Director of Learning and Development
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences located in prime destinations around the world.
Increasingly recognized for creating some of the world’s most sought-after properties, the Group provides 21st century luxury with oriental charm. Above all, Mandarin Oriental is renowned for creating unique hotels through distinctive design and a strong sense of place, luxury hotels right for their time and place.
Mandarin Oriental Muscat
Situated in a prime beachfront location, Mandarin Oriental, Muscat is a chic urban resort that offers 150 stylishly appointed guestrooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, a lush Spa at Mandarin Oriental, and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel features a one-of-a-kind ballroom boasting spectacular views of the Arabian Sea as well as a variety of banquet and meeting spaces to accommodate social and business events.
For those seeking a luxury living experience in one of Muscat’s most desirable districts, an exclusive collection of 155 Residences at Mandarin Oriental combine the Group’s legendary service, world-class amenities and sweeping sea or mountain views.
Scope of Position
The Director of Learning & Development is responsible for, but not limited to, the overall hotel Learning & Development, Performance Management and Quality Assurance: including operation and non-operation line colleagues, supervisors, managers, Department Heads and Executive Committee and focusing on delighting our guests and colleagues.
Responsibilities
- General:
- It is part of your role to understand and disseminate/communicate all corporate and hotel policies and standard operating procedures to the colleagues.
- MOHG Code of Conduct requires that all business activities and business decisions comply with the general law, and with all rules, regulations and other requirements.
- It is part of your role to fully understand and support in all aspects the Mandarin Oriental, Muscat People & Culture Strategic decisions.
- It is part of your role and your responsibility to fully support all learning and development activities.
- On The Job trainers and trainings.
- Group Training Technique trainers and trainings.
- Update and maintain a complete Training Matrix for your department.
- Update and maintain Job Description and Job Specification Matrix your department.
- Ensure the colleagues’ career path and development needs are being prioritised and documented in accordance with the MO Profile online system.
- Hold monthly meetings with all colleagues to assure they have a forum to voice any concerns or challenges and share departmental and hotel information.
- You shall take all reasonable steps to safeguard stored information, and not divulge or otherwise transfer any personal data concerning the guests, customers or colleagues, or any confidential information concerning the hotel unless with the appropriate authority.
- Use of the hotel’s network, computers or internet access which is in the hotel’s view unreasonable or inappropriate, for example gambling, chatroom, or pornographic material, is a serious breach of hotel policy and grounds for dismissal.
- Support and adhere to all policies & procedures relating to Safe, Sound and Sustainable at Mandarin Oriental.
- Ensure compliance with the MOHG Social Media Policy, i.e. to be fully responsible for the content you publish on any social media platform, including your personal site.
- Mandarin Oriental, Muscat has zero tolerance on all forms of harassment or discrimination, i.e. it is strictly forbidden to discriminate on the basis of gender, disability, including physical or medical condition, race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, sexual orientation, marital status, or for any other reason.
- Act as a hotel ambassador at all times.
- Departmental:
- Take the lead in communicating and engaging all colleagues in MOHG culture, its mission, guiding principles and LQEs, by planning and managing the hotel Learning & Development function.
- Together with Director of HR manage the Performance Management process and cycle, and Succession Planning
- Support the Quality Assurance processes within the hotel as required (in collaboration with Quality Manager where applicable)
- Review the annual Performance Reviews to identify Learning & Development needs and build these into training plans and Personal Development Plans accordingly
- Communicate and maintain the following Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s Learning & Development Standards along with the support of the Executive Committee, Hotel Manager and General Manager
- MOve In Orientation
- Departmental Training
- Off-Job/Classroom Training Programs
- Supervisory/Management L&D
- Managing L&D for the Hotel
- L&D Administration and Resources
- Plan, implement and review Learning and Development for the hotel and individual departments and ensure that all L&D activities are geared towards achievement of hotel business goals.
- Engage Executive Committee members and Department Heads in analysing Learning & Development needs for the hotel and preparing the Hotel Annual Learning & Development Plan to support the hotel business goals.
- Collaborate with Director of People & Culture on Hotel People & Culture Strategic Plan. As required, advise the Executive Committee on strategic issues regarding learning and development activities as well as their personal learning and development objectives.
- Prepare a monthly Hotel Training Calendar and distribute it accordingly, ensuring all colleagues have access to it and are aware of the scheduled L&D activities.
- Ensure colleagues’ training needs are met by arranging resources for training to be conducted throughout the hotel (i.e. providing a first-class training environment emulating our guests meeting environment).
- Deliver MOHG L&D programmes across all levels of colleagues including Executive Committee members and Department Heads.
- Design, deliver and arrange training programmes to address specific training needs.
- Assist Executive Committee members and Department Heads with making and implementing training decisions in their areas.
- Maximise learning by providing a creative, fun and exciting environment in delivering MOHG and locally designed L&D programmes.
- Manage a team of Departmental Trainers, provide them with necessary development opportunities. Monitor departmental L&D activities by holding regular Departmental Trainers Meetings, observing departmental training and coaching Departmental Trainers as required. Promote consistency of Departmental Training by focusing on LQE, Eleven Pillars and the Mission Statement.
- Keep hotel colleagues’ training records by maintaining a hotel training data base and managing internal and external training documentation within the property, to be able to report on status of training for each colleague within the hotel.
- Ensure effectiveness of L&D programmes by collecting colleague feedback, reviewing behavioural change as a result of training programmes attendance and monitoring guest feedback and LRA and MOQA results.
- Generate the Hotel Monthly L&D report and communicate it to the hotel management as well as to the corporate MOHG L&D team.
- Together with Director of People & Culture, lead the annual L&D budget process, control training expenses and manage expenditure to meet the property’s needs while remaining within the budget guidelines.
- Work with the third-party training providers to coordinate external training requirements.
- Support the hotel and corporate Management Trainee Programmes, liaising with respective departments in accordance with Company Policies and Procedures.
- Provide career development coaching, counselling and welfare support to colleagues when required.
- Support the development needs of Executive Committee members either on an individual basis or as a team – through executive retreats or team building activities.
- Support the hotel quality assurance programme by helping to facilitating appropriate meetings, analysing data from Guest Satisfaction Loyalty Surveys (LRA), mystery shops/inspections (MOQA, Forbes, AAA, Coyle, etc.), and ensuring follow up as required.
- Attend Executive Committee meetings and/or morning operational meetings as and when required.
- Participate in Corporate initiatives, such as the L&D train the Trainer workshop, LQE Workshops, pre-openings, and the Cultural Exchange Ambassador programme.
- In conjunction with a global L&D team, contribute to regional and global projects and facilitate/co-facilitate MOHG programmes and activities regionally and globally.
- Support the development and piloting of new MOHG L&D programmes.
- Support hotel openings as Cultural Exchange Ambassador and lead cross-exposure/MOve In for other L&D Managers within the region.
- Assist the Hotel FLHSS&E Champion with the implementation of all legally required FLHSS&E related training programmes and ensure proper attendance and recording.
- To maintain the Central with updated information.
- To oversee online training on Central and make sure all employees complete all mandatory trainings within one month of joining.
- Ability to lead by example.
- Assist with general support for the corporate office and participate in other projects as required.
- Identification, communication, and assessment of industry innovation in Learning & Development.
- Reporting on a regular basis on business results.
- Spend time within the hotels to get first-hand knowledge and provide support as needed.
- Any other duties that may be assigned by the Director of People & Culture.