The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (The CISI)
Director of Growth
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Director of Growth
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Job level: Level 1
Location: London, with international travel
Committee membership: Executive Committee (ExCo)
Direct reports: Growth pillar leadership (structure to be confirmed through implementation)
Role Purpose
The Director of Growth is a new Executive Committee role, established through the CISI Target Operating Model (TOM) to bring together the capabilities responsible for customer and market acquisition under a single, accountable leader. The role exists to make CISI a genuine growth organisation, one that serves current and future members, learners, firms, and partners effectively while balancing its charitable objectives. The Director of Growth is accountable for building the commercial engine that drives sustainable membership and revenue growth across CISI's global markets. This is a transformational leadership role. The successful candidate will shape a newly formed function, build capability that does not currently exist in-house, embed data-informed commercial decision-making, and lead teams through significant organisational change as the TOM and supporting technology (Microsoft Dynamics) are implemented.
Key Accountabilities
- Provide executive leadership for the Growth pillar, setting a clear strategy for customer and market acquisition aligned to CISI's three-year strategy and charitable purpose.
- Own the commercial growth agenda, developing sustainable growth across membership, B2B, and partnership channels, and CISI's international markets.
- Build and embed new capabilities identified through the TOM including growth marketing, pricing, and value proposition, establishing these as core organisational strengths.
- Lead the development of brand and commercial propositions that differentiate CISI in competitive markets and support scalable, global growth.
- Strengthen the use of data and insight to inform business development, moving commercial decision-making from instinct to evidence.
- Work in close partnership with the Director of Customer Experience to ensure a seamless, joined-up experience across the end-to-end customer lifecycle.
- Reduce silos and drive cross-functional collaboration between Growth, Customer Experience, Learning and Qualifications, and the enabling functions.
- Oversee the transition to a partially outsourced marketing, communications, and creative model, ensuring in-house strategic ownership is retained while tactical delivery is sourced cost-effectively from expert partners.
- Contribute as a full member of the Executive Committee to the collective leadership, governance, and performance of CISI.
- Champion the cultural change required to make CISI more customer-centric, innovative, and commercially confident.
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Person Specification
We are looking for a commercially astute, transformational leader with a track record of building growth capability and leading teams through change. Experience gained in membership organisations, professional bodies, financial services, or comparable customer-driven environments would be an advantage.
Knowledge, Experience, and Qualifications
- Significant senior leadership experience with accountability for commercial growth, business development, or market acquisition.
- A demonstrable record of building or transforming a growth, marketing, or commercial function, ideally including standing up new capability.
- Experience of leading in an international or multi-market context.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to build a business case and manage to a budget.
- Experience of embedding data and insight into commercial decision-making.
- Experience of managing outsourced or partner-delivered services alongside in-house teams.
- A relevant degree or professional qualification, or equivalent professional experience.
Competencies
The competencies below are drawn from the CISI competency framework used across the organisation. They describe how the role holder is expected to operate.
Commercial awareness & financial acumen
Sets commercial strategy, builds robust business cases, and manages budgets and outsourced spend to deliver sustainable growth.
Communication & influence
Communicates a compelling growth vision internally and externally; influences at Board, ExCo, and partner level.
Problem solving & critical thinking
Brings evidence and structured analysis to complex commercial decisions in ambiguous, changing conditions.
Project & change management
Leads a newly formed function through significant transformation, sequencing change alongside the Dynamics rollout.
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Collaboration & teamwork
Works as a partner across ExCo, particularly with Customer Experience, breaking down silos to deliver a joined-up customer lifecycle.
Creativity & innovation
Encourages forward-thinking, hunger, and hustle; develops distinctive propositions in competitive markets.
Resilience & personal responsibility
Sustains pace and composure through sustained organisational change and holds clear ownership of outcomes.
Drive, motivation & discipline
Sets a high-performance tone, holds the function to account for growth targets, and models CISI's values.
This job description reflects the role as designed through the CISI Target Operating Model and may evolve as implementation progresses. It is not exhaustive and may be reviewed in light of the developing structure.
Benefits
We offer a competitive remuneration package, which includes:
- 7½% company pension contribution into a personal pension, in addition to your own contribution of 1½% via salary exchange
- Life insurance and income protection insurance
- A Wellness Allowance of up to £30 a month
- 27 days annual leave and additionally the Institute closes for three days between Christmas and New Year
- A travel allowance which has a value of £2,500 per annum
- Hybrid working arrangements (minimum of three days in the office)
Candidate Adjustments
At CISI, we encourage applications from a neurodiverse workforce, so please do reach out to HR@cisi.org to discuss reasonable adjustments if required. Our London office is open plan with agile desk booking; however, we are able to arrange reasonable adjustments for candidates that require a fixed working space.
We value the contribution that employees with different views and experience bring to the Institute and are committed to promoting equality, inclusion, and diversity. We hope to receive applications from a wide range of talented people irrespective of their race, religion or belief, gender, age, gender identity, neurodiversity, disability, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, political belief, social class, relationship status, or caring responsibilities.
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