About Us
At ISHA, community and neighbourhood mean everything to us, and our roots run deep in the areas of North London that we serve.
Founded over 90 years ago, we provide around 2,500 homes for over 5,000 people across Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
ISHA is smaller and more local than many other housing associations operating in London.
We are proud to remain a community-based housing association with a strong social purpose and an ambitious future.
We offer a wide range of housing choices: social rented, shared ownership, intermediate rent, market rent, supported housing, and options for the elderly.
We also provide homes and support for the Vietnamese, South-East Asian and wider communities.
About the Role
At ISHA, we believe our people make a difference.
By investing in learning, development and continuous improvement, we can build the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to deliver excellent services for residents and achieve our organisational ambitions.
That's why we're looking for an exceptional Learning and Development Lead to help shape the future of learning across the organisation.
This is a rare opportunity to establish and lead a newly created role with freedom, visibility, and support to make a lasting impact.
You'll be responsible for building a culture where learning is valued, development is embedded in everyday work, and colleagues are equipped to achieve their full potential.
Job Purpose
You will lead ISHA’s organisational learning agenda and annual learning plan, identifying current and future capability needs and delivering practical, high-quality learning interventions that support individual, team and organisational performance.
Working closely with stakeholders and subject matter experts, you will manage learning projects from scoping through to evaluation, while ensuring the effective delivery of core learning and development activities.
You will combine learning expertise with a practical, delivery-focused approach, creating engaging learning experiences that meet diverse business and learner needs.
You will work in collaboration with our Resident Involvement colleagues to engage and involve residents in the implementation of the Competence and Conduct Standard.
This is a newly created role at ISHA and an exciting opportunity to shape the future of learning and development across the organisation.
About You
We're looking for someone who is passionate about developing people and helping organisations succeed through learning.
You'll be a collaborative learning professional who can combine strategic thinking with a practical, hands-on approach.
You'll bring: Significant experience in learning and development.
Strong project management and stakeholder engagement skills.
Experience influencing and building credibility with colleagues at all levels.
An ability to balance strategic priorities with operational delivery.
Strong analytical skills and the ability to use data to evaluate impact and inform decision-making.
Experience developing leadership and management capability.
A passion for helping people learn, grow and perform at their best.
Knowledge of the Competence and Conduct Standard or social housing sector learning requirements would be beneficial but is not essential.
Why join ISHA?
This is an exciting time to join us.
As our first dedicated Learning and Development Lead, you'll have the opportunity to shape how learning is designed, delivered and experienced across the organisation.
You'll play a central role in building organisational capability, strengthening performance, supporting compliance and creating development opportunities that help colleagues thrive.
This role offers genuine scope to make your mark.
You'll have the autonomy to introduce new approaches, develop innovative learning solutions and influence how we invest in our people for years to come.
Inclusion and Diversity
We want ISHA to be a great place to work and to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce.
A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of Other Ethnicities, LGBTQ+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that passionate commitment to customers, respect for everyone, pride in Team ISHA and trusted to make the difference remains at the heart of everything we do.