competency frameworks for key job roles.
• Conduct skills audits aligned with changing literacy programme needs.
• Provide coaching and mentoring support to staff.
• Maintain an updated skills matrix for reporting to HR and leadership.

Learning and Development Monitoring & Reporting

• Track attendance, participation, and completion rates.
• Develop dashboards for monitoring Learning and Development progress.
• Produce quarterly training reports for Head of HR and Operations.
• Track training spend against budget.
• Ensure compliance with SETA or accreditation requirements.
• Document and share success stories of staff development.
• Analyze training Return on Investment.
• Identify and report training challenges and solutions.
• Ensure timely submission of reports to leadership.
• Keep up-to-date records of all training interventions

Programmes – External Capacity Building (50%)

Training Design & Standardization

• Develop, review, and standardize training toolkits and materials.
• Ensure training aligns with Nal'ibali's reading-for-enjoyment model.
• Incorporate adult learning principles and participatory methods.
• Collaborate with content experts to adapt literacy training.
• Localize training materials for use across provinces.
• Design e-learning solutions for wider reach and growth potential.
• Ensure training materials meet quality and cultural sensitivity standards.
• Keep all training resources current, organized, and centrally accessible.
• Drive accreditation processes for training courses.
• Innovate with multimedia and digital learning content.

Stakeholder Training Delivery

• Facilitate workshops for community reading club leaders and literacy activists.
• Train Department of Education officials and partner NGOs.
• Support Provincial Coordinators with provincial training rollouts.
• Deliver training-of-trainers sessions.
• Provide post-training coaching and mentoring.
• Adapt delivery methods to suit community contexts.
• Foster strong relationships with stakeholders.
• Ensure inclusiveness and accessibility in training delivery.
• Respond to emerging training needs from field feedback.
• Provide field support during programme activations and events.

Training Quality Assurance, Impact Tracking & Reporting

• Monitor delivery of training sessions for quality and consistency.
• Conduct participant feedback surveys after every session.
• Gather and analyze impact data from Programmes team.
• Track participation and outcomes using standardized tools.
• Conduct regular reviews of training effectiveness.
• Provide recommendations for improvement based on evidence.
• Share learnings with Head of Programmes, Impact and Partnerships and Programme managers.
• Maintain compliance with donor and partner reporting requirements.
• Present training outcomes to the Leadership team.
• Ensure alignment between internal HR L&D and external capacity building.

Requirements (Qualifications):

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Education, Training & Development, or a related field.
• At least 3–5 years' experience in an L&D, Training Specialist, or Capacity Building role.
• Excellent communication skills in English; proficiency in at least one additional South African language an advantage.
• Proficiency in MS Office 365
• Knowledge of Learning Management Systems advantageous

Competencies:

• Driven to collaborate and partner respectfully across departments and external stakeholders.
• Highly proactive with strong self-leadership.
• Pioneering and resilient, yet flexible and open to working in fast-paced environments.
• Organized and detail-oriented, ensuring consistent and efficient workflows.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with strong evaluation and problem-solving skills.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and mentoring skills.
• Solution-driven and resourceful, with a sense of urgency.
• Passionate about literacy, education, and making a social impact.
• Strong cultural sensitivity and ability to work with diverse communities.
• Proven record of working in NGOs, education, or literacy development (advantageous).

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In person

Application Deadline: 2025/10/24