Head of Professional Development

Cambridge University Press & Assessment; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Private medical insurance

Discretionary annual bonus

Group personal pension scheme

Life assurance

Green travel schemes

Job summary

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is seeking a strategic, innovative leader to shape our world-class professional development portfolio for educators worldwide. Based at our Cambridge Headquarters in a hybrid role, you will champion customer-centred design and work across Product, Marketing, Digital, and Operations to deliver scalable learning experiences.

You will build and lead teams, drive portfolio growth using forecasting and data, and ensure measurable impact.

Qualifications

• Experience leading professional development or educational product development
• Track record delivering programs or services with measurable impact
• Experience leading customer-focused portfolios with evidence-based decisions

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver strategic vision for professional development products and services
• Lead customer research to understand needs of teachers and schools globally
• Design learning experiences and end-to-end customer journeys that deliver measurable educational impact and customer success
• Own portfolio performance and growth using forecasting, insight and data to inform priorities, pricing, investment and lifecycle decisions
• Lead successful go-to-market launches, ensuring operational readiness, effective positioning and cross-functional alignment
• Establish and champion high standards for service design, accessibility, inclusion, brand and user experience
• Influence senior stakeholders, secure alignment and build strong partnerships across functions and international markets
• Act as a visible advocate for the voice of schools and educators, keeping customer needs at the heart of decision-making
• Lead, coach and enable Senior Professional Development Managers, using matrix leadership where required
• Experience working in international education environments
• Experience of senior leadership within a school or educational organisation during a period of change
• Expertise in customer experience, service design or product lifecycle management
• A coaching qualification at Level 5 or above, or equivalent experience in leadership development programmes

Skills

Professional development

Learning design

Stakeholder leadership

Product management

Education

Coaching qualification Level 5

Tools

Forecasting

Data analysis

Customer research

Job description

Reporting to the Director of Professional Development, you will lead the development of a world‑class professional development portfolio that delivers value for educators, supports school improvement and advances our mission. You will champion customer‑centred design, ensuring our products and services solve real problems for schools while remaining scalable, operationally effective and commercially sustainable. Working across International Education, you will bring together colleagues from Product & Services, Marketing, Digital, Operations and regional teams to design, launch and continuously improve professional development experiences that meet the evolving needs of educators worldwide. Additional responsibilities and accountabilities include:

• Define and deliver the strategic vision for Cambridge International Professional Development products and services.
• Lead customer research and discovery to understand the needs, challenges and aspirations of teachers, school leaders and schools globally.
• Design innovative learning experiences and end-to‑end customer journeys that deliver measurable educational impact and customer success.
• Own portfolio performance and growth, using forecasting, insight and data to inform priorities, pricing, investment and lifecycle decisions.
• Lead successful go‑to‑market launches, ensuring operational readiness, effective positioning and cross‑functional alignment.
• Establish and champion high standards for service design, accessibility, inclusion, brand and user experience.
• Influence senior stakeholders, secure alignment and build strong partnerships across functions and international markets.
• Act as a visible advocate for the voice of schools and educators, keeping customer needs at the heart of decision‑making.
• Lead, coach and enable Senior Professional Development Managers, using matrix leadership where required.

This position is based in our Cambridge Headquarters and as a hybrid role, you will spend 40-60% of your time collaborating and connecting face‑to‑face in the office. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long‑term health condition. We are a Disability Confident employer that is committed to equality and inclusion, ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The Disability Confident scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in and disclose a disability or long‑term health condition, and who best meet the minimum criteria for the role. Where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable or appropriate, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long‑term health condition. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

You are a strategic and innovative leader with a passion for solving customer problems and creating meaningful learning experiences. You combine substantial expertise in professional learning or educational product development with the ability to inspire others, influence stakeholders and deliver measurable results. To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Significant experience in professional development, learning and development, instructional design, customer success or product management within an educational context.
• A strong track record of designing and delivering programmes, products or services that improve outcomes and demonstrate measurable impact.
• Experience leading customer‑focused portfolios or programmes and using evidence, insight and performance data to make decisions.
• Expertise in learning design, leadership development, coaching or related professional learning approaches.
• Strong commercial awareness, including forecasting, cost management, performance monitoring and investment decision‑making.
• Outstanding stakeholder leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility and alignment across diverse teams and international contexts.
• Experience leading cultural or operational change and turning strategy into scalable delivery.
• The ability to lead teams, work independently and collaborate effectively in a complex organisation.

• Experience working in international education environments.
• Experience of senior leadership within a school or educational organisation during a period of change.
• Expertise in customer experience, service design or product lifecycle management.
• A coaching qualification at Level 5 or above, or equivalent experience in leadership development programmes.

Every day, Cambridge schools across the globe help learners realise their potential. Behind that success are teachers and school leaders who continually develop their practice, strengthen their leadership and drive improvement in their schools.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world‑leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge. We believe outstanding professional development is one of the most powerful ways to improve educational outcomes. We are looking for an exceptional leader to help us reimagine what professional learning can be for educators worldwide.

The closing date for all applications will be 4th October. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place throughout October. If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• An initial interview online.
• An in‑person second stage interview with a task to prepare in advance.
• A short, final stage interview online or in person.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or long‑term health condition, there will be an opportunity to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks, including DBS, due to working in a regulated industry. We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. Applications must be submitted through our official online application procedure. Please do not send your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or need additional support submitting your online application, please contact the Recruiter.

Why join us Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe, for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment that embraces difference, change and aspiration. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics, cultural background or social class. We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a world‑class, flexible rewards package, featuring family‑friendly and planet‑friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes