Head of Training: Travelshops at Wilderness

Key Responsibilities:

Training Needs Analysis

• Review strategic business plans and departmental goals to determine skills required for higher sales.
• Prioritise areas that will have the most impact on performance and business outcomes
• Identify and assess training and development needs of employees.
• Develop training programs to address identified needs, monitor and evaluate training effectiveness
• Collaborate with department heads to ensure training aligns with business goals.
• Encourage and reward continuous learning and development among employees.

Training Team Management

• Maintain regular communication with Trainers to ensure they are aligned with the training needs of the company.
• Coordinate and oversee training projects to ensure they are delivered in a structured and effective manner.
• Mantain trainer’s employee lifecycle, to ensure alignment between personal and career goals, developmental areas and performance.
• Identify, develop and implement initiatives to upskill each individual in the training department.

Training Content (Program Design & Development) & Curriculum

Systems

• Develop tailored training solutions for all systems used by the business (e.g., MS, WW, TP, CRM)
• Identify curriculum needed for different roles within the business and create training modules at different growth levels.
• Develop and deliver training sessions, workshops, and e-learning modules.
• Create new onboarding schedules and materials for new starters, linking them to a mentorship-style engagement for the first 6 months.
• Evaluate the productivity and understanding of new and existing staff members in using the systems.
• Continuously assess and update training materials to ensure ongoing development and improvement in staff knowledge and skills.

Wilderness Product

• Develop tailored training solutions for all camps, including curriculum for new, maintenance, and refresher modules.
• Ensure all staff have a thorough knowledge and understanding of camps, destinations, activities, and offerings per country, including USPs.
• Create a library of training material that covers storytelling for each camp and destination, with a focus on engaging and fun content.
• Focus on onboarding training for new starters, setting a strong foundation for increasing knowledge base of all properties.
• Collaborate with sales team to ensure training aligns with core purpose of ROI growth as sales increase.

Destination & Logistics

• Develop and implement tailored training solutions to enhance the knowledge and skills of our TravelShop reservation teams.
• Increase the knowledge base of all employees on the logistics of each destination we operate in and how to build journeys within each destination.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training to ensure continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure training aligns with business objectives and goals.

Training Methods, Delivery & Facilitation

• Design, develop, and deliver quality learning and development programmes that meet the learning needs and requirements of employees.
• Apply best practice learning methodologies to create engaging training content.
• Choose appropriate training methods per subject, including milestones and deadlines.
• Manage the Trainers delivery on training sessions and workshops effectively to diverse audiences, incorporating personalized learning paths where necessary.
• Schedule and conduct training sessions, ensuring that they reach the targeted audience/department.

Performance Tracking & Evaluation

• Analyse training data and define methods for measuring training effectiveness, including surveys, assessments, tracking reports and other tools.
• Provide recommendations for improving training programs based on data analysis and feedback from employees.
• Continuously measure the outputs of training programs and make necessary adjustments to improve knowledge sharing, training practices, and methodologies.
• Understand employee engagement in training and identify the value of metrics that result in highly productive teams.
• Collaborate with trainers to identify key performance indicators for training programs.
• Stay current on industry trends and best practices in training and development to continuously improve training programs.

Budget Management

• Ensure adequate support for training programs by identifying the necessary budgets, tools, and programs needed for effective training.
• Create and manage the training budget efficiently to maximise the impact of training initiatives, i.e., costs for materials, training tools, venues, and technology needed for training programs.
• Obtain necessary approvals for training budget allocations.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with HR, line managers, and other key stakeholders to identify training needs and develop training programs that align with company goals and objectives.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to design and deliver engaging and effective training programs.
• Develop and maintain a training schedule and ensure that all employees are aware of upcoming training opportunities.
• Collaborate with HR to integrate training programs into the overall employee development and performance management process.
• Provide guidance and support to line managers on how to support employees throughout their employee lifecycle during their training and development journey.
• Ensure that all training programs comply with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications & Experience:

Skill Set:

• Passion for education and training development.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently and as a team.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to build relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the business.
• Ability to prioritise and focus on high-impact areas.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse audiences.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong people skills, and the ability to manage, inspire and motive a team.

Qualifications / Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field
• Minimum of 7 years of training knowledge, learning and development theory and best practices.
• Strong understanding of adult learning principles and training best practices.
• An understanding of business strategy and sales processes is advantageous.
• An understanding of the travel industry in Southern and East Africa is advantageous.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing effective training programs.
• Familiarity with budgeting/training software or tools.
• Assessor course, advantageous
• Moderator course, advantageous.
• Skills development facilitator (SDF).
• Train the trainer, advantageous.