Head of Education Business Development

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Head of Education Business Development to lead a capable, established team and play a key role in driving the next phase of growth and impact.

As Head of Education Business Development at The Outward Bound Trust, you'll lead our Education team and drive the growth and development of school, college and youth organisation partnerships across the UK. This senior leadership role is key to achieving our mission: helping more young people unlock their potential through outdoor adventure.

You'll be responsible for delivering annual income targets, expanding our customer base, ensuring all centres are at maximum occupancy and that we reach more young people, especially through new initiatives like our Schools Adventure Programme. Day to day, you'll balance strategic leadership with hands on team management, overseeing a team of up to ten staff and collaborating closely with Centre teams, Fundraising, and Marketing. You will also manage the use of all Charitable Funding spend.

We're looking for someone who can see the bigger picture while delivering results. You'll be confident managing complex relationships, aligning resources with need, and staying grounded in our purpose of youth empowerment through the outdoors.

What you'll be doing

As Head of Education Business Development, you will:

• Leadership and management of the Education Team, providing direction, challenge, support and development as appropriate. This will also involve coaching and supporting the team in their professional development, as well as in the management and execution of sales targets.
• Development and ownership of The Education Team's annual revenue target, specifically looking at Charitable funding levels, volumes and occupancy levels across all centres.
• Ownership of and responsibility for all aspects of the Education sector, ensuring that all aspects of marketing, sales, customer service, delivery and finance are reviewed and implemented to a high standard with the overall objective of informing greater impact for the clients.
• Working collaboratively with Early Careers Business Development and Summer Adventures to share ownership of the current capacity levels. Ensuring optimum fill and a responsible client mix.
• Ownership of the Education cost centre budget, including the development of return on investment data wherever possible.
• Optimising the use of all internal CRM systems and associated reporting for management purposes.
• Contributing to the work of the wider senior leadership team as required, including attending and contributing to senior team discussions, acting as an ambassador for The Trust at events and conferences, supporting colleagues in other areas of The Trust's work.
• Thrive in a dynamic environment where you can balance visionary thinking with the demands of day to day operations.
• Are an experienced senior leader who can set strategic direction while ensuring the smooth running of a busy, high performing Education Team.
• Bring a pragmatic approach to leadership, aligning the mission and purpose of The Trust with tactical delivery across sales support and partnership development.
• Have a proven ability to lead and inspire a team of up to ten direct reports, while fostering collaboration across departments including Centre Management, Fundraising, and Marketing.
• Excel at building strong relationships with fellow Senior Managers and Directors, and can navigate complex stakeholder needs with confidence and diplomacy.
• Are skilled at balancing internal and external customer priorities, allocating time and resources effectively to meet diverse needs.
• Are excited by growth and innovation, and ready to contribute to The Trust's new strategic plan, especially the expansion of our Schools Adventure Programme and increasing our reach to more young people.

We hold ourselves to high standards. We support one another, step up when it counts and always put young people first.

The Outward Bound Trust's mission is to inspire young people to believe in themselves and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups to ensure our workforce reflects the diversity of the young people we support. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and value the unique perspectives they bring.

If you are interested, please drop an email with a up to date CV and covering letter (no longer than two sides) to Sarah Shutt,

First round interviews: Tuesday, 2 December 2025.

If there's anything about the interview process that worries you or will make it hard for you to demonstrate your skills and competence, please let Sarah know. We're happy to discuss adjustments to our standard processes so that we can find the best candidate for the job.

Nature doesn't discriminate. Neither do we.

We're committed to making our recruitment process as fair and inclusive as possible. That means actively working to remove unconscious bias and the influence of privilege from our processes.

We also know how powerful it can be for young people to see themselves in the people around them. That's why we encourage applications from individuals who reflect the diverse backgrounds and identities of the young people we work with. By building a team that young people can relate to, we can help more of them see what's possible.

We endeavour not to discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, being pregnant, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

Looking for something else?

This role might not be for you, but your next adventure could still start here.