Job Title:  Project Manager

Location:  Ashridge House, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, HP4 1NS with flexibility to work from home, remotely or from our London office in Chelsea.

Reports to:  Operations Director 

The Opportunity
Project managers believe that Nothing is Impossible, when it comes to running our complex, high value executive education programs and delight in providing a world-class experience to our corporate clients.  Being both people and results focused, you create strong relationships and are not afraid to present in front of clients, but much of your work will be behind-the-scenes.  Your skill and effort pay off each time your client is delighted with the program experience and outcomes.

 

Reporting to the Operations Director you will look after clients from a geographical region (e.g., UK, Central Europe, or Northern Europe) and manage the delivery of a range of executive programs.  You are responsible for planning and reporting project progress, proactively ensuring high quality work is delivered on time and within budget.  You have proven skills as an excellent communicator, able to influence and negotiate with senior colleagues, suppliers, and clients to do so.

 

This is a rare opportunity to join our accomplished team in a varied role with responsibility and purpose alongside interesting people and for a global company committed to career development.  You can be based at Ashridge House or working remotely or from our London offices, some onsite visits expected.

Responsibilities include:

Summary – role is to successfully manage the delivery of our client bespoke education programs; to ensure smooth execution and a world-class experience, this includes:

 

Project management

• Creating project activity plans and using these to ensure the delivery team knows deliverables, date, progress, risks. (generally, on Smartsheet)
• Ensuring best practice standards are followed to maximize value, quality, and innovation
• Booking resources (people, venues, suppliers) and providing clear communication of information and expectations, contracting etc.
• Creating/overseeing production of program portal e.g. Canvas, and materials
• Overseeing work of project team members and contributors to ensure quality
• Interpreting the program timetable to identify what logistics are needed (working with a participant manager) and identifying dependencies, and opportunities for extra value
• Holding regular project progress meetings and reports; tracking actions and holding people to account
• Ensuring program debriefs take place, feedback is gathered and used, and learnings identified and incorporated into future programs to improve quality, satisfaction and learning.

Financial management

• Advising sales team on how to create accurate budgets with client at contract stage
• Running the program budget, monitoring spend vs plan to keep within budget, working closely with Faculty (program director)
• Keeping internal systems, including Financialforce, up-to-date and accurate
• Cost management – tracking and paying adjuncts and suppliers
• Revenue management – raising invoices & ensuring timely payment, marking work complete for financial accounting
• Active financial management - suggest and implement ways to reduce costs and increase margin.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Building trusted relationships with clients, understanding their needs and objectives, being an ambassador for the client internally e.g. by communicating client expectation proactively
• Being expert at program delivery, briefing clients on standard program delivery stages, opportunities and standards pre and post-sale to reassure of our credentials and build trust.
• Providing regular progress updates via reports and meetings so client is informed and satisfied with progress, and queries and issues are addressed promptly
• Suggesting other product opportunities within Ashridge, where appropriate, to renew and grow business
• Building professional relationships with internal stakeholders; faculty, adjuncts, as well as other teams, to share knowledge, needs, and best practice

 

Person Description:

• You are an inherently positive, solution-focused person who believes ‘nothing is impossible’
• Naturally organized, you have it all planned out, are efficient and on top of the details
• It matters to you that your work is always of the highest quality – and you will go above and beyond to deliver an excellent experience for clients
• With great people skills, you build strong and effective relationships, and you enjoy working confidently with senior clients and colleagues
• You enjoy working independently but have a team mindset too
• You are agile, tech-savvy and thrive in dynamic, entrepreneurial environments
• You naturally motivated and take ownership, but work closely with your team too
• When a job is done, you start thinking ‘how can we do this better next time?’
• A decision maker with the ability to recognise when to defer and when to act

 

Skills and Experience required:

• Degree or equivalent and track record of good academic grades
• Project Management or equivalent experience working with B2B clients, preferably with large international companies
• Confident with technology; ideally Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce
• Business and commercial acumen; understanding of contracts and budgets
• Excellent communicator and works well in a team
• Effective delegation skills
• Fluency in other languages can be helpful

 

What we offer:

• The opportunity to have a positive, and genuine, impact on people’s lives
• Work with an amazing group of people from across the world.
• Work from our beautiful Ashridge House in Berkhamsted, with flexibility to work from home as well as our multi-national office based in Chelsea, London containing great facilities such as an onsite gym, with free fitness and wellness classes, and social spaces.
• As a global company with premium offices worldwide, you will have a network of locales to exchange between as you grow with the company.
• 25 days holiday per year.
• Access to the company pension and healthcare schemes including an option to join the private medical insurance.
• Regular social activities.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Complimentary daily lunch (at Ashridge House) and coffee/tea available to all staff
• Free staff shuttle to and from Berkhamsted station (set schedule)
• Continuous learning and development opportunities, including access to Leadership Live, our award-winning online learning resource tool.

 

 

 

 

About Us

 

Hult Ashridge Executive Education (providing leadership development training) is - together with EF Corporate Solutions (providing language learning solutions for companies and governments) -  the B2B division of EF Education First. Our B2B division helps over 2,500 companies around the world to strengthen and enhance their leadership and communication abilities. For more information, have a look at https://www.hult.edu/en/executive-education/ and  https://www.ef.com/wwen/corporate/

EF Education First is a global leader in international education, with a 50-year mission of opening the world through language learning, educational travel, cultural exchange, and academic study. We help people of all ages and nationalities become better citizens of the world. Though we’re located in 600 offices and schools across 50 countries, we work together as one team to transform people’s lives through memorable educational experiences. Visit https://careers.ef.com

 

When you join EF, you join a multicultural and diverse community. Whoever you are, whatever you are passionate about - we welcome you and want you to bring that to work every day. EF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to inclusion and belonging across race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic background, age, religion, parental status, identity, experience and everything else that makes you unique. 

 

Application

Applications should consist of a CV and brief cover letter, explaining why you think you are a suitable candidate for this role. If you are successful in your application, you will be invited to an interview.