Job Title: Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Location: Manchester - based at UK Management College offices, with responsibilities across UKMC and the wider Unibridge Group
Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer
Salary: £100,000–£135,000 per annum
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.
The Chief Commercial Officer will be based within UKMC's Manchester offices and will provide senior commercial leadership and support across UKMC and the wider Unibridge Group.
While the post holder will be operationally based at UKMC, the role has a Group-wide remit and will work across Unibridge Group organisations as required, supporting commercial strategy, revenue growth, market development, partnerships and the development of new and diversified income streams.
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. The role will work closely with the Group Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Board, shareholders and senior leadership teams.
Commercial success must support UKMC's educational mission and long-term sustainability. Revenue or recruitment targets must never take precedence over educational quality, regulatory compliance or the student experience.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Commercial Strategy and Leadership
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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.
- Ensure commercial activity is aligned with institutional capacity, quality standards and regulatory requirements.
- Lead and sponsor cross-college commercial projects, strategic initiatives and market-entry opportunities.
- Ensure commercial plans are delivered within agreed timescales, budgets and governance frameworks.
Commercial Planning and Modelling
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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.
- Analyse pricing, fee-share arrangements and commercial contribution by partner, programme and campus.
- Develop and monitor unit economics, including cost per enquiry, cost per application, cost per enrolment and student lifetime value.
- Produce rolling commercial forecasts and projections to support short, medium and long-term strategic planning.
- Undertake scenario and sensitivity analysis relating to recruitment performance, pricing changes, new markets, partnerships and competitive risks.
- Work closely with the CFO to ensure that commercial models and financial models are fully aligned and reconciled.
- Ensure a consistent and reliable set of commercial and financial assumptions underpins business plans, Board papers and strategic decisions.
- Monitor income concentration, partner dependency and market risk.
- Support the diversification of UKMC's income streams and reduce dependency on individual partners or revenue sources.
- Translate complex commercial analysis into clear and actionable recommendations for senior leaders and the Board.
Revenue Growth and Student Recruitment
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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.
- Support the delivery of UKMC's Board-approved recruitment baseline of a minimum of 4,500 new entrants per year, within the agreed planning range and assessed institutional capacity.
- Oversee the full student recruitment funnel, including enquiry generation, application conversion, offers, acceptances and enrolment.
- Monitor recruitment performance by campus, programme, intake and recruitment channel.
- Establish clear commercial KPIs, conversion targets and cost-per-enrolment measures.
- Identify underperformance early and ensure corrective action is implemented during the recruitment cycle.
- Ensure recruitment activity is ethical, transparent, compliant and consistent with UKMC's mission and values.
- Ensure appropriate oversight of direct recruitment, community-based recruitment and approved third-party channels.
- Ensure published information, offers, student terms and commercial communications are accurate and compliant with relevant consumer protection and regulatory requirements.
- Ensure that commercial targets do not result in students being recruited onto provision that is unsuitable or insufficiently prepared.
Income Diversification and New Revenue Streams
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Identify and develop new and diversified income opportunities for UKMC.
- Develop strategies to reduce dependency on individual partners, markets or revenue streams.
- Identify relevant grant, public funding and external funding opportunities.
- Develop processes for identifying, assessing and supporting funding and bid opportunities.
- Explore and develop commercially viable opportunities including:
- Contract and commercial training.
- Employer-funded provision.
- Professional development and CPD.
- Consultancy and knowledge-based services.
- Skills and workforce development programmes.
- Appropriate commercial use of UKMC's estate and facilities.
- Ensure all new commercial opportunities are supported by robust business cases.
- Work with the CFO and other senior stakeholders to ensure appropriate costing, financial modelling and risk assessment.
- Monitor new revenue initiatives against approved business cases and performance expectations.
- Make evidence-based recommendations regarding the continuation, development or closure of underperforming commercial activities.
- Establish and monitor income diversification targets.
Partnerships and Portfolio Development
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Lead the commercial development and expansion of academic and strategic partnerships.
- Develop and manage a pipeline of prospective university, awarding body and commercial partners.
- Lead the commercial elements of partnership due diligence and negotiations.
- Negotiate fee-share arrangements, payment terms and commercial conditions that support the long-term interests of UKMC.
- Provide commercial analysis and recommendations for new programmes, subject areas, campuses and modes of delivery.
- Ensure portfolio expansion is supported by evidence of market demand, sustainable unit economics and sufficient institutional capacity.
- Support the commercial management and review of existing partnerships.
- Monitor the commercial performance of partnership agreements, including fee-share arrangements, recruitment performance and renewal opportunities.
- Work collaboratively with academic and quality leadership, recognising that academic standards and quality assurance remain within the responsibility of the appropriate academic and regulatory functions.
- Support the commercial evaluation of potential acquisitions, mergers and new institutional opportunities.
- Work with the CFO and other senior stakeholders on commercial and financial due diligence where appropriate.
- Develop relationships with employers, civic organisations, funders and other stakeholders that create strategic and commercial opportunities.
Market Intelligence, Brand and Marketing
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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.
- Develop regional and campus-level market intelligence to support UKMC's growth strategy.
- Provide strategic leadership for UKMC's brand and marketing activities.
- Support the development of a credible, distinctive and consistent UKMC brand.
- Oversee marketing strategies and campaigns across campuses.
- Monitor the effectiveness of digital marketing, community engagement and other recruitment channels.
- Ensure marketing activity is measurable, evidence-based and focused on demonstrable commercial outcomes.
- Oversee the effective use and development of marketing technology and CRM systems, including MyMACC where applicable.
