Head of Implementation

Head of Implementation
Department: Implementation
Employment Type: Full Time
Location: Remote, UK
Reporting To: Christine Weddell
Compensation: £80,000 / year

Description
Aptem builds software for the UK skills and employment sector. Our platform supports training providers, employers, and employment organisations to manage learner journeys from enrolment through to qualification or employment outcome. We are in the middle of a deliberate, ambitious transformation of how we work, and this role is at the centre of it.
 
The Role:
 
We are looking for a Head of Implementation to transform our implementation function into a market-leading onboarding operation: faster, lower effort for customers and for Aptem, and consistently excellent.

This is a transformation role first. You will not carry a personal project portfolio; your job is to fundamentally reimagine how the team works, build the processes and capability to sustain it, and drive continuous improvement from there. 

The right person has already done this. They can point to specific examples of implementation or onboarding transformation they have led, the metrics that prove it, and how they brought their team with them. Evidence of what you have built and changed matters more than tenure or seniority.

What you will be doing:
Leading transformation

Leading the fundamental redesign of implementation processes to materially reduce effort and cycle time for both Aptem and its customers 

Identifying and driving automation opportunities, using AI and working with product and technology teams where appropriate 

Setting and pursuing an ambitious improvement agenda, not just incremental change 

Owning the tooling and technology used to support implementation; making recommendations on new approaches 

Evaluating implementation effectiveness through customer and stakeholder feedback, and acting on what you find

Leading the team 

Building, developing, and retaining a high-performing team of 12 with a clear customer focus and a continuous improvement mindset 

Providing coaching and performance feedback that genuinely raises capability over time 

Holding the team accountable for data accuracy in Planhat to enable reliable reporting 

Managing workload allocation, recruitment, onboarding, and day-to-day team issues 

Ensuring team members set clear expectations internally and externally and follow through on the

Operating cross-functionally 

Building productive relationships with Sales, Customer Support, Customer Success, Product, and Finance 

Acting as the primary escalation contact for implementation issues with senior customer stakeholders 

Supporting Sales on large prospect opportunities, including presentations and project estimates 

Working with Marketing to identify customers who could serve as references or case studies

What we are looking for:
Essential

Experience in a SaaS or technology business 

Demonstrated experience leading a meaningful implementation, onboarding, or operational transformation, with specific evidence of what changed, by how much, and how it was measured 

Strong people leadership: a track record of developing and retaining a team through significant change, and getting buy-in rather than just driving change from above 

A track record of getting buy-in for transformation, not just driving it from above 

Experience managing a team across multiple concurrent customer accounts or projects 

Proven ability to manage senior stakeholder relationships and act as a credible escalation contact 

Strong commercial awareness: understanding of how implementation connects to revenue, retention, and customer satisfaction 

Clear, confident communicator across all channels, including when delivering difficult messages 

Working knowledge of implementation and project management tooling

Desirable 

Experience working in a regulated or compliance-adjacent environment 

Proficiency Planhat

Why Aptem 

Aptem's platform supports over 130,000 learners every day across the UK. We are a mature, stable SaaS business in a sector where the work genuinely matters, and we are at an inflection point in how we operate. This role has real scope to build something better and leave a visible mark on the business. 

If you have transformed an implementation function before and want to do it again somewhere the impact will be felt, we would like to hear from you.

Benefits:
Aptem offers numerous benefits to support our team.

27 days annual leave

Option to buy up to 5 extra days’ annual leave

Life insurance

Optional comprehensive private medical insurance

Optional EV scheme with Octopus to make electric cars more affordable

Salary Extras: retail and gym discounts, plus Employee Assistance Programme

Summer hours for extra flexibility in warmer months

Birthday day off

Pension scheme to support your long‑term financial future

Aptem Neighbour Scheme to connect local remote colleagues

Up to two paid volunteering days each year

Biannual company social events

Virtual coffee networking to build connections across the business