Head of Professional Development Operations

Job Title:

Head of Professional Development Operations

Salary: £60,400 - £80,800

Location:

Cambridge, UK - Hybrid

Contract:

Fixed term [12 Months]

Hours:

Full time [35 hours per week]

Could you turn an ambitious professional development strategy into an outstanding global operation?

Cambridge teachers and school leaders around the world rely on high-quality professional development to strengthen their practice and improve outcomes for learners. Delivering that experience consistently, efficiently and at scale takes exceptional operational leadership.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

We are looking for a Head of Professional Development Operations to lead the successful delivery and continued scaling of Cambridge International's Professional Development portfolio. This fixed-term opportunity will bring together newly aligned teams, strengthen end-to-end operations and build the capability needed to support a growing global programme.

If you combine strategic thinking with a passion for operational excellence, this is an opportunity to create lasting impact for educators, schools and learners worldwide.

Reporting to the Director of Professional Development, you will take end-to-end accountability for the smooth, efficient and commercially sustainable delivery of the full Professional Development programme. Your remit will span course and materials production, trainer recruitment, course management and customer booking support.

You will translate strategy into a coherent, costed and resourced delivery plan, with ownership of revenue forecasting, cost-efficiency planning, operational governance and readiness for increasing demand. You will also lead and develop a newly integrated Operations function, creating clear ways of working and a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Additional responsibilities and accountabilities include:

• Lead the annual Professional Development planning cycle and maintain a clear portfolio roadmap aligned with customer demand, strategic priorities and commercial expectations.
• Take end-to-end accountability for programme delivery against agreed targets for reach, revenue, contribution margin, quality and customer success.
• Establish robust operational governance, managing risks, dependencies and escalations so delivery remains on time, within budget and to the required standard.
• Lead revenue forecasting, cost-efficiency planning and resource decisions that enable sustainable growth.
• Prioritise and assess the feasibility of initiatives across portfolio teams and regional innovation hubs, focusing investment on the greatest customer and strategic benefit.
• Use learner feedback, commercial data and operational metrics to improve processes, customer experience and portfolio performance.
• Ensure operations comply with internal risk policies, external regulatory requirements and organisational standards.
• Provide inclusive leadership, coaching and development to Senior Professional Development Managers and their teams, including matrix leadership across global locations.
• Build strong internal and external relationships and act as a clear point of contact for operational issues and escalations.

This role is based in our Cambridge Headquarters and the successful postholder will spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face with their teams. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

You are an experienced operational leader who can bring clarity to complexity, unite teams behind a shared plan and turn strategy into reliable delivery. You are comfortable working at pace and with ambiguity, and you use data, insight and sound judgement to improve performance and solve problems.

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Significant experience leading complex operations, programmes or portfolios, ideally across international teams or markets.
• A strong record of improving processes to increase scale, revenue, efficiency, quality or customer outcomes.
• Expertise in programme and project management approaches, such as Agile, Scrum, Lean Change or PMO disciplines.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts, financial performance and operational reporting.
• Experience of content production at scale, supplier management and the integration of digital platforms or systems.
• Strong data management and impact-reporting capability, with the ability to turn insight into action.
• Proven team leadership, including coaching senior managers and creating the conditions for high performance through change.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to build constructive relationships at every level.
• Strong planning, risk and…