Phonics and Reading Scheme Commercial Manager

Location: Remote
Annual Salary: £35,000 + DOE
Contract: Permanent
Hiring Manager: David Angrave
Hours: 37.5hr pw
Closing Date: 16/08/2024

Our Unparalleled Evolution:

We are purpose-driven, supporting educators across the world with high-quality educational resources. Born in a Sheffield bedroom, we've grown into a global powerhouse with over 1,500 employees in just 14 short years. Today, we are the UK's digital education giant and a global leader in our field—a testament to our commitment to fostering a workplace where everyone thrives. Now, backed by strategic investment, we are evolving our ways of working to further explore exciting and innovative avenues that will support the global teaching community and sustain us through our ambitious growth plans.

At Twinkl, we are dedicated to supporting educators worldwide by providing high-quality, innovative educational services and solutions. With a mission to inspire and empower teaching and learning, we strive to create a positive impact in classrooms around the globe.

As the Commercial Manager, you will lead the market expansion and revenue growth efforts of our products/services across one of our broad categories within our Education Ecosystem. You will be responsible for shaping our strategic direction, developing and executing strategic go-to-market plans, expanding our market presence and driving sales success.

The Commercial Manager is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning, development, and execution of category management activities across multiple product categories. This role requires a strong analytical mindset, exceptional leadership skills, and a deep understanding of market trends and consumer behaviour. As the Commercial Manager, you will directly lead our Narrow Category Managers and work closely with cross-functional teams to drive category performance, optimise product assortments, and achieve business objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

GTM Strategy:

• Lead the development of comprehensive go-to-market strategies for our products/services in the Phonics and Reading Scheme market, encompassing market analysis, customer segmentation, pricing strategies, distribution channels, and promotional tactics.

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of go-to-market initiatives. Monitor performance against targets, analyse results, and provide regular reports and insights to senior management.
• Understand the history and development of countries within the Twinkl group, to better deliver GTM strategies and build B2C growth to achieve B2C targets.
• Consider the timing and deployment of a B2G strategy to target B2G sales.

Sales Strategy:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive commercial strategy with a strong focus on B2C to drive revenue growth, market share expansion, and profitability.
• Drive sales initiatives, lead generation activities, and customer acquisition strategies to meet or exceed revenue targets.
• Negotiate contracts, agreements, and pricing structures with clients and partners to drive profitable business relationships.
• B2B Channel Expansion -
• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand customer growth through outbound B2B activity.
• Identify and pursue opportunities to expand customer growth with existing customers through account management activity.
• Deliver country-specific marketing to deliver against B2B sales targets.
• Develop tailored offerings and value propositions for existing Twinkl Schools.
• Use B2C as a lever to drive B2B sales.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with our Sales Operations team.
• Establish strong partnerships with educational institutions, government bodies, and key stakeholders to promote our products and services.
• Lead the sales team in identifying new business opportunities and closing deals.
• Use both direct B2C and B2B as levers to drive parental sales in your market.

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive commercial strategy to drive revenue growth, market share expansion, and profitability.
• Coach, mentor, and support team members to drive performance and professional development.

Entrepreneurial Skills:

• Innovative Thinking: Ability to generate and implement creative solutions to complex problems.
• Proactiveness: Demonstrates initiative and a forward-thinking approach to identify and capitalise on new opportunities.
• Strategic Planning: Expertise in developing and executing strategic plans to achieve long-term objectives.
• Adaptability: Comfortable navigating and leading change in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Resourcefulness: Efficient in utilising available resources and finding ways to overcome challenges.

Operational Management:

• Oversee day-to-day operations and optimise processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Monitor key performance indicators and financial metrics to track the company's performance.

Content Development:

• Work closely with the content development team and country managers to enhance existing content and develop new offerings.
• Drive product innovation and development initiatives tailored to the needs of the Phonics and Reading Scheme market.

Customer Engagement:

• Foster strong relationships with customers and gather feedback to continuously improve services.
• Implement customer-centric strategies to enhance user experience and satisfaction.
• Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities to promote our products and services.
• Develop the provision of world-class localised customer support, to support the growth of your market.

Market Expansion:

• Collaborate with content teams to develop compelling content strategies aligned with the go-to-market plans. Oversee the creation of engaging marketing collateral, including website content, sales presentations, product demos, case studies, whitepapers, and social media content, to support lead generation and sales efforts.
• Identify key markets and segments for expansion and develop plans to penetrate these markets effectively.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activities, and regulatory changes to inform strategic decision-making.

• Collaborate with marketing teams to create targeted campaigns that generate leads and drive sales.
• As appropriate, develop local partnerships to drive overall strategic goals.

Requirements

We're interested in anyone who meets one, or a combination of the following:

• 5 years of experience in marketing, product management, or business development roles, with a focus on go-to-market strategy and execution.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful go-to-market strategies, preferably in the EdTech sector.
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth, market expansion, and business success with a B2C orientation.
• Strong strategic planning, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong leadership skills with experience in line management and team development.
• Ability to develop and execute strategic sales plans.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership abilities.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities, manage complexity, and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in operations management.

• Familiarity with the UK education landscape and market dynamics.

• Strong knowledge of local regulatory requirements, laws, and industry standards.

If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements, please include this at the foot of your cover letter. This will help us understand any modifications we may need to make to support you throughout our selection process.

Benefits

In return for everything you can bring, we can offer you an exciting role in a fast-growing and dynamic business, with plenty of career opportunities.

Here’s a couple of the things that make Twinkl a great place to be:

• A friendly, welcoming and supportive culture. We believe work should be fun and always put people before the process
• Diversity, inclusion and belonging - our Employee Network Program includes working groups for LGBTQ+, People of Colour, Disabilities (visible and invisible), Women in Tech and Working Parents.
• From day 1 - Westfield Health, 33 annual leave days per year (pro-rata) inclusive bank holidays, a "Me" day each year, a charity day each year, flexible working policy with opportunities to work from home and Twinkl subscriptions.
• Quarterly company awards programme
• Seasonal events
• Referral scheme
• Cervical and Prostate screening
• Company sick pay after 3 months of service
• After probation - cycle-to-work scheme
• Long-term service reward - Life insurance, enhanced pension contribution, enhanced maternity pay, enhanced adoption pay and enhanced paternity pay, long service award, long service annual leave