Talent Development Lead

Job description

WE POWER PEOPLE’S PROGRESS. At Preply, we’re all about creating life-changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human-led, tech-enabled - and it’s creating real impact. We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human-led, AI-enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries - and we’re only getting started. As a category-defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale. Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day. MEET THE TEAM! The People team at Preply is a small, high-impact group building the organisation that builds the product. We're responsible for the full employee experience - from how someone joins Preply to how they grow, lead, and thrive here. This role sits at the heart of that mission. As our Talent Development Lead, you'll own how Preply develops its people - from the moment someone walks through the door, to the programs that sharpen our most senior leaders. You'll report directly to the VP of People Strategy and work closely with our People Partners and People Operations team. We're at an exciting moment. We have strong foundations - an onboarding programme, a leadership development programme, and a culture that genuinely values growth. Now we need someone who can take all of that further, join the dots, and build a talent development function that scales with us. WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING OWN THE TALENT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY - Own Preply's talent development strategy end to end: what we build, what we buy, what we stop doing, and why. - Set a clear framework for how Preply invests in people's growth across levels and functions - and make sure it connects to our business priorities and leverages AI. - Define our L&D policies and what "learning impact" looks like at Preply - build the metrics, track them, and use the data to continuously improve. - Manage our external L&D budget and vendor relationships, ensuring we get real value from what we spend. - Make the work visible - clearly communicate the value, outcomes, and strategic relevance of programs to the broader organization - Iterate rapidly based on feedback; ship a v1 in days or weeks, not quarters BUILD AND RUN OUR L&D AND ONBOARDING PROGRAMMES - Own and evolve Leadership Unlocked. Design new programmes that help to build on the existing content and define and track clear success metrics using data to improve our programmes - Own leadership onboarding - ensuring new leaders arrive with the context, relationships, and clarity they need to move fast. - Own onboarding content and success metrics in close partnership with People Operations, who own the process side. LEAD OUR AI ENABLEMENT LEARNING - Own Preply's AI enablement learning programmes end to end: strategy, design, rollout, and iteration. - Programme-manage the rollout across the company, working across functions to drive adoption and track real behaviour change. - Keep pace with how AI is evolving and update programmes accordingly so we stay ahead. ENABLE MANAGER EFFECTIVENESS - Work closely with People Partners to develop a clear point of view on what makes managers effective at Preply and translate that into practical, effective programmes. Bring structure to how Preply develops its managers - we have a foundation, and this person connects the dots, identifies the gaps, and builds on top of it with a clear point of view. - Own the manager toolkit: resources that are usable day to day, not just good on paper. - Track whether it's working. Manager effectiveness should show up in team health, retention, and performance data - not just post-programme surveys. WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED - 8+ years of experience in L&D or talent development, ideally in a high-growth tech or scale-up environment. - A proven track record designing and running programmes end to end - from identifying the need to measuring the outcome. - Real experience building leadership development programmes for senior audiences, not just facilitation or coordination. - Strong grasp of what good onboarding looks like at scale and the ability to design for it. - Data-oriented: you define success before you build, and you measure it after - not as an afterthought. - Strong stakeholder skills - you're comfortable challenging senior leaders, translating ambiguous needs into sharp design, and holding your ground on what will actually work. - Experience with AI literacy or enablement programmes, or a strong appetite to build in this space. - Based in Barcelona, with flexibility to travel to other Preply hubs periodically. WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT AT PREPLY: - An open, collaborative, dynamic and diverse culture; - A generous monthly allowance for lessons on Preply.com http://preply.com, Learning & Development budget and time off for your self-development; - A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance and health insurance; - Not in Barcelona? We offer an attractive relocation package to join us in our Preply Barcelona Hub - Access to free mental health support platforms; - Access to Gympass-partnered wellness and gym centers throughout Spain to promote and support well-being and physical health; - The opportunity to unlock the potential of learners and tutors through language learning and teaching in 175 countries (and counting!). OUR PRINCIPLES - Care to change the world - We are passionate about our work and care deeply about its impact to be life changing. - We do it for learners - For both Preply and tutors, learners are why we do what we do. Every day we focus on empowering tutors to deliver an exceptional learning experience. - Keep perfecting - To create an outstanding customer experience, we focus on simplicity, smoothness, and enjoyment, continually perfecting it as every detail matters. - Now is the time - In a fast-paced world, it matters how quickly we act. Now is the time to make great things happen. - Disciplined execution - What makes us disciplined is the excellence in our execution. We set clear goals, focus on what matters, and utilize our resources efficiently. - Dive deep - We leverage business acumen and curiosity to investigate disparities between numbers and stories, unlocking meaningful insights to guide our decisions. - Growth mindset - We proactively seek growth opportunities and believe today's best performance becomes tomorrow's starting point. We humbly embrace feedback and learn from setbacks. - Raise the bar - We raise our performance standards continuously, alongside each new hire and promotion. We build diverse and high-performing teams that can make a real difference. - Challenge, disagree and commit - We value open and candid communication, even when we don’t fully agree. We speak our minds, challenge when necessary, and fully commit to decisions once made. - One Preply - We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and the success of our team over personal ambitions. Together, we support and celebrate each other's progress. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION Preply.com http://Preply.com is committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe that the presence of different opinions and viewpoints is a key ingredient for our success as a multicultural Ed-Tech company. That means that Preply will consider all applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status.