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BTS Spark is looking for a Programme Manager to join our team. Reporting to the Director of BTS Spark UK, this is a home-based or hybrid role, with a preference for candidates based in London, the South East, or East of England. The role includes regular days (at least monthly) in our London office, plus occasional travel for team days, client visits, and conference visits. This is a full-time position at 37.5 hours per week, with flexible working considered, offered on a permanent basis.
About BTS Spark
Originating here in the UK, BTS Spark is the social impact and education practice of BTS, a global professional services firm which specialises in supporting organisations to develop their leaders and build the people capabilities to deliver effectively on their strategies. Our mission at BTS Spark is to help education, public sector and non-profit leaders do their best work, building stronger organisations and a better world. Our focus is on the human side of leadership, helping leaders to flourish in their roles, to empower and unlock the full potential of their teams and to enhance the impact and influence of their organisations. We bring deep understanding of the education and non-profit sectors together with the top-tier leadership expertise of an award-winning global company.
We provide expert 1:1 leadership coaching, powerful group experiences and learning journeys and bespoke team and organisational development programmes, all designed to enable profound and highly impactful learning experiences. Our 1:1 coaching is delivered virtually, with group programmes delivered either in-person or virtually. To date we have worked primarily with schools, colleges and multi-academy trusts, but we are now actively seeking to grow our work within higher education and the non-profit sector. Whilst most of the work delivered by our UK hub is with UK-based organisations, we also deliver programmes elsewhere in Europe and manage several of our international programmes, including with Teach For All, TheirWorld and humanitarian charity, Médecins Sans Frontières.
About The Role
At BTS Spark UK we work with around 40 clients every year, from small primary schools to global NGOs, yet we have the potential to reach many more leaders in the UK and beyond. Our Programme Manager is a hands-on operational role at the centre of our day-to-day programme set up and delivery and one that also involves working with our UK Director to build our profile and pursue new opportunities for growth.
Our UK core team is small, comprising just the Director and the Programme Manager, supported by our BTS Spark global team and wider BTS colleagues, including HR, IT and finance teams. Our programmes are delivered by a global network of highly skilled professional coaches and facilitators, including 30+ based here in the UK.
The BTS Spark Programme Manager works closely with the Director but also with a significant degree of independence, supporting almost every aspect of our work: responding to new enquiries, planning and resourcing new programmes, managing stakeholder relationships, and overseeing delivery. Your top priority is making sure our programmes are delivered to a high standard and that clients and programme participants see us as a trusted, credible partner. We deliver multiple programmes concurrently so you’ll need to be able to reprioritise and flex your plans rapidly to address emerging needs and challenges, balancing both immediate and longer-term priorities. You'll also help grow awareness of our work, particularly through our social media channels, marketing initiatives and our alumni community.
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The balance of the role shifts through the year — programme launches take priority at some points, while school holidays free up more time for development work. A key priority for the coming year is to make full use of our AI capabilities (particularly Claude) as an everyday tool to speed up our processes and admin tasks to free up more time for the relationship-building and delivery work that matters most. This is something we’ll support you to build into your working practice from day one.
We're looking for someone enthusiastic about reinventing our workflows with AI who is also highly versatile, organised and proactive, with sharp attention to detail and excellent communication skills.
Key responsibilities
Operations and programme management
- Plan and enable smooth programme delivery — allocating coaches and facilitators, scheduling sessions and workshops as needed and managing logistics for face-to-face events
- Set up and launch coaching, leadership programmes and assessments on our coaching and journey platforms, utilising other BTS systems as appropriate
- Use Claude and other approved digital tools to speed up routine tasks and achieve ongoing efficiency gains — for example, data entry, report drafting and client updates
- Support content creation and adapt materials for bespoke programmes
- Set key milestones, monitor progress closely, and act quickly if delivery falls behind schedule
- Partner with our developer/IT teams to get the most from our platforms and resolve technical issues when they arise
- Provide occasional live support for virtual workshops on Zoom or Teams, including running polls, setting up breakout rooms and troubleshooting
- Support clients, coaches and participants with prompt, professional troubleshooting
Stakeholder management
- Manage client relationships as a trusted first point of contact, understanding needs and proposing solutions
- Prepare and deliver briefings, presentations and platform demos to clients and programme participants
- Proactively work to keep coachees and programme participants well-engaged, and clients well informed
- Prepare professional data-led reports for clients on engagement, completion, feedback and impact
- Deliver a professional follow-up service at the end of each engagement
Enquiries and business development
- Act as first point of contact for phone and email enquiries, advising on suitable programmes
- Follow through on enquiries — sending quotations and information, or referring to the Director as needed
- Monitor and manage the BTS Spark UK general email inbox
- Support business development by researching leads and opportunities and helping develop proposals and materials with the Director
Marketing and communications
- Help to grow our social media presence and UK-based followers, particularly on LinkedIn, coordinating and publishing content and engaging with followers
- Engage with coachees, programme participants and clients to generate new marketing collateral such as testimonials and case studies
- Update our website, set up bookings for new events (e.g. webinars) and create new landing pages on Hubspot to help promote new initiatives and programmes
- Help to grow our Alumni and Supporters networks, including contributing to and distributing regular mailings and newsletters
- Help plan and deliver marketing and email campaigns
- Attend conferences and networking events to promote our work
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Financial management
- Accurately forecast confirmed and probable income and keep our ERP (financial and resourcing) data up to date
- Issue letters of engagement, ensure terms are accepted and purchase orders received and invoices are raised promptly and accurately
Additional
- Look for opportunities to improve how we work and approach challenges with curiosity and a growth mindset
- Liaise with the wider BTS Spark and BTS Operations/Finance teams globally to share learning
- Provide occasional executive assistant support to the UK Director
- Any other reasonable duties
Essential
Your knowledge, skills and experience
- A strong and sustained track record in programme planning and project/operations management
- Confidence and credibility to manage relationships with senior education and non-profit leaders
- Proven customer/client service experience — handling enquiries professionally, building trusted senior stakeholder relationships and managing sometimes sensitive client data with discretion and due diligence.
- Excellent communication, writing and proof-reading skills
- Strong planning and organisational skills, with close attention to detail and the ability to prioritise across multiple workstreams
- A confident, enthusiastic, 'can-do' attitude
- Comfortable working independently, able to self-motivate
- Proactive, creative and strategic with strong problem-solving aptitudes
- A genuine interest in leadership and professional development, with a commitment to your own growth
- Strong financial literacy
- Experience using databases / CRM systems and analysing data (for example Salesforce, Hubspot or similar platforms)
- Confident using new digital platforms and systems to set up and manage learning programmes and create content, such as landing pages
- Enthusiastic about adopting digital tools, including AI assistants to improve day-to-day productivity
- Intermediate Microsoft Office skills (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel)
- Flexibility to work occasional non-business hours (to enable meetings with BTS Spark colleagues based in North America and Australia)
Desirable
- Experience working in or closely with the education sector
- University graduate-level education
How To Apply
Apply with an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement (max. 2 sides) showing how you meet the knowledge, skills and experience above. Applications without a supporting statement will not be considered.
We review applications on a rolling basis, so please apply as soon as you can. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 1st September.
Initial interviews for shortlisted candidates will be held on a rolling basis until 4th September.
Final interviews will be held in London at the BTS Offices on 10th and 11th September.
Questions about the role or the application process are welcome — contact Denise Barrows denise.barrows@btsspark.org.
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