The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) is recruiting a Head of Growth: someone who is driven by growth, has a keen eye for opportunity, and thrives on building meaningful partnerships. You’ll bring strong commercial acumen, creativity and confidence, and will already have experience in leading revenue-generating activities. You’ll help ISE grow its member base, build lasting relationships with our partners, and develop new ways to generate value - both for our community and our organisation.
Background to the role
ISE’s team is small but perfectly formed. Our vision is underpinned by member growth and high-quality delivery - and this role will ensure we can sustain and grow the organisation. We’re looking for someone to lead our commercial strategy: focusing on member recruitment, our conference programme, sponsorship, solution provider partnerships and the development of other new income streams. It’s a pivotal role that will contribute directly to the long-term sustainability and success of ISE.
The role
Reporting to the Joint CEO – Membership & Operations, this role will take ownership of ISE’s commercial strategy and revenue generation. The post-holder will be responsible for developing new opportunities to grow our membership, expand our sponsorship and advertising offer, and lead on our relationships with supplier partners. They’ll identify new products or packages that align with our values and enhance the value we offer to our community.
This role will line-manage an Events Officer, who leads on member-value events (outside of the conference programme) and ISE’s Awards. The post-holder will work closely with both of ISE’s CEOs, and alongside key members of the team, particularly the Head of Membership.
This is a great opportunity for someone with a background in business development, partnership management or commercial strategy who is excited by the potential to shape and grow a critical function in a purpose-led organisation.
The role is full-time and offered on an initial two-year contract. It is offered as a hybrid role with up to 60% home working, though for the right candidate this could be adjusted, and flexible working will be considered. ISE’s office is in Shoreditch. The post-holder will be expected to attend ISE’s conferences, key member meetings, and regular face-to-face engagement with potential and existing partners and sponsors.
The total remuneration package will be in the region of £60,000, depending on the experience of the candidate.
Main responsibilities
- Lead on the development and execution of ISE’s commercial strategy.
- Drive growth in membership by identifying and converting new prospects in key market segments.
- Lead the creation and delivery of the annual conference programme (currently five events), managing the relationship with the outsourced conference provider and ensuring profit and quality targets are met.
- Oversee ISE’s sponsorship and advertising strategy, ensuring effective promotion, delivery and reporting of all packages.
- Line manage the Events Officer, ensuring a high level of member engagement with the full suite of events and courses.
- Develop and manage partnerships with sponsors and commercial providers, ensuring mutually valuable relationships.
- Identify and launch new income-generating products and services that meet market needs.
- Work with the Marketing & Communications Officer to deliver compelling value propositions to potential partners and members.
- Collaborate closely with the Head of Membership to ensure a joined-up approach across recruitment and retention.
- Set and monitor performance against commercial KPIs and targets, reporting to the leadership team on progress and opportunities.
- Represent ISE at events and in meetings with potential sponsors, partners and new members.
Success measures
- Increased membership numbers and revenue from membership growth
- Conference programme delivered on time and within budget, achieving or exceeding agreed profit targets and receiving positive feedback from attendees
- Year-on-year increase in sponsorship and advertising income, strong partner satisfaction and repeat sponsorship rates
- Launch and delivery of successful new commercial offers
- Clear and measurable commercial KPIs in place and being met
Person specification – skills, knowledge and expertise
- Strong experience in commercial development, partnerships or business development, ideally in a membership or not-for-profit context
- The ability to design and execute a sales/revenue strategy
- Creative, strategic thinker with a proven track record of identifying and delivering new commercial opportunities
- Ability to balance short-term revenue goals with long-term value creation
- A good understanding of vertical markets and key players within them
- Excellent negotiation, planning and influencing skills
- A confident communicator and relationship-builder, able to engage senior-level stakeholders and partners
- Well-networked with existing relationships in the early talent industry
- Familiarity with CRM systems and developing a sales pipeline.
- Comfortable working with data and reporting on commercial performance
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to create persuasive proposals and clear reporting
- Understanding of the early talent, recruitment or membership sectors is desirable
- Self-starting, organised and able to work at pace in a small team
Application details
Please send your CV and a covering letter to membership@ise.org.uk.
The closing date is 09.00 on 27 May. There will be a two-stage interview process, the second of which will include a prepared presentation.
The first interview dates are 2 and 3 June, and second interviews will be held on 10 June.