Drawing on up to date case study material, this paper will examine how schools ensure the on-going professional learning of staff. Over the last 20 years in England professional development has been used largely to retool and retrain teachers so they can 'deliver' the government's educational reforms. However, the paper argues that professional learning should be at the heart of school improvement and performance management, by investing in human resources. With the increase in mentoring and coaching, devolved funding to schools and professional standards that recognise the contribution of teachers to the learning of their colleagues, roles in leading and supporting staff learning are more crucial than ever before. Yet, who takes this role and what training have professional development coordinators had? What are the barriers to the successful implementation of their role - and what creative solutions can enhance the school's capacity to develop as a learning organisation? People in charge of continuing professional development (CPD) in their institutions have a great responsibility. They have the power to make a significant difference to their colleagues' working lives and thereby raise pupil achievement - but they also risk wasting time and money. The CPD coordinator role is crucial but often underdeveloped. Our research examines how they implement the training and development cycle of identifying and analysing needs, designing and implementing support programmes and evaluating their impact. We argue that the CPD coordinator role needs to be addressed creatively and given kudos and time, for leading and managing professional development is a complex affair in which many priorities compete for attention.