Executive Business Manager - Professional Development

Home Based with regular travel to BCS Swindon or London office

Executive Business Manager - Professional Development

Role context and purpose:

The Executive Business Manager plays a critical enabling role, supporting the Executive Director, Professional Development, by providing high-level strategic and operational support.

Acting as a trusted advisor and delivery partner, the role ensures the effective operation of the directorate by driving planning, prioritisation, governance, performance management and operational alignment. The role enables informed decision-making, removes operational burdens and ensures the directorate remains focused on delivering organisational priorities against the operational plan and strategic objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning & Operational Delivery

• Use the strategic department plans, the structured operational plans and business as usual plans to create a work programme and manage delivery against them.
• Challenge and test priorities constantly to maintain focus on high value activities.
• Ensure the directorate’s activities align with corporate goals and strategic outcomes.
• Support horizon scanning, identifying risks, opportunities and emerging issues.
• Coordinate budgeting, resource planning and workforce management activities, with budget authority remaining with the Executive Director.
• Drive continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.

Performance & Insight

• Monitor delivery against strategic plans, KPIs and objectives.
• Prepare performance reports, dashboards and executive briefings.
• Ensure actions, decisions and commitments are tracked and delivered.
• Lead quarterly and annual planning processes.

Executive Support & Decision Enablement

• ·Act as a trusted advisor and sounding board to the Executive Director.
• Manage and coordinate key decisions, ensuring appropriate information and recommendations are available.
• Prepare papers, business cases, board reports and executive presentations.
• Anticipate issues before they escalate and proactively resolve barriers to delivery.
• Filter, prioritise and coordinate requests entering the directorate.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong working relationships across directorates and support functions.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives and manage dependencies.
• Represent the Executive Director in meetings and forums as appropriate.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education & Qualifications:

• Degree in any discipline, or equivalent professional experience in business management, programme coordination or an executive office environment.

Experience:

• Significant experience in a business management, executive office, strategy delivery or programme coordination role supporting senior leaders, within a membership body, professional institute, regulated organisation or complex service environment.
• Proven experience running planning, performance reporting and governance cycles, including KPI dashboards, quarterly and annual planning, and board or committee papers.
• Significant experience working across multiple teams and influencing senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Desirable: proven experience coordinating work delivered by third parties or outsourced partners, including tracking delivery against agreed commitments.

Competencies & Skills:

• Commercially astute with strong analytical capability and confidence handling financial and operational data
• Credible and confident working with senior leaders and Trustees, comfortable working within governance structures
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong organisational skills, able to manage competing demands and shifting priorities
• Analytical, structured, and insight-driven
• Collaborative, enabling alignment and effectiveness when working cross-functionally
• Operates confidently with credibility, resilience, and integrity in a senior environment
• Discreet and trusted with sensitive information
• Able to use Microsoft packages including Outlook, Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and challenging constructively

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of executive decision-making processes and accountability structure
• Strong understanding of programme and portfolio management techniques
• Knowledge of the IT sector, membership and professional bodies, or learning and development products and organisations.

Special conditions:

• This role is home-based, with regular travel to the London and Swindon offices and occasional UK travel to BCS official events, external meetings and appointments
• A full, clean driving licence is desirable.

Flexibility to adjust responsibilities as required from time to time by management.

Continually look at ways to make improvements to systems, processes and procedures.

Strive to live the BCS’ values and support our purpose.

The content and reporting lines detailed in this job description may be reviewed and changed from time to time to reflect organisational requirements.

What we offer:

27 days day holiday per year, day off for your birthday, paid Christmas office shut down

Private Medical Insurance and/or Health Cash Plan

Life assurance (4x salary)

Income protection

Free BCS membership

Holiday buying scheme

Peer recognition scheme

EAP, online GP, wellbeing support, retail discounts and more

Pay: Up to £58,000.00 per year

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Swindon (Wiltshire, South West Region)