Commercial Project Consultant

Who are they?

Our client is a confederation of over 440 students’ unions representing just under 4m students and apprentices across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. In Scotland, there are over 40 students’ associations representing 460,000 students. Our client is an exciting organisation developing and championing strong students’ unions. They connect their members and curate services to deliver advice, guidance and crisis support to students’ unions. They do professional differently. They are a progressive charity representing students’ unions across the UK. The sector is inclusive, fun, dynamic and representative and they put students and students’ unions at the heart of everything they do. They are challenging but are committed to creating a supportive and flexible environment which pushes your personal development in your everyday activity.

What they do

Students’ unions can be transformational hubs for students, staff, and wider society. They support their members’ development to enhance their capacity and harness opportunities to maximise their positive impact. They do this in many ways, from managing a purchasing consortium to drive great value for their members, to their development activity, supporting the best potential in students’ unions - they strive to make a difference to their members. The student movement is fast-paced and sometimes challenging, but they’re also a big family who support each other. They see anti-oppression as central to their mission. Education isn’t working unless it’s working for everyone in their society. They’re trans inclusive without exception. And they welcome individuals who are up for taking active responsibility for their own ongoing learning on liberation, equity, diversity and inclusion.

What’s the job?

In this exciting and varied role, you will take the lead in delivering commercial marketing initiatives that add real value to both students’ unions and our supplier partners. Working within the Trading Support team, you’ll be responsible for planning and executing the activity against brand development programmes across key sectors including retail, catering, and licensed trade. These initiatives are designed not only to drive commercial returns, but also to deliver on the values and mission of their organisation – putting ethical, sustainable, and student-focused outcomes at the heart of everything they do. Your role will include negotiating marketing activity with their approved suppliers, ensuring that all initiatives are aligned with agreed budgets and the broader annual trading plan. You’ll be the key point of contact between suppliers and students’ unions, maintaining strong working relationships, identifying mutual opportunities, and ensuring each marketing activity is underpinned by a clear business case and measurable outcomes. A core part of your responsibilities will be leading on the implementation of their organisation, a flagship programme developed in partnership with another part of their organisation. This work will involve collaborating with unions to ensure they are delivering against key ethical commitments, and working with suppliers to align their activity with sustainable and socially responsible practices. You will also play a pivotal role in shaping the future of their commercial partnerships. You’ll develop marketing plans for new and existing suppliers, and work closely with the Trading Manager and buyers to ensure continued investment in marketing activity that benefits students, unions, and brands alike.

Who you are

To succeed in this role, you’ll need significant experience in a business-to-business (B2B) sales or account management environment, as well as a strong track record of project delivery. You should be confident in negotiating and managing budgets, using data and insight to inform decisions, and pitching marketing ideas to external stakeholders. They’re looking for someone who is commercially astute but also deeply values-led – someone who understands how ethical and sustainable business can thrive in a student-led environment. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, as you’ll be working with a diverse range of stakeholders from student officers to senior brand managers. This is a unique opportunity to combine commercial acumen with social impact, contributing to a team that is passionate about empowering students, supporting unions, and driving positive change across the UK’s education sector.

Why apply?

As well as a great place to work, they offer a range of benefits including:

• Generous holiday entitlement (starting at 27 days per year rising with service to 30 days, pro rata for part time)
• Enhanced sick, maternity, paternity, shared parental and adoption pay
• Paid volunteer days
• Health Cash Plan
• Pension scheme with employer matched contributions up to 6%
• Employee Assistance Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Childcare Allowance
• Paid volunteering days - three days per year for full time staff

They’re committed to equality of opportunity for all. They welcome applications from individuals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, or disability. You can be yourself here whoever you are, be proud of the work you do and build a career in a place that knows different is good. They recognise that candidates from Black, Asian and Minoritised-Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are under-represented in our organisation, and that there are often additional barriers present for people from these groups when applying for roles in the charity sector and beyond. They are committed to taking positive action to expand the diversity of their staff team, and if you meet the essential criteria for a role and are from a BAME background, you’ll be guaranteed a first stage interview. It is important to note that this scheme guarantees an interview for candidates who meet the minimum criteria and tell them that they’d like to be considered under the scheme. The selection decision at interview will be based on the most suitable candidate, regardless of any protected characteristic.

Please apply via their online application form, they are unable to accept CVs. If you are unable to complete your application due to accessibility needs please contact them. Closing date for applications is 21st July 2025. If you’re successfully shortlisted they’ll see you at an interview on 7th August 2025.