Coaching & Development Specialist

About Us:

The FT has an uncompromising mission: delivering independent, quality information, news and services to individuals and companies around the globe. It’s the cornerstone of our reputation and the heart of our ambitions for the future. But for our people, the FT offers so much more than what we do. FT people come from all kinds of backgrounds and work across a huge range of disciplines and locations, and find empowering, warm and welcoming culture that values curiosity and rewards smart, ambitious thinking. Those who are willing to unite around our mission and live our values will find plenty to challenge, inspire and interest them. Like the audiences we serve, no two FT people are the same; but together we help our audience be better informed and understand the world around them. It’s a job that’s never mattered more, and a career that can take you anywhere you want to go. 

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace:

At the FT, we give all employees a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular, barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups. 

About the role:

The Coaching & Development Specialist is responsible for strengthening leadership capability across Customer Care by developing Team Leaders and people managers into confident, effective coaches.
Working closely with operational leaders across Contact Centre sites, this role designs and delivers leadership development initiatives, provides coaching and feedback, and embeds consistent coaching practices. Through targeted development programmes, observation, facilitation, and performance insights, the role enables leaders to build high-performing teams, drive colleague development, and foster a culture of continuous learning.

Career Impact:

The Coaching & Development Specialist plays a critical role in building a strong leadership pipeline across Customer Care. By developing leaders into effective coaches, the role directly contributes to stronger employee engagement, improved team performance, enhanced customer outcomes, and a sustainable culture of continuous learning.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership Development & Coaching

• Partner with Team Leaders and operational leaders to strengthen their coaching and leadership capability.
• Observe coaching sessions, one-to-one meetings, and leadership interactions, providing constructive and actionable feedback.
• Deliver individual and group coaching to improve leadership confidence and effectiveness.
• Support leaders in creating meaningful development plans for themselves and their team members.
• Introduce practical coaching tools, frameworks, and techniques that can be applied in day-to-day leadership.

Learning & Capability Development

• Identify leadership capability gaps using coaching observations, performance data, and stakeholder feedback.
• Design, facilitate, and continuously improve leadership development programmes, workshops, coaching clinics, and learning resources.
• Promote consistent coaching standards and leadership best practices across all Customer Care sites.
• Support organisational change initiatives by equipping leaders with the skills required to lead their teams effectively.

Performance & Stakeholder Partnership

• Partner with Contact Centre Leadership, Training & Growth, and cross-functional stakeholders to identify leadership development priorities and lead the design and implementation of capability-building initiatives.
• Use operational performance trends, quality insights, and coaching outcomes to inform development strategies.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of coaching interventions and recommend continuous improvements.
• Build trusted relationships with leaders while championing a culture of coaching, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Success Measures

Success in this role will be demonstrated through:

• Increased leadership confidence and coaching capability.
• Improved quality and consistency of coaching conversations across Customer Care.
• Strong adoption of leadership development frameworks and coaching best practices.
• Positive improvements in colleague engagement, development, and team performance.
• Positive stakeholder feedback on coaching support and leadership development initiatives.

Required Experience

Essential

• Minimum of three years' experience in leadership stakeholder management, coaching, learning and development.
• Proven experience coaching, mentoring, or developing Team Leaders, supervisors, or people managers.
• Experience within a customer care or contact centre environment.
• Demonstrated success designing and delivering leadership development programmes, workshops, or coaching initiatives.
• Experience providing developmental feedback through observation of coaching sessions or performance conversations.
• Experience using operational performance metrics, quality insights, and customer feedback to inform development plans.
• Experience collaborating with operational stakeholders to identify capability gaps and implement development solutions.
• Experience implementing leadership development or coaching frameworks.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while supporting stakeholders across different teams or locations.

Desirable

• Experience supporting organisational change or transformation initiatives.
• Experience within a multi-site or global customer operations environment.
• Experience using an eLearning authoring toolkit (e.g. Articulate 360) or other digital learning platforms.
• Recognised coaching qualification (e.g. ICF ACC, PCC, or equivalent).

Knowledge, Skills & Competencies

Leadership & Coaching

• Strong coaching and mentoring skills with the ability to develop leadership capability.
• Excellent facilitation skills across one-to-one and group learning environments.
• Knowledge of adult learning principles and recognised coaching methodologies (e.g. GROW, STEPPA, CLEAR, OSKAR).
• Ability to adapt coaching approaches to different leadership styles, experience levels, and learning needs.

Communication & Influencing

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Skilled in delivering constructive feedback and facilitating challenging conversations with empathy and professionalism.
• Ability to build credibility and influence stakeholders at all levels.

Analytical & Planning

• Ability to analyse operational and performance data to identify development opportunities.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent planning, organisation, and time management with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to evaluate development initiatives and measure coaching effectiveness.

Technical

• Proficient in Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.).
• Experience using contact centre systems, quality platforms, and performance reporting tools.
• Familiarity with e-learning authoring toolkits and digital learning platforms is advantageous.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about developing people and enabling success.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning.
• High levels of integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative, approachable, and able to influence without direct line management responsibility.
• Comfortable working in a global environment, adapting communication and coaching styles to meet the needs of diverse teams and cultures.

Expected Behaviours

The Coaching & Development Specialist will:

• Champion a culture of coaching, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Lead through influence, empathy, and clarity.
• Build trust and psychological safety.
• Encourage accountability, curiosity, and self-reflection.
• Demonstrate empathy while maintaining high performance standards.
• Foster collaboration and consistency across Customer Care.

Customer Care Values 

• Customer-Centric: We put the customer at the heart of everything we do, going above and beyond to deliver the gold-standard service our customers expect and deserve.
• Collaborative: We believe in the power of individuals and teams working together across different roles and responsibilities in a respectful and open-minded way so that we can deliver the best customer outcomes.
• Accountable: We act with integrity, whilst taking responsibility for our performance and personal growth, to ensure that we give our best to both customers and colleagues.
• Resilient: We are adaptable, flexible and brave, maintaining a positive attitude during times of challenge and change, so that we can respond to the needs of our customers and the FT.
• Effective: We are creative and productive whilst remaining focused on our goals with a results-driven approach so that we deliver the right outcomes for our customers and for the FT.

What’s in it for you? Our Benefits:

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include: generous annual leave, flexible working (including working from home), health coverage (medical & dental), company match and enhanced family leave packages. Full details of our benefits can be found here.

Further Information:

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, please contact a member of our HR team, who will be happy to help.