The Opportunity
This is a senior, hands-on leadership role within a large, complex, frontline operational environment where training quality directly impacts safety, performance, and customer outcomes.
The organisation operates across multiple sites nationally, with a highly regulated, safety-critical workforce and a large cohort of frontline employees. Training is essential to operational success... yet consistency, quality, and capability uplift are the current challenges.
This role exists to fix that.
We are seeking a Senior Training Manager who can break down complex operational problems, identify capability gaps, and design training frameworks that actually work on the ground. This is not a theoretical learning role. It is about execution, and measurable improvement.
Reporting to the COO with 5 direct reports, you will own the end-to-end training strategy across Australia and lead the redesign of induction, onboarding, and competency frameworks for frontline operational roles.
What You'll Be Responsible For
* Owning and delivering the national training and capability strategy aligned to operational priorities
* Reviewing, redesigning, and standardising induction and onboarding programs across sites
* Identifying capability gaps through structured learning needs analysis
* Designing and embedding competency frameworks for frontline operational roles
* Improving the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of training delivery across locations
* Lifting trainer capability through clearer structure, materials, and expectations
* Developing high-quality, practical training content and modules (predominantly in-house)
* Leading a small central training team (design, administration, and trainers)
* Influencing site-based leaders and trainers who sit outside your direct reporting line
* Ensuring compliance with regulatory, safety, and audit requirements
* Measuring training effectiveness and linking outcomes to operational improvement
* Supporting new site launches, onboarding waves, and major operational changes
* Partnering with commercial and leadership teams on training inputs for tenders and new work
* Collaborating with global stakeholders on training frameworks and systems initiatives
This role requires occasional domestic travel and occasional international engagement.
The Environment You'll Be Operating In
* Large frontline workforce operating in a high-risk, highly regulated setting
* Mixed delivery model: in-house training with some externally mandated requirements
* Approx. 50 trainers nationally, mostly site-based and operationally aligned
* Training budgets held locally, creating variability and inconsistency
* Strong need for influence without direct authority
* Long-tenured trainers who need structure, uplift, and modernisation — not replacement
What We're Looking For This role is not suited to a traditional L&D professional focused on frameworks, theory, or facilitation alone.
We are looking for someone who is:
* A strong problem solver who can diagnose operational issues and translate them into practical training solutions
* Comfortable working on-site, in operational environments, with frontline leaders and teams
* Experienced in building training programs
f
rom scratch and driving adoption at scale
* Confident influencing stakeholders without formal reporting lines
* Focused on outcomes, consistency, and execution — not just design
Experience & Background
* 6+ years in training, learning, or capability roles, including 2+ years in leadership
* Proven experience designing and implementing training frameworks end-to-end
* Background in complex, compliance-heavy, operational environments (e.g. logistics, transport, industrial, ports, utilities, large operations)
* Strong understanding of adult learning principles applied pragmatically
* Experience measuring training effectiveness and operational impact
Why This Role Stands Out
* Clear mandate to fix real, visible problems
* Strong executive sponsorship and urgency
* Opportunity to leave a lasting operational legacy
* Scale, complexity, and challenge that will stretch even experienced training leaders
Interview Insight: A key question you should be ready to answer:
"Tell me about a learning program you designed end-to-end. How did you identify the gaps, what did you build, and how did you measure improvement?"