Talent Development Partner

Cambridge, UK | Full-time or Part-time | Permanent | Hybrid 

Salary: £55,000 to £65,000, DOE  

The salary range for this role is broad, as we are able to consider varying levels of experience. Any offer made will carefully take into account level of experience (including relevant industry experience), transferable relevant skills and previous relevant achievements. 

We will also consider part-time applications for this role. Please indicate your preferred working schedule in your cover letter.  

 

About us 

Riverlane’s mission is to master quantum error correction (QEC) and unlock a new age of human progress. From advances in material and climate science, to complex chemistry simulation for new drug design, quantum computers will help humanity solve some of its most important challenges. But without QEC, the industry’s defining technical challenge, such breakthroughs can never be achieved. Riverlane is the world leader in QEC technology. QEC is a complex problem that requires a range of skills, talent and passion.  

Having raised more than $125M in funding to date to accelerate our cutting-edge R&D in quantum error correction (QEC), Riverlane partners with many of the world’s leading quantum hardware providers and government agencies to make fault-tolerant quantum computing a reality. We’re making remarkable progress and growing fast.  

 

About the role 

As our first dedicated Talent Development Partner, you'll own the learning and development agenda at Riverlane. This is a high-impact, hands-on role for someone who loves both the strategic and the practical: partnering with business leaders to diagnose development needs, then designing and delivering the interventions that address them. 

You'll be working with a highly technical, intellectually curious workforce spread across our Cambridge, Delft and Boston sites - so you'll need to be creative, pragmatic and digitally savvy in how you reach and engage people. A particular focus of the role will be building out our line management and leadership capability as we scale, giving our managers and leaders the tools, frameworks and confidence to lead well. 

 

What you will do:

Needs Analysis & Learning Strategy 

• Partner with leaders and managers across all functions and sites to identify development needs at both company-wide and team-specific levels. 

• Conduct regular learning needs analyses, using data and stakeholder insight to prioritise where investment will have the greatest impact. 

• Help shape and evolve Riverlane's overall approach to talent development as the company grows. 

Learning Design & Delivery 

• Design and deliver a broad mix of learning interventions - from face-to-face workshops and facilitated sessions to self-directed resources and blended programmes. 

• Build and manage eLearning content using appropriate authoring tools and platforms, ensuring it is engaging, accessible and relevant across all three sites. 

• Curate and manage external learning resources, vendor relationships and third-party training providers where relevant. 

Line Management & Leadership Development 

• Run a structured line management development programme, equipping managers with practical skills in areas such as feedback, performance conversations, team development and inclusive leadership. 

• Build and iterate a leadership development offering that supports Riverlane's senior and emerging leaders as the company scales. 

• Act as a trusted coach and resource for managers seeking day-to-day guidance on developing their people. 

Onboarding & Time-to-Productivity 

• Work closely with functional leads and hiring managers to build role-specific onboarding pathways that go beyond company induction - covering technical context, ways of working, and the tools and knowledge needed to hit the ground running. 

Graduate & Intern Programmes 

• Lead the design and delivery of Riverlane's graduate and internship programmes, creating structured, high-quality experiences that attract top early-career talent and convert the best into longer-term hires. 

• Develop learning and development curricula tailored to graduates and interns, balancing technical grounding with broader professional skills development. 

• Act as the primary point of contact and advocate for graduates and interns throughout their programme, ensuring a consistent and engaging experience across sites. 

Programme Management & Evaluation 

• Own end-to-end programme management for all L&D initiatives - from scoping and design through to delivery and evaluation. 

• Define and track meaningful metrics to assess the effectiveness and impact of learning interventions, evaluating programmes across multiple levels - from participant experience and knowledge gained, through to behaviour change on the job and tangible business impact. 

• Produce regular reporting and insight for People team and business stakeholders, translating evaluation data into clear recommendations for how programmes should be iterated or scaled. 

• Build a culture of evidence-based L&D at Riverlane, ensuring that investment in development is tied to tangible outcomes such as improved performance, reduced time-to-productivity, manager effectiveness scores and retention. 

• Manage the L&D budget effectively, balancing build vs. buy decisions thoughtfully. 

Multi-site Collaboration 

• Ensure that development opportunities are equitable and accessible for colleagues in Cambridge, Delft and Boston, adapting delivery formats and timing to suit a geographically distributed workforce. 

 

What we need 

• Proven experience in a learning & development or talent development role, ideally within a fast-growing technology or deep-tech environment. 

• Demonstrable experience designing and delivering management or leadership development programmes, not just coordinating externally sourced training. 

• Hands-on experience with eLearning tools and learning management platforms. 

• Experience conducting learning needs analyses and translating insight into practical, prioritised development plans. 

• You have familiarity with psychometric tools and coaching frameworks  

• Strong facilitation and communication skills — you're confident running a workshop with senior leaders and equally at ease with early-career engineers. 

• A consultative mindset: you listen well, ask good questions, and shape solutions that are genuinely fit for purpose rather than off-the-shelf. 

• Self-starter with strong project management skills — you can own a programme from idea to evaluation with minimal oversight. 

• Digitally curious and resourceful in how you use technology to extend the reach and quality of learning. 

• Comfortable with ambiguity and energised by the opportunity to build something from the ground up. 

• Comfortable working at a high pace, across multiple stakeholder groups and geographies simultaneously. 

 

Even better if you have…

• You have experience working in a science, engineering or deep-tech company. 

• You have experience supporting organisational development or culture initiatives alongside L&D. 

• You hold a CIPD qualification or equivalent. 

 

What can you expect from us 

• A comprehensive benefits package that includes an annual bonus plan, private medical insurance, life insurance, and a contributory pension scheme  

• Equity, so that our team can share in the long-term success of Riverlane  

• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave  

• A diverse work environment that brings together experts in many fields (including software and hardware development, quantum information theory, physics and maths) and over 20 different nationalities  

• A learning environment that encourages individual, team and company growth and development, including a regular programme of learning events and training and conference budgets 

  

How to apply 

Please upload a CV and covering letter by clicking 'Apply'. Your covering letter should explain why you are applying for the job and what skills and experience you can bring to the role. 

We review CVs as we receive them and interview as soon as we have applications that look like a good match. We do not use closing dates. So, please apply as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this role. 

 

If you have any queries, please contact jobs@riverlane.com. 

 

Everyone is welcome at Riverlane. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from eligible and suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, religion or belief, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity/paternity. 

Women and other underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for a role unless they meet all or nearly all of the requirements.  If this applies to you, we still encourage you to apply - you may be a great fit, even if you don’t meet every single qualification. We’d love to hear from you. 

If you need any adjustments made to the application or selection process so you can do your best, please let us know. We will be happy to help. 

 

GDPR notice: Riverlane collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. If you are a European Job Applicant see the privacy notice for further details.