Sector Development
Lead - Primary

General

The Role

We are looking for a Sector Development Lead to drive growth and impact
in the primary education sector at a pivotal moment for the Leadership
Skills Foundation.

This newly created role comes at an exciting time: we’re expanding our
programmes, deepening partnerships, and rolling out a refreshed brand.
You’ll play a key role in helping us reach more young people and maximise our
impact.

As Sector Development Lead, you’ll lead income generation and customer growth in
the primary sector. From designing integrated sales and marketing strategies to
delivering outreach and events, you’ll champion our offer and act as a trusted sector
voice - shaping offers that meet the needs of schools, empower learners, and delight
our customers.

We’re seeking someone with experience in sales, sector development, or programme
growth, with a proven ability to achieve ambitious targets. You’ll bring creativity and
confidence in delivering outreach campaigns across both digital and in-person
channels, underpinned by a strong understanding of the UK education system,
particularly with insight into the primary sector.

Thriving on building relationships and influencing stakeholders, you’ll use data and
insights to inform decisions and adapt approaches. Alongside these skills, you’ll be a
collaborative team player and a compelling storyteller, able to balance strategic
thinking with hands-on delivery as well as passion for creating meaningful
opportunities for young people.

If you’re an experienced development professional who thrives on spotting
opportunities and delivering results, we’d love to hear from you.

Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. The
Leadership Skills Foundation cannot offer visa sponsorship.

Rob Bruce

Business Development Manager

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About the Leadership Skills Foundation

With a 40+ year heritage, the Leadership Skills Foundation exists to help young
people build the confidence to believe, the qualities to lead and the skills to succeed.

Working with close to 100,000 young people every year across 2,500 delivery centres
(schools, colleges and community organisations), we provide inspiring learning
programmes where everyone is empowered to shape their futures and lead their
communities.

97% of centre staff believe Leadership Skills Foundation programmes provide young
people with the skills to succeed.

As an awarding organisation, all our programmes are accredited in line with
regulatory conditions, ensuring learners achieve meaningful and recognised
qualifications and awards. Our programmes equip learners with employability skills
for life (communication, problem solving, teamwork, self-belief, self-management)
improving motivation, self-esteem and confidence.

90% of learners said that our programmes develop important skills for their futures.

We want young people to possess the skills, knowledge and resilience needed to face
the world with confidence and optimism. By enabling organisations to deliver
carefully considered leadership programmes, we help shape future generations.

Over two-thirds of businesses believe young people are not effectively prepared for
work when they leave school (British Chamber of Commerce).

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Our values

We are better together
Together, we do great things. Collaboration, belonging and individuality aren’t just
buzzwords to us; they’re deeply held commitments in the way we work. As we solve
problems together, we make sure everyone feels listened to and valued.

We are guided by goals
Every initiative we develop is guided by clear aims. From giving young people the
confidence to achieve, to bringing major change to communities, all our goals are
significant and focused on improvement.

We evolve and innovate
As the world changes, so do the opportunities and challenges of the people we
support. As changing times call for evolving skills, we are brave enough to be
different and to innovate to be fit for the future.

We have pride in our programmes
We never forget how valuable everyone’s future is. That’s why we go above and
beyond to deliver high-quality trustworthy and regulated programmes.

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What you can expect from us

There are numerous benefits that are available to you as a member of Leadership
Skills Foundation.

In addition to working for an organisation that is forward thinking with a clear
commitment to your wellbeing, we also offer an array of both contractual and non-
contractual benefits as outlined below.

Contractual benefits:

•  Standard 36 hour working week.

•  25 days annual leave rising to 30 days per year after completion of five years’

service.

•  Automatic enrolment into NEST Pension scheme after three months, with the
option to join group personal pension plan with matched contributions up to
five percent following successful completion of probationary period.

•  Agile/flexible working.

•  Home working.

Non-contractual benefits:

•  Discretionary extended Christmas break.

•  Vitality Health Care Plan following successful completion of probationary
period – with the option to add family/significant others at reduced rate.

•  Meaningful and regular one-to-one system as part of a structured personal

development process.

