Wanted: Chief Commercial Officer

Location: Manchester - based at UK Management College offices, with responsibilities across UKMC and the wider Unibridge Group

Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer

Employment Type: Full-time, permanent

About UKMC and Unibridge Group

UK Management College (UKMC) is part of the wider Unibridge Group. UKMC is a growing higher education provider in the United Kingdom, focused on widening participation and providing accessible higher education opportunities to students from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) is UKMC's most senior commercial executive and is responsible for leading the College's commercial strategy, revenue growth and market development. The post holder will provide strategic leadership across market intelligence, brand and marketing, student recruitment, admissions, business development, commercial partnerships, pricing, fee-share arrangements and the development of new and diversified income streams.

A key responsibility of the role will be to develop and maintain robust commercial models that support strategic decision-making across UKMC. This will include market sizing, demand forecasting, student recruitment and pipeline modelling, pricing analysis, unit economics, income diversification and scenario planning. The CCO will ensure that commercial growth is measured, evidence-based and aligned with institutional capacity, educational quality, regulatory requirements and student outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Commercial Strategy and Leadership
• Develop, lead and deliver UKMC's commercial strategy in alignment with the College's strategic objectives.
• Ensure UKMC has a clear, evidence-based and sustainable strategy for revenue growth.
• Act as the principal commercial adviser to the Group Chief Executive Officer, shareholders, Board and senior leadership team.
• Provide clear and evidence-based advice on market opportunities, commercial risks, growth strategies and investment decisions.
• Establish and maintain commercial policies, pricing governance, approval processes and business case standards.
• Lead and sponsor cross-college commercial projects, strategic initiatives and market-entry opportunities.

Commercial Planning and Modelling

• Develop, maintain and continuously improve UKMC's commercial models and forecasting capability.
• Lead market sizing and addressable demand analysis across regions, campuses and programmes.
• Develop student recruitment, admissions and enrolment forecasts across all intake cycles.
• Produce rolling commercial forecasts and projections to support short, medium and long-term strategic planning.

Revenue Growth and Student Recruitment

• Lead UKMC's commercial approach to revenue growth through student recruitment and admissions.
• Develop and oversee recruitment strategies, ensuring recruitment targets remain aligned with campus capacity and the ability to deliver a high-quality student experience.
• Monitor recruitment performance by campus, programme, intake and recruitment channel.

Income Diversification and New Revenue Streams

• Identify and develop new and diversified income opportunities for UKMC.
• Develop strategies to reduce dependency on individual partners, markets or revenue streams.

Partnerships and Portfolio Development

• Lead the commercial development and expansion of academic and strategic partnerships.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of prospective university, awarding body and commercial partners.

Market Intelligence, Brand and Marketing

• Lead UKMC's approach to market intelligence and ensure commercial decisions are informed by robust market evidence.
• Monitor competitor activity, market demand, demographic trends, policy developments and funding changes affecting the education sector.

Commercial Governance, Compliance and Risk

• Ensure commercial activity across UKMC complies with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements and internal policies.
• Maintain oversight of commercial risks including market risk, competition, recruitment pipeline risk, partner concentration and reputational risk.

Leadership and People Management

• Build, lead and develop a high-performing commercial function across UKMC.
• Provide leadership and development to senior colleagues responsible for Marketing, Admissions, Student Recruitment, Business Development and Commercial Partnerships.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

The Chief Commercial Officer will work closely with:

• Group Chief Executive Officer.
• Shareholders and Board.
• Provost and Deans.
• Chief Operating Officer and senior operational leaders.
• Marketing, Admissions and Student Recruitment teams.
• Business Development and Commercial Partnership teams.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Significant senior-level commercial leadership experience within a complex organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering commercial and revenue growth strategies.
• Strong financial literacy and the ability to work effectively with senior finance leaders.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong commercial and strategic judgement.
• Excellent analytical and financial modelling capability.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills.

VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

The Chief Commercial Officer will be expected to demonstrate and promote the values of UKMC.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The post holder will be based at UK Management College's Manchester offices and will be required to work across UKMC and the wider Unibridge Group as necessary.