Head of Product Development

International Study Centres (ISC) – UK & Europe

Reporting to: ISC Director

Location: Flexible (Ideally near to either Brighton, Sheffield or Durham).

Who We Are

Study Group is a global leader in providing a transformational learning experience for international students, leaving them with academic success and rewarding careers.  2016 was a successful year with 70,000 students enrolling across 163 countries.  Above all, providing a fantastic learning experience to our students is at the heart of what we do, so if you are passionate, dedicated, and interested in embarking in a truly fulfilling position, then you’ve come to the right place.

Overview:

• Oversee the design, redesign, and implementation of new products across Study Groups International Study Centre network.
• Accountable for leading the ISC Network in the development and delivery of new products, product enhancements and product redesign.
• Assist in evaluating the potential and practicality of products in and for development.
• Possess a combination of creative insight and business acumen, along with an awareness of learning, teaching and curriculum development practices.

Responsibilities:

• In collaboration with Centre teams and Sales & Marketing colleagues, support the origination of new product ideas aligned to market demand, customer needs and business requirements.
• Select correct approach for development and delivery of new products (or improvements to existing ones), based on insights from learning and teaching colleagues and market dynamics.
• Oversee key development projects, providing data and analysis to report on processes and performance.
• Manage procedures for monitoring projects i.e. collating research findings, business case development and progress reports in order to keep management apprised of each project status.
• Manage pan-ISC and cross-functional teams and evaluate needs, matching staff product design and development skills with business considerations (such as capacity and cost limitations).
• Negotiate agreements with external parties as required in order to fulfil the product development plans in accordance with agreed business plan.
• Plan and formulate aspects of development proposals such as objective or purpose of project, applications within and across Centres, costs of project; and facilities and human resource requirements.

Experience and Knowledge Required:

• Experience in building highly productive relationships across internal departments and with a range of external stakeholders, ensuring common goals are achieved.
• Excellent project management skills and the capacity to deliver outcomes on time and to budget.
• High level of self-motivation and resilience and the ability to meet demanding targets within deadlines.
• Exceptional communication skills both oral and written.
• Creative, innovative, future focused, enthusiatic individual focused on quality delivery. 
• Significant experience and track record in Product Development and/or Management - improving product portfolios with subsequent improvements in turnover and net profit contribution aligned to an organisation’s strategic objectives.
• Experience in both private sector and public sector is desirable. 
• Possess an understanding of the higher education landscape, ideally with experience in developing products for international education markets.
• A clear track record of developing successful new products that are brought to market, allied with demonstrable ability to build products through a partnership approach. 
• A capacity to conceive and develop a clearly defined product development plan which will drive growth, identifying opportunities and solutions through effective planning and analysis
• Experience in formulating annual business plans, monitoring and reporting
• A strong appreciation of financial management and budget control
• Demonstrable analytical skills with knowledge of research and marketing and an evidence based approach
• Flexibility to travel domestically and internationally as required.
• Proven ability in building new teams and developing new areas of business introducing appropriate processes, structure and measures of success.

Organisational Compliance

Study Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its students, and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment.

Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the role, including checks with past employers, an Enhanced Check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and overseas criminal records if appropriate.