•  Sight test and eyewear financial support.

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Role details

Role title:      Sector Development Lead (Primary)
Reports to:    Business Development Manager
£30,000 – £35,000
Salary:
Permanent
Contract:
Location:   Home based with travel to events and other locations when required
8.30 – 4.30. Monday – Friday (with flexible/agile working)
Hours:

Role summary:

Role purpose:

1.  Drive the growth of the primary education sector, leading on centre

acquisition, income generation, and customer experience.

2.  Develop and deliver integrated sales and marketing strategies, including digital
lead generation, network development, key segment outreach, and data-led
campaign planning.

3.  Act as the sector lead, using insight to shape positioning, monitor market

maturity, and influence internal and external strategy for long-term impact.

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Key responsibilities:

Planning

•  Shape and deliver the Primary Sector Development Plan.

Sales & growth delivery

•  Drive income and centre growth targets across all relevant programmes.

•  Develop tailored acquisition and conversion strategies by segment, including

cold outreach, warm lead nurture, events, and campaigns.

•  Track and report against sector income targets, centre growth metrics, lead

conversions, and ROI using dashboards and data analysis.

Marketing and lead generation

•  Design and test sector-wide digital campaigns in collaboration with marketing

teams and, where relevant, external agencies.

•  Manage audience segmentation, personalised journeys, email marketing, and
paid social media campaigns targeting school leaders, MATs, and parents.

•  Plan and deliver events related to the Primary sector and represent the

organisation externally when required.

•  Contribute towards content strategy across case studies, impact stories,

webinars, and sector PR/editorial opportunities as required.

Customer Experience (CX) & retention

•  Lead on sector-specific centre onboarding, retention strategies, and cross-sell

pathways.

•  Be responsible for mapping and reviewing the customer journey, reducing

friction for customers, and removing internal barriers.

•  Develop Customer Experience led comms plans to ensure consistent, high-
quality touchpoints that support relationship building and long-term value.

Collaborate across teams and support innovation

•  Contribute to team planning meetings, training sessions, and department-wide

initiatives.

•  Support the induction of new team members and contribute to a collaborative,

learning-focused team culture.

•  Be an engaged member of the Engagement and Marketing Directorate and

carry out any other reasonable duties as requested by the Head of Business
Development.

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Skills, experience, and knowledge

Essential

•  Proven experience leading sales, sector development, or programme growth.

•  Experience in designing and delivering multi-channel marketing or outreach

plans, ideally across digital and in-person formats.

•  Demonstrable success in achieving income and acquisition targets within a

complex stakeholder environment.

•  An understanding of education systems in the UK, particularly the primary

sector.

•  Experience of working on your own initiative, taking a pro-active approach to

your work.

•  Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

•  High level of presentation skills to external stakeholders.

•  Experience of data management and analysing insight to inform decision

making.

•  An ability to network, influence and build relationships with key stakeholders

and customers.

•  Collaborative mindset with the ability to build strong working relationships

across teams

•  Ability to use Microsoft Office programmes comprehensively to support

customer interaction and information presentation.

•  An ability to prioritise your workload and focus on importance of tasks.

Desired

•  Experience with campaign management tools and marketing platforms (e.g.,

HubSpot, Mailchimp, Google Ads, LinkedIn Campaign Manager).

•  Experience working directly with or selling into primary schools, MATs, or local

authorities.

•  Strong understanding of the UK primary education landscape, including MATs,

independent schools, and local authority priorities.

•  Understanding of education inspectorate frameworks, and how they impact

school decision-making.

•  An understanding of awarding body function and responsibilities.

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Recruitment timetable

Closing date for applications: 23:59pm Sunday 9 November 2025

Notify candidates for shortlisting: Week commencing Monday 10 November 2025

Interviews to be held: Week commencing Monday 17 November 2025

Start date: ASAP

We look forward to your application for the role, please click on the link to apply, you will
be redirected to a Be Applied platform to complete your application.

Applications no later than 23:59pm Sunday 9 November 2025.

Further information
If you would like to discuss the role further, please email
rbruce@leadershipskillsfoundation.org

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