Operations Director - Education - Education Consultancy

Our client is a privately owned education consultancy who shares a passion for supporting parents in finding the right education solution for their child. Established in 2011, they have rapidly become one of the UKs leading independent education consultancies. Their diverse team of experts offers parents both from the UK and around the world with impartial advice on all areas of education, and work with a family over several years, offering step-by-step support as each important education decision approaches.

Due to continued growth plans, our client is now looking to appoint a commercially focussed Operations Director. The role will oversee the daily running of the business and will involve the following keys areas of operational responsibility. 

• Financial and business development management, setting up budgets and managing account payments.
• Developing strategic plans for business growth.
• Developing wider client and agent networks.
• Communicating on a regular basis with clients to ensure that the highest level of service is being always delivered.
• Establishing close relationships with key target clients.
• Responding to a wide range of enquiries and providing consultancy services to the key clients. 
• Continually seeking opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and strengthen client relationships.
• Keeping clients up to date with the ‘exciting things’ we are doing – being ‘one step ahead’ of their potential needs.
• Promoting the full range of consultancy services products and services with clients, potential clients, agents, and partner organisations. 
• Identifying suitable events both in the UK and overseas and attend as appropriate.
• Coaching, mentoring, and leading the team members towards high performance, quality, and productivity goals.
• Supervising the activities of the team, delegating duties among the team members.
• Interviewing and hiring new employees as required
• Reporting into the owners of the business, and forming part of the SMT. 
• Home-based opportunity, with some occasional UK and International travel as required. 

The ideal candidate will already be working for another, well-respected, education consultancy now, in either a senior operational or commercial management capacity, or from within the fee-paying education sector, possessing relevant business management experience of working with families and children directly. In addition to this, because of the relationship with some of the HNW clients our client would typically interact with, candidates who have worked within the luxury travel, or similar hospitality-related sectors would also be considered suitable for this position. 

Candidates will need to have a strong commercial background, with the ability to ensure that all contracts remain profitable and in line with wider company growth objectives. In addition to this, candidates will be strong man managers, and will have some relevant experience of managing teams and client/consultant relationships remotely. You will be effective communicators and will be preferably degree educated. Candidates who have worked for or have gone through the fee paying education sector directly would be highly desirable, although relevant operational experience would always be considered more important. 

Our client would be looking for somebody with a strong sense of career mobility, and would expect the successful candidate to be able to assume a much more senior Director position with the opportunity for equity in the short to medium term.