Head of Services Academy

Apply before 11:55pm on Thursday 30th October 2025

This is a new, exciting and varied role with responsibility for technical training and capability management across the IPO's Services directorate. The role holder will establish/manage a 'Services Academy' for technical and professional training and development, with initial focus on Secure Patents (including the Private Applicant Unit and Examination Support teams) i.e. circa 550+ staff with differing technical training/development needs. It is anticipated that the role will evolve to encompass trade mark and design registration services and copyright operations.

Technical training for Secure Patents includes both structured and informal technical/legal training, and bespoke training for internal systems/processes. Core skills, management, and Civil Service wide training is delivered through our in-house Talent and Learning team.

The purpose of the role is to assess the effectiveness, inclusivity, and efficiency of our technical training/development, whilst also considering scalability and sustainability for a growing directorate. The role holder will be expected to manage the design and delivery of technical training/development programmes (including both existing and new materials) for multiple roles; champion our professions; provide guidance, and support to our people; and support our leaders & managers, and their teams, by working alongside our Talent and Learning team/HR Business Partners to identify suitable internal/external training and coaching and to create career pathways that value breadth and depth of experience. The role holder will share our commitment to strengthen our talent pipelines and improve workforce agility and adaptability.

Reporting to a Head of Patents, the role holder will provide matrix management to technical trainers/programme managers to deliver a diverse technical training portfolio.

We need someone: who can see and influence the bigger picture, ensure that informed decisions are made and know when/how to engage in the detail; who can work closely with colleagues across the IPO sharing knowledge and best practice; and has commercial awareness, great stakeholder skills, and a real people focus on personal development.

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:

• To establish and manage the Services Academy, providing matrix management to trainers/training programme managers
• Provide strategic leadership for Services to ensure we equip our people to deliver current and future rights granting work in a rapidly changing technological environment
• Development and ownership of strategies relating to technical learning and development and their implementation
• Working with our HR Business Partners to ensure the continuous improvement and evolution of the existing Services talent management schemes e.g. Patent Degree Apprenticeships, STEM returners
• Working with the Services budget holders to ensure optimal value across a broad spectrum of technical training and development initiatives.
• Developing management information tools/solutions for technical training and development activities to monitor and evaluate technical learning and development, talent management and succession planning, ensuring alignment with broader IPO approaches
• Working closely with the Services leadership team, contributing to decisions around development of our current and future workforce and ensuring that the training and development offered is adaptable and scalable
• Work closely with the Talent and Learning team and Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Academy to align delivery and approaches
• Work with HR Business Partners to inform strategic workforce planning activities.
• Active member of the IPO Learning Model working group, designing the future IPO approach to learning
• Leadership Expectations - This role is aligned with the IPO's Leadership and Management Skills & Qualities Framework (SQF), which sets out the qualities/behaviours and skills we expect from all leaders and managers regardless of grade or function.

The role is initially for up to two years Fixed Term Appointment with the possibility of permanency. This is because there will be a review of the IPO Learning Model to ensure our organisational approach to learning is effective and efficient. The successful person will be a member of the Learning Model working group.

Working Style

This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport Office.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

Essential criteria

• Experience of leading technical/specialist teams
• Experience of working in a technical training and/or development area, identifying opportunities for staff to develop their skills and abilities in line with organisational needs
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong strategic mindset and ability to 'see the big picture'
• Understanding of proactive risk and opportunity management
• Driven and self-motivated and demonstrates a proactive approach to overcome challenges
• Can build and maintain effective working relationships with stakeholders at all levels of an organisation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,162, Intellectual Property Office contributes £19,167 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
• Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities
• A variety of support functions; Staff Counselling Service, Peer to Peer Support Group
• Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
• The opportunity to form part of our many inclusive network groups, find out more by looking at Intellectual Property Office (IPO) )
• A range of wellbeing initiatives; Onsite Gym (Newport office), Eye Care Scheme, Volunteering Programme, Cycling facilities
• Free car parking is available on site at our Newport office
• On-site shop, restaurant and coffee shop at our Newport office

Additional details on security and vetting

Successful candidates must pass a
disclosure and barring security check
and if successful you must also hold, or be willing to obtain, a
higher Security Clearance
.

For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, depending on the level of clearance, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. For this role the successful individual will need to have
consistently lived in the UK for a minimum 5 years
in order to meet the relevant security clearance.