Job Description and Person Specification of the Associate Director of Membership and Business Growth (Interim)

About us

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) is the workforce development and Professional Membership Body for the Further Education and Skills (FES) sector. We work in partnership with others to deliver professional learning and development for teachers, trainers, and leaders. We balance government priorities with sector needs to achieve our core charitable purpose to improve education and training for learners aged 14 and over.

The ETF believes that the key to improving education and training is to support teachers, trainers, and leaders to excel. Everything we do is in pursuit of our vision of:

• Driving Professionalism
• Improving Teaching and Learning
• Championing Inclusion
• Enabling Sector Change

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging

FE is for everyone - it gives everyone opportunities to excel at whatever stage of their learning journey they are at. We are proud of the work that staff across the sector do to support learners to excel, and in particular to support those in the least advantaged groups. Through offering lifelong learning, our sector supports the journey towards social justice. We are an employer committed to sustainable practice and have an open and fair People Strategy where all staff have equal opportunities to develop and succeed. Our values guide us in how we work with teachers, trainers, leaders, partners and stakeholders, alongside how we behave and operate as a colleague team.

Role purpose

As the Interim Associate Director of Membership and Business Growth, you will play a crucial role in increasing the membership and commercial profile and income generating potential of ETF. You will be responsible for leading our strategic development and associated income growth of our Membership propositions to multiple membership audiences and putting membership at the heart of everything we do. You will also cultivate and manage strategic partnerships with sector and commercial organisations at regional, national and, potentially, global levels. You will support the Executive Director for Transformation in fostering commercial relationships to support the ETF’s strategic goal of membership growth and income diversification. The ideal candidate will possess a demonstrable track record in leading and delivering Professional Membership Body income growth activities, commercial and business development, stakeholder management, negotiating partnerships and developing networks in the FES sector.

As a key member of the Leadership Team your responsibilities will be diverse, ranging from overseeing sector stakeholder relationships, planning, analysis, and performance reporting, through to ensuring strong membership, customer experience and commercial partnerships to support the external facing role of the organisation. The ideal candidate will have strong Membership income and growth experience gained a commercially focused Professional Membership Body, as well as commercial and business development experience. An understanding of the education and/or further education and skills sector as well as broad expertise and experience in building diverse senior level relationships and networks in the education sector within a strong commercial context, is very desirable.

Responsibilities

Membership growth

1. Develop and deliver comprehensive membership growth strategies and activities, including reviewing, refining, and delivering ETF’s Professional Membership Body offer. The main purpose being to increase ETF’s membership base and achieve annual targets – both income and membership volume.

2. Working with the AD External Affairs, lead marketing efforts to attract new members, utilizing various channels and developing and maintaining strong relationships with existing sector stakeholders to grow membership. Use data-driven insights to assess the effectiveness of membership growth strategies, make data-driven decisions and continually optimise our approach for improved results.

3. Oversee the membership and related

4. Identify potential new stakeholders and engage them to strengthen our membership networks and communities of practice, while increasing our influence and impact.

5. Collaborate cross organizationally to ensure alignment with membership growth goals are embedded in everything we do and are achieved.

Commercial and Business Development

1. Collaborate with education, CPD, standards, membership, and programme delivery colleagues to create comprehensive commercial propositions that leverage our strengths, and ensure they are aligned with the ETF’s strategy and meet sector needs.

2. Develop innovative revenue-generating models that align with our mission and maintain the organisation’s integrity and values. Work with the marketing team to support the development of marketing material to promote commercial offerings to potential partners. Develop and lead compelling value propositions to attract commercial partners and align their business goals to our mission and values.

3. Oversee the development of comprehensive procurement strategic plans and bid management activities that support ETF’s mission and long-term Ensure alignment with industry best practice and regulatory requirements.

4. Lead the business development and procurement teams to identify mutually beneficial opportunities and appropriately qualified tenders for collaboration, sponsorship, and commercialisation of our CPD, standards, thought leadership, research, publication, events and membership offer. 

Leadership and Team Development

1. As a member of ETF’s Leadership Team, take collective responsibility for operational performance of the organization, in line with its governance and scheme of delegation, communication of risk and management action and driving delivery by the wider staff

2. Manage and mentor team Monitor individual and team performance, setting objectives that link with the overall ETF Strategy and its Vision and agreeing required professional development.

Global development (Longer term ambition)

1. Establish and maintain strong global networks of FES (TVET) leaders, influencers and experts on workforce development globally to exchange best practice and stay informed about the latest global trends that affect our charity and sector we serve.

2. Represent the organisation at international conferences, summits and events to promote our charity’s mission, showcasing our impact and building global partnerships. Leverage global networks to identify new opportunities, potential funding sources and commercial

Additional information

Internal / external contacts that this role liaises with includes:

1. Sector organisations and organisations

2. Sponsors and funders

3. Commercial & Corporate partners

4. Marketing team

5. Education, CPD, programme delivery, membership accreditation teams

Person specification