Global Head of Training

Company Description

We are SGS – the world's leading testing, inspection and certification company. We are recognized as the global benchmark for sustainability, quality and integrity. Our 99,600 employees operate a network of 2,600 offices and laboratories, working together to enable a better, safer and more interconnected world.

At SGS, we have an open corporate and international culture. We offer a dynamic work environment in a leading global company. Our high professional standards and our sustainability approach guarantee you a future-oriented work environment. We invest in our employees for the long term and are committed to supporting your development within the company. Our business principles include: Integrity, Health, Safety & Environment, Quality & Professionalism, Respect, Sustainability, and Leadership.

Job Description

The Global Head of Training is responsible for leading the SGS Academy agenda for Business Assurance, with a strong focus on profitable growth, commercial effectiveness, product portfolio development, and operational governance. The role ensures that the SGS Academy proposition is relevant, market-driven, scalable, and aligned with business priorities across the network. It also ensures strong coordination between global product development, academy operations, marketing, and country teams to support revenue growth and customer impact. The role holder will define and drive the global academy strategy, strengthen the value proposition, clarify the operating model between global and local academies, and support countries in growing their training business through strong commercial, financial, and product leadership. The position requires an experienced leader who understands how to build and scale training offers, support client-facing sales, and lead a distributed international network.

REPORTING

Position will report directly to the Global Head of HR & SGS Academy / Business Assurance

Position will have direct reports (3)

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead the SGS Academy business and growth agenda

Define and lead the global SGS Academy strategy in line with Business Assurance priorities.

Drive sustainable revenue growth by strengthening the global training offer and improving commercial effectiveness across the network.

Support countries and local academies in expanding client-facing training activities through strong value proposition, offer clarity, and go-to-market support.

Partner closely with commercial, marketing, and business leaders to improve demand generation, client engagement, and conversion of training opportunities.

Act as a senior point of contact for complex, multi-country, or strategic training opportunities with clients.

Shape the offer and clarify the global / local operating model

Define a clear and differentiated global training offering, including the respective roles and responsibilities of global and local academies.

Ensure appropriate governance of the portfolio so that global products are scalable, relevant, and commercially viable, while allowing countries sufficient flexibility to address local market needs.

Clarify product ownership, deployment expectations, and support model across the network.

Lead product development and portfolio evolution

Oversee the design, development, maintenance, and refresh of tutor-led, digital, and blended training solutions.

Ensure course content remains relevant, competitive, compliant, and commercially attractive.

Translate market needs, client insights, and business priorities into new training solutions and product development decisions.

Build robust processes for course lifecycle management, including updates, quality reviews, translation priorities, and retirement of obsolete content.

Work with technical experts, product teams, and relevant stakeholders to maintain content integrity and learner value. The current and proposed academy materials emphasize product development, new digital initiatives, technical content reviews, and course development as a central pillar of the organization.

Ensure operational governance, quality, and compliance

Provide oversight of academy operations to ensure reliable delivery, service quality, and effective issue resolution across the network.

Ensure robust governance of accreditation, course controls, tutor approvals, audits, and other academy quality requirements.

Maintain strong discipline around training compliance, operational processes, and learner/customer experience.

Act as escalation point for key operational or quality-related issues impacting the academy offer.

Drive financial performance and business discipline

Bring strong financial management to the SGS Academy agenda, including business cases, investment choices, portfolio prioritization, and performance tracking.

Support countries in improving the profitability and commercial performance of their training activities.

Establish and monitor meaningful KPIs for growth, margin, portfolio performance, product development effectiveness, lead generation, learner experience, and operational quality.

Use data and insights to make decisions on portfolio investment, pricing logic, growth priorities, and resource allocation.

Lead performance through influence, governance, and business steering rather than direct country P&L ownership.

Lead and influence a global network

Build strong relationships with country teams, academy stakeholders, product leaders, and senior business management across regions.

Influence without direct control in a matrix environment and align multiple stakeholders behind a common academy strategy.

Enable knowledge sharing, best-practice exchange, and cross-country collaboration to improve academy performance globally.

Qualifications

ROFILE

University Degree or equivalent

15+ years of experience in managing / leading a professional training business with a proven track record to successfully grow the business and working with client-facing sales teams

Technical expertise in training, with a strong aptitude to convert strategy into results

Good understanding of training economics, including pricing, margins, portfolio choices, investment cases, and business performance levers.

Experience managing or influencing a training P&L and supporting revenue growth in a distributed or multi country model.

Experience in the e-learning industry including e-learning course development

Strong experience in training product development, including instructor-led and digital learning solutions.

Solid understanding of marketing and value proposition development, with the ability to position offers clearly in the market.

Ability to define and implement a clear operating model between global governance and local execution.

Experience leading in an international matrix organization with multiple senior stakeholders.

REQUIRED SKILLS

Strong commercial acumen and customer orientation

Strong financial literacy and analytical capability

Ability to define strategy and translate it into execution

Strong product and portfolio mindset

Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills

Ability to lead through change and ambiguity

Strong communication and presentation skills

Ability to work across cultures and functions in a global matrix

High level of ownership, pace, and results orientation

Strong team leadership and coaching capability

The scope of the role is global.

Additional Information

Why SGS?

Join a globally recognized and stable company, a leader in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry.

Enjoy a flexible schedule and work model.

Access SGS University and Campus for continuous learning options.

Thrive in a multinational environment, collaborating with colleagues from multiple continents.

Benefit from our comprehensive benefits platform.

Join Us: At SGS, we are dedicated to fostering an open, friendly, and supportive culture that thrives on teamwork. We value diversity and provide endless opportunities to learn, grow your expertise, and fulfill your potential.