Senior Manager, Capability Development (Talent, Learning & Development)

At Real Chemistry, making the world a healthier place isn’t just an aspiration—it’s our everyday reality. Our drive to transform healthcare is informed by our blend of deep scientific expertise, human-centred creativity, and AI-driven insights, fostering a unique environment where innovation thrives and our people are impact-obsessed. As a global agency, we provide a full suite of services across healthcare communications and marketing to our clients, including top players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Our culture is rooted in our people—we believe we are best together and are committed to excellence for both our clients and colleagues.

About the role

The Senior Manager, Capability Development is a strategic capability consultant and trusted business partner who helps leaders build the skills, behaviors, and capabilities needed to drive performance and achieve business goals. Reporting to the Senior Director, Talent Development & Employee Engagement, this role partners closely with business leaders, people leaders, and People Business Partners to diagnose performance challenges, uncover root causes, and design practical, scalable solutions that improve individual, team, and organizational effectiveness. This role views learning as one of many tools to accelerate capability and performance. Success is measured not by training delivered, but by the impact created—whether that is stronger leadership, improved team effectiveness, increased client impact, accelerated adoption of new ways of working, or measurable business outcomes.

The ideal candidate brings a consulting mindset, strong business acumen, and the ability to influence stakeholders while building capability in a fast-paced, client-centric environment where innovation, commercial thinking, and measurable results matter.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to business and capability leaders, identifying root causes behind performance challenges and shaping solutions that align with commercial priorities. Build strong partnerships that ensure shared ownership of capability outcomes.
• Design and deliver targeted capability initiatives that support both immediate business needs and longer-term skill building. Co-create practical, scalable experiences that connect directly to how teams work.
• Enable teams to build skills while delivering work, minimizing disruption to billable time.
• Apply creative thinking to develop engaging, non-traditional learning approaches. Move beyond standard training to design solutions that address real business challenges.
• Define clear success metrics tied to behavior change and business performance. Track progress and continuously refine approaches based on data and feedback.
• Partner closely with People Business Partners (PBPs), SMEs, and global and local stakeholders to align on priorities, scale solutions, and drive consistency across teams.
• Explore and implement AI-powered tools, learning technologies, and performance support resources to accelerate capability development.

Qualifications

• 6 to 8 years of experience in learning and development, capability building, or organizational development
• Strong consulting and stakeholder influence skills, with experience partnering with senior leaders
• Demonstrated ability to diagnose root causes and design targeted, practical solutions
• Strong business acumen and understanding of commercial drivers
• Experience designing and embedding learning into the flow of work
• Deep knowledge of adult learning principles and modern learning approaches
• Exceptional facilitation, communication, and collaboration skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a matrixed environment
• Experience in an agency, consulting, or other billable environment is strongly preferred
• Experience supporting customer-facing or commercial teams is strongly preferred

Skills

• Consulting mindset with a focus on diagnosing problems and shaping solutions
• Ability to move from strategy to execution without losing momentum
• Commercially minded with an understanding of how capability drives performance and results
• Creative approach to designing solutions beyond traditional learning
• Strong partnership skills to build trust and align stakeholders across teams
• Comfortable in fast-paced, billable environments balancing quality with speed
• Focus on impact and observable behavior change, not just activity
• Practical approach to meeting the business where they are

Pay

Pay Range: $105,000 – $120,000. This is the pay range the Company believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors including but not limited to work experience, skills, certifications, and geographical location.

Benefits

Real Chemistry offers a comprehensive benefit program and perks, tailored to your region. Globally, this includes:

• Offices in key markets with free snacks
• Generous holiday and paid time off
• Options for private medical, dental, and vision plans
• Support in saving for the future
• Mental wellness coaching and support
• Access to more than 13,000 online classes with LinkedIn Learning

Learn more about our great benefits and perks and search specific offerings in your region at: www.realchemistrybenefits.com.

Schedule

For employees located within a one-hour commute of a Real Chemistry office, we require in-person attendance two days per week, either from a Real Chemistry office or when working onsite with clients. Employees in regions without a nearby office may work remotely and come together throughout the year for collaboration, culture-building, learning, and team connection opportunities. Work arrangements may vary by role and location, with some positions offering hybrid or remote flexibility while others require regular in-office presence.