UK Management College
Chief Commercial Officer
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Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Department
Group Commercial
Location
Group-wide / All Unibridge Group Colleges and Institutions
Reporting To
Group Chief Executive Officer
Salary
£100,000 to £135,000 per annum
Line Management Responsibility
The Chief Commercial Officer will provide strategic and operational leadership to the Group's commercial functions, including direct or functional leadership of senior colleagues responsible for Marketing, Admissions, Student Recruitment, Business Development, Commercial Partnerships and Market Intelligence across the Group's colleges and institutions.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
The Unibridge Group Ltd is the holding company of a growing group of education institutions in the United Kingdom.
The Group includes UK Management College Ltd, a private higher education provider focused on widening participation and delivering partner-validated and franchised degree programmes across campuses in Greater Manchester, the East Midlands and the North-East, together with other colleges and education businesses within the Group.
Each institution operates within its own governance and regulatory framework, with its own leadership and Board responsibilities. The Unibridge Group provides strategic direction, capital allocation and shared commercial leadership across its institutions while supporting the individual identity, mission and development of each organisation.
The Group is committed to measured, sustainable and capacity-led growth. Each institution is expected to be commercially sustainable while maintaining a strong focus on educational quality, regulatory compliance and positive student outcomes.
The Group believes that commercial success should support its educational mission and long-term sustainability. Growth must therefore be evidence-based, deliberate and aligned with institutional capacity. Revenue and recruitment objectives must never take precedence over educational quality, regulatory compliance or the student experience.
Purpose of the Role
The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) is the Group's most senior commercial executive and is responsible for leading the commercial strategy, revenue growth and market development of The Unibridge Group and its colleges and institutions.
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 the Group. 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 CEO, CFO, Group Board, shareholders and senior leadership teams across the Group.
Commercial success must support the Group'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
- Develop, lead and deliver the Group's commercial strategy in alignment with the strategic objectives of The Unibridge Group and each individual institution.
- Ensure each college and institution has a clear, evidence-based and sustainable strategy for revenue growth.
- Act as the principal commercial adviser to the Group CEO, shareholders, Group Board and institutional Boards.
- Provide clear and evidence-based advice on market opportunities, commercial risks, growth strategies and investment decisions.
- Establish and maintain Group-wide 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-Group commercial projects, strategic initiatives and market-entry opportunities.
- Ensure commercial plans are delivered within agreed timescales, budgets and governance frameworks.
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Commercial Planning and Modelling
- Develop, maintain and continuously improve the Group's commercial models and forecasting capability.
- Lead market sizing and addressable demand analysis across regions, campuses, programmes and institutions.
- Develop student recruitment, admissions and enrolment forecasts across all intake cycles.
- Analyse pricing, fee-share arrangements and commercial contribution by partner, programme, campus and institution.
- 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 across each institution.
- Support the Group's objective of increasing income diversification and reducing dependency on individual partners or revenue streams.
- Translate complex commercial analysis into clear and actionable recommendations for senior leaders and Boards.
Revenue Growth and Student Recruitment
- Lead the Group's commercial approach to revenue growth through student recruitment and admissions.
- Develop and oversee recruitment strategies for each institution, ensuring recruitment targets remain aligned with campus capacity and the ability to deliver a high-quality student experience.
- For UK Management College, support the delivery of the 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 institution, 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 the mission and values of each institution.
- 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
- Identify and develop new and diversified income opportunities across the Group and its institutions.
- 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 the Group'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 across the Group.
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Partnerships and Portfolio Development
- Lead the commercial development and expansion of academic and strategic partnerships across the Group.
- 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 the Group and its institutions.
- 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
- Lead the Group'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 institutional growth strategies.
- Provide strategic leadership for brand and marketing across the Group.
- Support the development of credible and distinctive institutional brands.
- Oversee marketing strategies and campaigns across institutions and 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 Group and institutional strategic planning.
Commercial Governance, Compliance and Risk
- Ensure commercial activity across the Group 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
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