Head of Learning & Development - Lesaka ( FinTech

Overview

🚀
We’re Hiring:
Head of Learning & Development – Merchant Division

Are you a strategic learning leader with a passion for building organisational capability
, developing young talent
, and shaping a high‑performance learning culture
? Lesaka Merchant is searching for a Head of Learning & Development to design and lead an integrated L&D strategy that accelerates growth, strengthens capability, and drives business transformation
.

📍
Location: Johannesburg
📊 Reporting Line: Chief People Officer:
Merchant
👥 Direct Reports: L&D Specialists, Trainers/Facilitators, Learning Content Developers

💼
Role Purpose
The Head of Learning & Development (L&D) is responsible for creating and driving an integrated learning strategy that builds organisational capability
, accelerates talent readiness
, and supports the Merchant Division’s strategic growth
.
This role establishes and leads the Lesaka Merchant Academy
, develops young talent pipelines
, manages learnerships
, internships
, and graduate programmes
, and ensures learning initiatives contribute meaningfully to the division’s BBBEE Skills Development objectives.
The Head of L&D plays a critical leadership role in shaping a data‑driven
, customer‑centric
, tech‑enabled learning culture that strengthens performance across sales
, operations
, customer experience
, leadership
, and technical domains.

• Develop and execute the Merchant L&D strategy aligned with division‑wide priorities and capability needs.

• Drive an integrated learning roadmap supporting culture building, customer centricity, leadership capability, and operational excellence.

• Partner with the Chief People Officer to ensure L&D priorities enable business transformation and scalability.

• Build and launch the Lesaka Merchant Academy as the central hub for capability development.

• Ensure the Academy provides structured, high‑quality programmes across:

• Sales capability development (Sales Academy)
• Customer operations and support
• Technical training (product, systems, compliance)
• Leadership and management development

• Position the Academy as a strategic enabler of performance
, talent readiness
, and internal mobility
.

• Design and manage end‑to‑end learnerships
, internships
, and graduate programmes
.

• Build strong partnerships with universities
, youth development partners
, SETAs
, and learning vendors
.

• Create pathways for young talent into permanent roles within the Merchant Division.

• Track learner progression
, placement rates
, and impact metrics.

• Ensure all L&D programmes comply with BBBEE Skills Development criteria.

• Optimise documentation, planning, and evidence for Skills Development scorecard recognition.

• Partner with Finance
, HR Compliance
, and verification partners to ensure audit readiness
.

• Prioritise accredited training programmes that support compliance and BBBEE performance.

• Oversee creation of digital and blended learning content (micro‑learning, simulations, interactive modules).

• Manage digital learning platforms to ensure accessibility for distributed teams.

• Embed gamification
, continuous learning pathways
, and recognition mechanisms within the learning ecosystem.

• Design and deliver programmes that strengthen leadership and managerial capability
.

• Build succession pipelines and support high‑potential talent development.

• Use analytics and dashboards to measure participation, behavioural change, and ROI.

• Monitor improvements in productivity
, sales performance
, customer experience
, and operational efficiency
.

• Partner with business leaders to identify capability gaps and co‑create solutions.

• Manage L&D budgets and ensure cost‑effective delivery
.

• Maintain relationships with learning partners
, SETAs
, accreditation bodies
, and technology vendors
.

🧠
Skills & Competencies

• Strategic thinking &
learning architecture

• Strong understanding of BBBEE Skills Development
• Learning programme design &
instructional design
• Youth development programme design & management
• Digital learning tools &…