Director, UK Chair Development & Community

Vistage Worldwide, Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Vistage is seeking a Director, Chair Development & Speaker Programme to lead Chair capability and the 130-strong Speakers Bureau in the UK & Ireland. You will own the Chair development journey from Academy through ongoing practice, oversee the Speaker Programme, events and sponsorship portfolio, and bridge Chair community insight with the wider business.

The role sits on the UK & Ireland senior leadership team, reporting to the Managing Director.

Qualifications

• Strong track record in learning & development or speaker/expert network and events management at scale.
• Experience operating at Senior Manager or Director level, ready for a full seat on a senior leadership team.
• Confident, credible facilitator, comfortable in front of experienced business leaders and able to command the room through preparation.
• Commercial instincts: connect programme activity to business metrics like retention.
• Data-informed decision-making, using evidence to decide what to build next.
• High energy, self-starter mentality, executive presence, collaborative team player.
• Willingness to travel UK-wide and be present in person for the Chair community and flagship events.

Responsibilities

• Own the Chair development journey: support Chairs through Academy and early group launch, design and help facilitate sessions, and lead the annual National Chair Meeting and Chair Awards.
• Host CEO Tables Chair Edition listening sessions and build an intelligence-led feedback loop connecting Chair Recruiting, Marketing and Growth.
• Track progress against KPIs: Time to First Member, Time to Launch, Launch Success Rate, Groups in Standard, Member Retention and CEQ.
• Provide strategic direction and coaching to the Speaker Programme team overseeing 130+ accredited speakers delivering 600+ sessions a year, and lead the annual Speakers Awards.
• Set strategy for the UK & Ireland events calendar, with day-to-day delivery led by the Events Manager.
• Own the sponsorship and partnerships strategy and key relationships against an annual commercial target, with day-to-day execution led by the Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager.
• Lead a team of four (Speaker Programme Manager, Speaker Programme Apprentice, Events Manager, Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager).

Job description

Full-Time Regular Employee London, UK, GB

5 days ago Requisition ID: 1586

POSITION SUMMARY

Vistage is looking for a Director, Chair Development & Speaker Programme to lead two of the functions that shape the member experience most: Chair capability and the 130-strong Speakers Bureau. Reporting to the Managing Director and sitting on the UK & Ireland senior leadership team, you'll own the Chair development journey from Academy through ongoing practice, oversee the Speaker Programme, events and sponsorship portfolio, and act as the bridge between Chair community insight and the wider business.

THE COMPANY

Vistage is the world’s largest CEO coaching and peer advisory organisation for small and medium size business (SME) leaders. We offer the most effective approach for SME enterprises to achieve better results and grow faster as well as for SME leaders to maximise their impact.

The 45,000+ members we serve are MDs/CEOs, owners and executives of SMEB organisations located across the UK and around the world. These SME executives typically spend a day or more with Vistage every month to immerse themselves in our comprehensive platform for making better decisions, getting better results and becoming better leaders. Our platform features three core elements: valuable perspectives from a trusted group of peers, professional guidance and meeting facilitation from an accomplished business leader (the Chair), and deep insights from subject matter experts.

Vistage was founded more than 65 years ago and we’ve grown every year since then by innovating to stay on the cutting‑edge of business and being relentless in delivering value to our members. Our success is demonstrated by the fact that Vistage member companies grow 2.2 times faster than non‑Vistage peer companies. Learn more about us at vistage.co.uk.

VISTAGE EMPLOYEE LIFE

Vistage’s success is anchored by a unique culture which reinforces employee commitment to the Vistage mission. It is a spirit of collective success and achievement which is also reflected in our workplace. Here’s a sample of the employee experience that helps drive our success:

• Welcome to our home.Our UK Office sits in Hedge End, Southampton while out US headquarters sits in San Diego, California. The Hedge End office features an open, modern aesthetic with lots of collaboration spaces and free coffee!
• We invest in your career.Each employee has an actionable career progression plan developed through individual collaboration with their manager. We focus on promoting from within and employee progression plans are complemented by all, we invest in staff development days as well as access to tons of individualised development resources and a tuition reimbursement program.
• We invest in you.Our employee benefits program incredibly generous! We offer life insurance of 4 times your base salary up to a maximum £1,250,000 benefit. Take care of your financial future with a pension plan where employees are automatically enrolled at a 5% contribution, and matching of 4%. You’ll also start with 20 days annual leave to allow you to relax and recharge . . employees receive additional annual paid days off based on tenure. All employee’s also have access to our Employee Assistance Programme, Travel Emergency Service, and more!
• We keep it fun!Whether you’re enjoying office celebrations or toasting your co‑workers at our epic annual holiday party, you’ll see that we take having fun as seriously as helping our members succeed! The office vibe is business casual with flexible schedules that take a hybrid approach, splitting time between working in the office and working from home on an agreed cadence. We value mutual respect and laughter . . we hate stiff formality.

Vistage’s culture and sense of mission drives employee loyalty: more than half of our staff has been with the company for five years or longer. Are you ready to start your Vistage journey?

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own the Chair development journey: support Chairs through Academy and early group launch, design and help facilitate BCG and VCG sessions, and lead the annual National Chair Meeting and Chair Awards.
• Host CEO Tables Chair Edition listening sessions and build an intelligence-led feedback loop connecting Chair Recruiting, Marketing and Growth.
• Track progress against six commercial Chair Enablement KPIs: Time to First Member, Time to Launch, Launch Success Rate, Groups in Standard, Member Retention and CEQ.
• Provide strategic direction and coaching to the Speaker Programme team overseeing 130+ accredited speakers delivering 600+ sessions a year, and lead the annual Speakers Awards.
• Set strategy for the UK & Ireland events calendar (EVEs, CEO Connect, Scottish Leadership Forum and other flagship events), with day‑to‑day delivery led by the Events Manager.
• Own the sponsorship and partnerships strategy and key relationships against an annual commercial target, with day‑to‑day execution led by the Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager.
• Lead a team of four (Speaker Programme Manager, Speaker Programme Apprentice, Events Manager, Sponsorship and Partnerships Manager), providing strategic direction rather than day‑to‑day management.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A strong track record in either learning & development (designing programmes that changed behaviour, not just delivered content) or speaker/expert network and events management at scale. We don't need both, just a strong anchor in one and the range to build the other.
• Experience operating at Senior Manager or Director level, ready for a full seat on a senior leadership team.
• A confident, credible facilitator, comfortable in front of experienced business leaders and commanding the room through preparation rather than hierarchy.
• Commercial instincts: able to connect programme activity, such as a coaching session, to business metrics like retention.
• Data-informed decision-making, using evidence to decide what to build next without becoming data‑paralysed.
• High energy, a self‑starter mentality, genuine executive presence, and a natural, collaborative team player.
• Willingness to travel UK-wide and be present in person for the Chair community, your team, and flagship events such as the National Chair Meeting.

COMPENSATION

Competitive base salary plus performance‑related bonus. Details discussed at interview stage.

JOB LOCATION

London-based with two days per week required at the Vistage UK office in Southampton (Hedge End). UK-wide travel for NCM, CEO Tables Chair Edition, regional events, forums, and Chair community engagement. The National Chair Meeting and flagship events are non‑negotiable in‑person commitments.