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Senior L&D Manager (all genders)
 

We contribute to education, culture and environmental protection

The Hasso Plattner Foundation aims to strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty through science and education, improve access to art and culture, and support environmental conservation. Hasso Plattner is one of the founders of SAP, an enterprise software company, and has been Chairman of its Supervisory Board until 2024.

In 1998, Hasso Plattner founded the Hasso Plattner Institute for Digital Engineering (HPI), marking his first significant philanthropic contribution. After signing the Giving Pledge (initiated by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet), he established the foundation in 2015. 

The Hasso Plattner Foundation’s main office is in Potsdam, Germany.

A career at the Hasso Plattner Foundation can offer you

Purpose – You will be working for one of the worlds largest foundations (by endowment) and will have the opportunity to actively shape our philanthropic activities and operations

Personal growth – We are a fast growing organization looking for excellent talent. You will be working directly with high level executives and senior stakeholders at our projects and the Foundation’s organs and you will have plenty of opportunities to grow into more senior roles

Agility – Our organization is characterized by flat hierarchies, motivated and driven teams and a non-bureaucratic environment

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Your Role 

We're looking for a Senior L&D Manager to lead and build out our L&D Center of Expertise which will be the go-to place for L&D at all our charitable entities. You'll design the operating model, build the service offering, manage stakeholders across our charitable entities and within the Foundation, and ensure that what we deliver is relevant, used, and creates real impact. 

The CoE is transitioning from a validated pilot phase into lean operationalization. The groundwork is laid: demand is confirmed, a Leadership Development Program is running as a first pilot offering of the CoE with with participation of leaders across the complete ecosystem. and the service offer has been scoped based on entity feedback. What we need now is someone who can take this from concept to a working, trusted shared service. 

Be part of our People & Culture Team and work closely with the COO and entity leadership across the ecosystem to ensure that each project contributes meaningfully to the Foundation’s mission. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Build and run the CoE as a shared service. Design the governance, intake process, and service catalogue. Define what's in scope, what stays local, and how entities engage with the CoE. Establish the cost-recharging model and manage the budget. 
• Develop and curate the learning offering. Build a modular training catalogue covering leadership & management essentials, regulatory & compliance, and meta-skills (feedback, AI enablement, project management, change management). Source, vet, and manage external providers. 
• Own the Leadership Development Program. Take over and evolve our cohort-based leadership program for senior managers across the ecosystem. Design upcoming modules, manage external facilitators, drive continuous improvement based on participant feedback, and ensure the program is anchored in our ecosystem-wide Leadership Principles. 
• Own and evolve our learning systems and frameworks. We've already implemented core tools - LMS, authoring platforms, goal-setting and feedback tools. You'll partially own these systems operationally: manage day-to-day administration, continuously improve how they're used, and evaluate new solutions (including AI-enabled learning tools) as needs evolve. You'll collaborate with IT and InfoSec to keep the system landscape lean and effective. 
• Manage stakeholders across a complex ecosystem. Build trusted relationships with MDs, HR leads, and L&D teams across five entities that range from 10 to 500 people, with different cultures, maturity levels, and expectations. 
• Measure and iterate. Measure and track success metrics of learning & development initiatives - adoption, behavior change, leadership capability, and organizational impact. Use data to improve offerings and demonstrate value. 

What We Are Looking For 

• L&D expertise with strategic range. You've built learning programs, not just delivered them — from designing leadership modules to sourcing providers to presenting a business case to leadership. 
• Experience across organizational boundaries. Whether in a corporate group, foundation, or multi-entity structure — you know how to serve diverse stakeholders and balance standardization with local flexibility. You build trust across different cultures and seniority levels, and you're comfortable navigating the dynamic of being both a service provider and part of the funding organization. 
• Operating model thinking. You build the structures that make L&D sustainable: service catalogues, intake processes, governance, pricing logic, budget control and service quality management (internally and for external providers). 
• Hands-on delivery. In a lean team, everyone builds. You're equally comfortable designing a framework and running a workshop — and you thrive in that range. 
• Modern L&D mindset. Blended learning, peer-based formats, AI-enabled tools — you care about transfer and impact, not just delivery. 

In Addition, you bring 

• Outstanding academic track record from a leading international university 
• Minimum 5 years of experience in leading complex projects, preferably in scale-up or high-performing teams 
• Excellent analytical and communication skills 
• Great organizational skills and structured way of working 
• Exceptionally driven and committed to striving for excellence 
• Eager to develop new skills and areas of expertise, and display a high level of agility 
• You can demonstrate hands-on experience with AI enablement - ideally in the L&D space 

Nice to have 

• Experience with SAP SuccessFactors is a plus (LMS) 
• Experience in a foundation, non-profit, or mission-driven organization 
• Background in coaching or facilitation 
• German language skills (many stakeholders operate in German) 

What else do we offer 

• A role with real ownership and visibility — you're building something from the ground up with direct access to and attention of our executive team 
• A high-impact environment where your work directly strengthens leadership and capability across an ecosystem of organizations working on science, education, art, and social good 
• Competitive compensation package 
• Support to pursue professional training 
• Public transport ticket 
• State-of-the-art IT equipment 
• Working in a beautiful office in Potsdam with a lake view 
• Free lunch, fruits, drinks, excellent coffee, and opportunities for outdoor sports activities 

To Apply

We look forward to receiving your application (CV, diplomas, references) compiled as one PDF document with your salary expectations and earliest entry date.