Post Details
Last Updated:
07/09/2015
Faculty/Administrative/Service
Department
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Job Title
Executive Education Manager
Job Family
Professional Services
Responsible to
Business Manager
Responsible for (Staff)
N/A
Job
Level
5
Job Purpose Statement
The post holder is responsible for the generation, design and successful delivery of a range of activities,
products and services focusing around executive education.
The post holder will generate income through identifying and delivering opportunities for executive
education and related activities with private companies, the public and third sector partners.
Key Responsibilities
1. Identify new opportunities for bespoke and open enrolment executive education programmes
to be delivered by Surrey Business School.
2. Formulate the business development plan for executive education and be responsible for its
implementation in support of the School’s business objectives, including monitoring the
executive education budget (circa £200k per annum including income) and ensure that
related expenditure is controlled.
3. Identify and develop opportunities for further engagement with potential and existing external
clients and take the lead on negotiations, inclusive of the contract stage.
4. Provide excellent customer service and support – managing key internal and external client
relationships with an ability to develop and maintain these relationships and to build a
community of interested parties.
5. Working with the External Liaison Manager and other colleagues build effective relationships
with the local, regional and national business community and develop relationships with
international/EU organisations where appropriate.
6. Support academic colleagues in the design of bespoke and open enrolment executive
education programmes and related products and services.
7. Work with the Faculty Marketing Manager in the development of innovative marketing
strategies in support of executive education and related products. This will include developing
strong market knowledge and, where needed, commissioning and making effective use of
market research.
8. Ensure the successful delivery of all executive education and related activities for Surrey
Business School working with administrative and other colleagues to ensure a high quality
experience for delegates, academic colleagues and external speakers. This will include post
event follow up to ensure learning outcomes are achieved and that customer feedback can
contribute to the further development of the School’s offer in this area.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:

Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the
University of Surrey Equal Opportunities Policy.
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Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.
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Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result
from their actions.
Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.

Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.

Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:

Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and
techniques demand.
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Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.
Elements of the Role
Planning and Organising
 The post holder will ensure that the development of the School’s executive education and related
activities complement and feed in to the broader Faculty/School/University operational plans.
 The post holder is expected to be able to operate largely independently and be responsible for
meeting challenging objectives in order to ensure the success of the School’s executive education
operations.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
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The post holder will support the Deputy Head of School for Teaching and Learning, Head of the
Centre for Management Learning and Leadership and the External Liaison Manager in
determining the direction of executive education as part of the School’s wider strategy for growth
and development.
The post holder must display a professional approach and confident communication style as they
will be responsible for identifying and developing opportunities with external organisations. They
will be an excellent advocate for the School and will need to use their expertise and business
acumen in order to gain the necessary information from clients to progress projects.
They are also required to take the lead in negotiations for the delivery of bespoke programmes
including overseeing the completion of contracts. The post holder will act as the first line of contact
between the School and external agencies and businesses in regard to executive education.
The post holder is expected to anticipate problems and to advise the External Liaison Manager
and Deputy Head of School (Learning and Teaching) of any issues, in order that a pro-active
approach can be taken. Significant elements of this role will however require some degree of
analytical, critical and evaluative thinking.
The post holder is required to use their influencing and negotiation skills in their dealings with
external clients. They will need appropriate skills in liaising with prospective customers, analysing
their needs and working with school staff to develop plans on how these can best be met.
This role is not wholly covered by defined procedures and therefore, requires initiative to identify
opportunities for the School to meet its objectives. They are required to deal with at times complex
problems, and are required to define the problem/issue before an immediate solution can be
found. The post holder will therefore be required to apply analytical, interpretive and constructive
thinking.
Where the post holder faces issues/problems that are of a more complex nature and fall outside
of the scope of the post holder’s experience, guidance may be sought from their line manager,
senior faculty academics or from peers.
Continuous Improvement
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The post holder is responsible for proactively identifying potential improvements to the School’s
executive education offer and processes.
Working with the External Liaison Manager and senior School and Faculty colleagues, they will look
to gain support for improvements and implementation.
The post holder will also be responsible for ensuring that the opportunity of feedback from external
clients and partners is not missed, and that good relationships are maintained.
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The post holder is expected keep their knowledge of current market trends up to date, in order to
identify new opportunities for the School.
Accountability
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The post holder has the freedom to take a pro-active approach and to decide how to achieve
the desired results and objectives of the School with regard to executive education, provided
these are consistent with the agreed strategic direction plans and any guidance provided by the
Deputy Head of School (Teaching and Learning), External Liaison Manager and the Senior
Management of the Faculty.
The role will be crucial in delivering this important new area of development within the School and
will be key to building and maintain excellent links with a wide range of businesses and public
sector organisations.
The post holder will be privy to sensitive and confidential information from within the School and
from external clients and as such is expected to maintain high levels of confidentiality at all times.
Dimensions of the role

The post holder is responsible for monitoring budgets and controlling related expenditure; they
will have a delegated budget, including income, of around £200k per annum, to manage.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
Professionally qualified with a relevant degree/postgraduate qualification, plus broad
management experience in a similar or related role.
E
Or
Significant vocational and relevant management experience, demonstrating
management ability in an appropriate professional or specialist area, and success in
similar or related roles, supported by evidence of significant appropriate knowledge.
Relevant professional membership
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of
D
Essential/
Desirable
Level
1-3
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to motivate, negotiate, influence
and build strong relationships.
E
3
Experience of working independently and without close supervision
E
2
Broad experience in a similar executive education/training role
E
2
Ability to develop and implement effective business plans and strategies
E
2
Experience of negotiating contractual terms
D
n/a
Knowledge of academic or academic/industrial contracts and relationships
D
n/a
competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for
clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance).
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please
refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed,
where the competency is not a requirement of the grade.
Level
1-3
Communication
3
Adaptability / Flexibility
3
Customer/Client service and support
3
Planning and Organising
3
Continuous Improvement
2
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
3
n/a
Creative and Analytical Thinking
3
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
3
Strategic Thinking & Leadership
2
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder
develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and
possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise this
and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where
necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted
and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
Surrey Business School is establishing an executive education resource to meet demand from its rapidly
growing community of business and public sector contacts. In addition the School is establishing a
Centre for Management Learning and Leadership. Over the next five years executive education is
expected to make a significant contribution to the development of the school; generating income,
supporting the growth of businesses connectivity and the development of teaching and learning,
creating opportunities to develop research impact and creating a pipeline of high quality candidates
for the School’s MBA and EMBA programmes. A strong executive education offer is also key to the
School’s growing reputation, ability to operate effectively in the highly competitive business school
market, and to maintaining and gaining strong rankings positions and accreditations.
Department Structure Chart
Faculty Manager
Deputy Head
(Teaching and
Learning) Surrey
Business School
Business Manager
Executive Education
Manager
Relationships
Internal
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External Liaison Manager
Deputy Head of School for Teaching and Learning
Head of the Centre for Management Learning and Leadership
Faculty Marketing Manager
Faculty Finance Manager
MBA Director, President and Development Officer
External
 Clients and potential clients from business and public sector
 Professional and business membership organisations