Head of Business Development & Communications

Head of Business Development & Communications

Salary: £70K per annum
Work Location: 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG
Hours per week: 36 hours
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date:  Tuesday 7^th November 2023 at 12pm.

Interviews: Thursday 26^th & Friday 27^th November 2023
Alternative flexible working options open to discussion. 

About Camden Learning

Launched in 2017, Camden Learning is a successful schools-led and area-based partnership. All schools in Camden have chosen to be involved and every school is a member of the company, as is Camden Council.  As members, schools own the company and have delegated powers to the Camden Learning Board of Directors to run it on their behalf. We are very proud that our model has been genuinely co-constructed, founded on the principle that there is far more we can achieve together than by acting alone. There is collective responsibility across schools for all Camden children. 

The support Camden Learning provides to schools is wide and varied.  We are commissioned by Camden Council to deliver services such as school improvement and, in addition, we offer a variety of other targeted improvement, development and support services – both on a commission and point-of-need basis.

Our commission from Camden Council is stable and secure – and because we enjoy a relationship of trust and mutual respect, over time we have taken on responsibility for delivering more council services through the Camden Learning model.

Ultimately, the success of Camden Learning has been underpinned by the excellent relationships that we have been able to develop both with the Council and with our partner organisations.

The role

This is a key role working closely with the Camden Learning Senior Leadership Team as a business partner, providing critical support as part of the decision-making processes including both strategic and tactical planning and decisions, importantly providing an impartial conscience acting with integrity. The postholder will ensure good stewardship and planning of business development, marketing and communications.

Managing a small team, the Head of Business Development and Communications is responsible to the Chief Executive (CEO) and the Camden Learning Board, chaired by Dame Christine Gilbert. You will hold responsibility for the effective communications and business development function of the company, ensuring efficient and effective day to day communication with schools and developing relationships beyond Camden, working with the CEO to coordinate across Camden Learning to ensure a coherent ‘voice’.

You will develop and report on customer feedback mechanisms and ensure these feed into initiatives including product and service improvement and development, implementing a strategy for monetising the products and intellectual capital developed within Camden Learning.

You will develop and implement a communications and marketing strategy to increase the influence and purchasing of Camden Learning services by schools within Camden and beyond providing advice, insight, support, and challenge as appropriate to both the Senior Leadership team and the Board, to improve overall business and marketing performance.

Building strong links with our school partners, you will work closely with the Head of Finance and Business Systems and CEO to maintain and develop strategic partnerships with external organisations that have impact on the ground and play a key strategic influencing and delivery role as part of the Camden Learning Senior Leadership Team. Implementation is key. You will ensure you are able to evidence progress and impact against these strategic priorities.

This role is central to Camden Learning’s drive for excellence and equity, set out in Building Back Stronger, Camden’s new education strategy for 2030.

The future success of Camden Learning will be defined by our ability to stay at the leading edge of school services. That means delivering a core school improvement offer alongside other council-commissioned services that are targeted and analysed for impact. But it also means exploring and seizing opportunities to do more with our partner schools keeping a focus on all times on the importance of school-led leadership of Camden Learning. 

About you

You’ll bring the creative thinking, entrepreneurial outlook and values-based decision making to earn the trust of our member schools and wider stakeholders to co-construct future and additional services to meet their needs. In doing so, you’ll further strengthen our reputation for impact, agility, and ability to respond with services that deliver outstanding value for money.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead on organisational development providing insight alongside strategic and operational decision-making and reporting. You will contribute to the development of a vibrant culture across Camden Learning that is collaborative, proactive and promotes professional accountability, so we meet the needs of our schools, children and young people.

This is a fantastic opportunity to build your professional profile in a high-profile leadership role in central London. In return, you’ll enjoy the support of your colleagues, peers and the Camden Learning Board and you’ll positively influence the lives of thousands of learners and their families. 

Most important to us is that you share our commitment to the children and young people of Camden. Everything we do is geared towards improving their life chances – and we’ll look to you to represent those values throughout your work.

Additional information

Please refer to the Recruitment Pack for the full details of the post.

How to Apply

The closing date for submission of applications will be 12pm, Tuesday 7^th November 2023. To apply for this job please download and complete our application form and send with your covering letter (no more than one side of A4) and CV to [email protected]

To discuss this role in more depth or to arrange an informal conversation, please email Katie Wetherill ([email protected]).

Inclusion and Diversity

We want Camden Learning to be a great place to work and to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of other ethnicities, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equalities and justice remains at the heart of everything we do.

Asking for Adjustments

Camden Learning is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application, interview or assessment process please contact us on 020 7974 6655, at [email protected] or post to 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG