About Us
African Adventures creates life-changing international volunteering experiences for schools, colleges and charities, enabling groups to make a meaningful difference in communities across Ghana, Kenya, Zanzibar and The Gambia. Working in partnership with more than 50 schools, we deliver educational, cultural and community-focused programmes that have a lasting impact on both participants and the communities we support.
We're a unique organisation, combining the expertise of a tour operator with the purpose of an international development organisation. We deliver life-changing volunteering experiences for schools, colleges and charities, providing a fully managed travel service that includes everything from flights and accommodation to pre-departure support and fundraising guidance. At the same time, we work closely with our partner schools across Africa to improve school facilities, expand educational opportunities and create lasting, positive impact for the communities we support.
About The Role
We’re in an exciting phase of growth at African Adventures, and we’re looking for an ambitious, commercially driven sales leader to join us as our new National Sales & Partnerships Manager. This is a newly created leadership role, offering the opportunity to shape and scale our national recruitment and partnerships function, influence business strategy, and play a key part in delivering our ambitious five-year growth plan.
Leading a high-performing partnerships team, you'll be responsible for driving sustainable revenue growth, achieving annual recruitment targets, developing strategic partnerships, and creating a high-performance, customer-focused sales culture. Working closely with the broader management team, you'll use data, insight and effective leadership to continually improve performance, strengthen relationships, and ensure the sales function directly supports the wider objectives of the business.
This is an office-based hybrid position, with Monday to Wednesday based in our Whiteley office and Thursday and Friday worked from home. The role also requires periodic travel across the UK to support remote team members through induction, coaching, quality management and relationship building.
About You
You'll be an experienced and results driven sales leader with a proven track record of leading high-performing, target-driven sales functions and delivering sustainable growth. You'll have demonstrable experience of developing departmental targets that align with wider business objectives, creating a positive, customer-focused sales culture through exceptional leadership and communication, and using CRM and sales systems to monitor, analyse and improve performance. You'll also be willing and able to travel across the UK to support, coach and engage with remote team members.
An interest in travel, international development or the UK education sector would be a real advantage, but it's not essential.
In return, you'll join a friendly, supportive team during an exciting period of growth, with the opportunity to shape a new leadership role, influence the direction of the business and make a meaningful impact within a unique, purpose-driven organisation.
Responsibilities
Leading the team:
- Line management of the Regional Partnerships Coordinators, including recruitment, targets, performance standards & monitoring, and welfare.
- Provide the Partnerships team with remote/in-person support, leadership and direction.
- Provide the department’s quality and assurance function as lead verifier to performance standards.
- Responsible for sustaining a healthy culture and principles of the team.
- Champion organisational mission, values and ethical approach to volunteer travel.
Leading Recruitment:
- Own and deliver annual company revenue targets, aligned to growth objectives.
- Responsible for measuring and presenting progress to company-wide recruitment targets; supporting the Company’s business plan; setting and monitoring departmental KPIs to ensure business plan targets are achieved.
- Responsible for an effective suite of business development tools and strategies being in place supporting the work of the Regional Partnerships Coordinators.
- Ensure an aligned approach between marketing and partnerships recruitment approaches and processes with the Marketing Manager.
- Assist the Finance Manager with income forecasting based on recruitment pipeline to the executive.
- Produce regular performance reports and insights for the executive team.
- Responsible for delivering a range of projects orientated around business development and recruitment as required.
- Ensure alignment between recruitment activity and programme delivery capacity.
- Act as a brand ambassador at meetings, conferences, fairs and exhibitions, promoting our trips and company mission.
- Responsible for ensuring an effective fundraising support and workshop function is in place for our volunteers through the team.
- Support the executive on business expansion plans into new territories.
- Occasionally acting as or providing cover for Regional Partnerships Coordinators or leading on recruitment in new territories.
Leading Collaboration:
- Provide visible presence and act as departmental representative within headquarters in all respects, primarily engaging and ensuring effective ways of working with other departmental heads and company systems.
- Critical member of the broader UK management team.
- Leading system development, process mapping, analytics and presentation of critical business development data and department measures.
- Deputise/act as representative for the COO as and when required.
What we're looking for:
Essential:
- Demonstrable experience of leading sales functions in a target driven environment.
- Demonstrable experience of developing sales department targets, that directly support broader company goals.
- Exceptional people, communication, presenting, and customer service mindset with demonstrable evidence of setting an effective culture in team members to match.
- Exceptional CRM and sales systems and performance monitoring mindset and ability.
- Comfortable and able to travel across the UK for the purpose of visiting team members.
- UK driving licence.
- The right to live and work in the UK.
Desirable:
- Experience of educational travel, adventure travel, or NGO charity sectors.
- Passionate about international development, Africa, or improving the lives of children.
- Experience in travel industry business development.
- Experience in remote line management.
Salary: £40,000.00 - £42,000 per year dependent on experience
Additional Pay and Benefits:
- Potential annual bonus linked to Company sales targets
- 6.6 weeks annual leave per year with the option to purchase a further week per year
- Company pension scheme
- Free on-site parking
- Private medical insurance
Please note: We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.
Closing date: 29th July 2026
Interviews w/c 10th August 2026
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Private medical insurance
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- Do you have demonstrable experience leading a high-performing sales function in a target-driven environment?
- Do you have experience using CRM systems and sales performance reporting to monitor and improve team performance?
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Fareham PO15 7AH