- Ensure the student journey can be measured effectively from initial enquiry through to enrolment.
- Ensure marketing investment is directed towards channels and activity that demonstrate value and effectiveness.
- Commission and use market research, applicant research and student perception research to inform commercial strategy.
- Represent the voice of the market within UKMC's strategic planning.
Commercial Governance, Compliance and Risk
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Ensure commercial activity across UKMC complies with relevant legislation, regulatory requirements and internal policies.
- Ensure compliance with consumer protection requirements, advertising standards, data protection legislation and relevant regulatory obligations.
- Ensure appropriate commercial controls are in place for contracts, partnerships and commercial commitments.
- Establish clear approval processes and delegated authority arrangements for commercial decisions.
- Ensure commercial contracts are appropriately negotiated, approved, documented and maintained.
- Maintain oversight of commercial risks including market risk, competition, recruitment pipeline risk, partner concentration and reputational risk.
- Ensure significant commercial risks are identified, assessed and escalated appropriately.
- Provide clear, accurate and timely commercial reporting to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Board and relevant Committees.
- Report on commercial performance against agreed plans, forecasts and KPIs.
- Ensure commercial data is accurate, consistent and aligned with UKMC's agreed evidence base.
Leadership and People Management
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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.
- Establish clear objectives, performance expectations and development plans for commercial leaders.
- Support succession planning and talent development across key commercial functions.
- Promote collaboration and the sharing of best practice across campuses and departments.
- Develop a commercial culture that combines ambition with accountability, transparency and evidence-based decision-making.
- Ensure commercial forecasts and targets are challenging but realistic and supported by robust assumptions.
- Champion UKMC's widening participation mission and ensure commercial activity supports the needs of under-served communities.
- Undertake any other duties commensurate with the seniority and responsibilities of the role as requested by the Group Chief Executive Officer.
KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The Chief Commercial Officer will work closely with:
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Group Chief Executive Officer.
- Shareholders and Board.
- Chief Financial Officer.
- Provost and Deans.
- Chief Operating Officer and senior operational leaders.
- Marketing, Admissions and Student Recruitment teams.
- Business Development and Commercial Partnership teams.
- Partner universities and awarding bodies.
- Employers, funders and commercial partners.
- External advisers and consultants.
The post holder will attend and contribute to Board and senior leadership meetings as required for commercial matters.
The role will provide senior oversight and input into Marketing, Admissions, Finance, Audit and Risk Committees where commercial performance, planning or risk is being considered.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Qualifications and Experience
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Significant senior-level commercial leadership experience within a complex organisation.
- Demonstrable experience of developing and delivering commercial and revenue growth strategies.
- Experience of leading multiple commercial functions, including marketing, sales, recruitment, admissions, business development or partnerships.
- Proven experience of developing and using commercial models to support strategic decision-making.
- Strong experience of market analysis, demand forecasting and commercial planning.
- Experience of developing pricing strategies, commercial agreements or partnership arrangements.
- Demonstrable experience of negotiating complex commercial contracts and partnerships.
- Strong financial literacy and the ability to work effectively with senior finance leaders.
- Experience of developing business cases and evaluating commercial opportunities.
- Proven experience of leading and developing senior teams.
- Strong understanding of commercial risk management and governance.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly to senior leaders and the Board.
Desirable Experience
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Senior commercial leadership experience within higher education, education or another regulated sector.
- Experience of student recruitment, admissions or education marketing.
- Experience of working with university partnerships, awarding bodies or education providers.
- Experience of developing new academic programmes, portfolios or education markets.
- Experience of grant funding, public funding or alternative income generation.
- Experience of mergers, acquisitions or organisational growth.
- Experience of working within a multi-site organisation.
- Experience of working directly with Boards, shareholders or investors.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
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Strong commercial and strategic judgement.
- Excellent analytical and financial modelling capability.
- The ability to interpret complex market, recruitment and financial data.
- Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills.
- The ability to balance commercial ambition with institutional capacity, quality and regulatory requirements.
- A strong understanding of revenue growth, market development and income diversification.
- The ability to identify opportunities while effectively managing commercial risk.
- The ability to make evidence-based decisions in complex and changing environments.
- Strong leadership and people development capability.
- High levels of personal credibility and professional integrity.
VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS
The Chief Commercial Officer will be expected to demonstrate and promote the values of UKMC.
The post holder will:
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Act with integrity, honesty and transparency in all commercial activities and relationships.
- Provide clear and candid advice, including where commercial risks or challenges need to be addressed.
- Ensure the interests and welfare of students remain central to commercial decision-making.
- Ensure revenue and recruitment objectives do not take precedence over educational quality, regulatory compliance or the student experience.
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Maintain confidentiality and exercise appropriate professional judgement.
- Work collaboratively across UKMC while respecting governance and regulatory responsibilities.
- Promote ethical and responsible commercial practice.
- Support widening participation and UKMC's commitment to serving under-represented and under-served communities.
- Demonstrate accountability for commercial performance and decision-making.
- Always maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
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. The role may require travel between UKMC campuses, Unibridge Group locations and other locations in line with business requirements.
The duties and responsibilities outlined in this Job Description are not exhaustive. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties appropriate to the seniority and scope of the role, including responsibilities that support the wider Unibridge Group.
The Chief Commercial Officer will be expected to comply with all relevant UKMC and Unibridge Group policies, procedures, governance requirements and regulatory obligations, as applicable to the role.
Please visit https://ukmc.ac.uk for more information
