Commercial Director

Girls' Day School Trust (GDST); Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

GDST is seeking an exceptional Commercial Director to turn the potential of our brand, assets and intellectual property into sustainable, long-term profitable growth.

Reporting to the CFO and working closely with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and schools, you will own the Trust’s commercial strategy, building new ventures and partnerships to diversify income streams and deliver results that support our educational mission.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of building profitable revenue streams.
• Experience engaging with senior decision-makers and forming partnerships.
• Ability to turn ideas into successful commercial activities and business cases.

Responsibilities

• Own the Trust's commercial strategy and drive sustainable, long-term growth.
• Build new ventures and partnerships to diversify income streams.
• Strengthen lettings and develop educational programmes and partnerships.
• Identify synergetic commercial opportunities and explore international growth.

Job description

The Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) is one of the UK’s twenty largest charities and the country’s leading family of girls’ schools. With a gross income of over £350 million, our 24 independent schools and two academies educate 17,000 students across England and Wales, united by a shared purpose: to help girls learn without limits, so that they can go on to lead lives without limits.

We are seeking an exceptional Commercial Director to turn the potential of our brand, assets and intellectual property into sustainable, long-term profitable growth. With a clear mandate to own the Trust’s commercial strategy, you will build new ventures and partnerships, diversify our income streams and deliver results that support our educational mission. This is an opportunity to combine business-building with purpose, making a significant contribution to the Trust’s long-term financial sustainability.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and working closely with the CEO, Executive Leadership Team and schools, you will combine scaling established activities with developing new propositions. Your remit will include strengthening lettings, developing educational programmes and partnerships, realising synergetic commercial opportunities and exploring longer-term international growth. Strategic commercial judgement will be critical; deciding where to focus, building a prioritised pipeline and turning the strongest opportunities into sustainable results.

You will bring a proven track record of building profitable revenue streams and turning ideas into successful commercial activities, products or services. Comfortable moving between strategy and hands‑on delivery, you will combine sound commercial judgement with the ability to assess opportunities, develop robust business cases and build effective partnerships. You will also be an influential relationship‑builder, able to engage senior decision‑makers, work across our school leadership teams and bring colleagues with you to deliver tangible results.

For a commercially ambitious leader motivated by purpose, this is the opportunity to shape a growth strategy across a national family of schools—and see the results of your work strengthen their future and help girls thrive.

The closing date for applications is 9am on Thursday 26 November 2026.

First-round interviews will take place at GDST Trust Office on 7 and 10 December 2026. Final interviews will be held on 17 December 2026.

Our Commitment

The GDST is committed to diversity, inclusion and real change. We want every colleague to feel valued, respected and supported, and we actively welcome applications from all backgrounds and communities.