About the role
The Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) at Up Learn is a critical member of the leadership team, responsible for driving revenue growth and leading the company's marketing and commercial functions. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in these domains, showcasing a proven track record of success. This role requires a strategic thinker with exceptional leadership skills, capable of navigating both B2C and B2B markets. You will be instrumental in scaling Up Learn, expanding our market share, and ensuring that our marketing, sales, and customer success teams work in unison towards our ambitious growth objectives.
About us
Up Learn has built the world’s most effective learning experience. We’ve done this by combining cognitive science, instructional theory and artificial intelligence.
Up Learn’s mission is to create the most effective learning experiences in the world, and distribute access to as many students as possible 🙌
Up Learn started with A Levels and developed courses that are:
- Effective: 97% of students that complete Up Learn courses achieve an A*/A, starting from grades as low as Ds and Es
- Engaging: 2.8 million hours of learning thanks to Up Learn, and rising
- Scaling: tens of thousands of students use Up Learn today, either independently, or through one of our 300 schools, university or charity partners
Up Learn has been growing fast, and is backed by investors that share their vision, including leading venture capital firm Forward Partners and the Branson family (Virgin). Social impact is critical to Up Learn’s mission - for every student that pays, Up Learn gives a full scholarship to a student who can’t.
Responsibilities
Revenue Growth Strategy:
- Develop and execute a comprehensive revenue growth strategy, encompassing both marketing and commercial initiatives, with a strong emphasis on effective marketing initiatives
- Lead the integration of marketing and sales efforts to optimise customer acquisition, retention, and lifetime value.
- Identify and prioritise new market opportunities, channels, and partnerships that align with our brand and drive sustainable revenue growth.
Marketing Leadership:
- Drive the marketing strategy with a hands-on approach, leading efforts in brand positioning, digital marketing, content marketing, demand generation, and public relations.
- Ensure that the marketing strategy is deeply aligned with our growth objectives, leveraging data-driven insights to refine campaigns and initiatives.
- Oversee market research and analysis, using this intelligence to inform product development, competitive positioning, and go-to-market strategies.
Commercial Leadership:
- Develop and execute the sales strategy, ensuring alignment with marketing to deliver a seamless customer journey from awareness to purchase.
- Oversee commercial operations, including pricing strategy, contract negotiations, and key account management, with a strong understanding of market dynamics.
- Collaborate closely with the product team to ensure that our offerings meet market demand and are positioned for success.
Team Leadership and Development:
- Build, lead, and mentor high-performing marketing, sales, and customer success teams.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across all revenue-generating functions.
- Implement performance metrics and reporting systems to track progress, adjust strategies, and drive continuous improvement.
Customer Experience and Retention:
- Ensure a customer-centric approach across all touchpoints, enhancing satisfaction, loyalty, and advocacy through targeted marketing and personalised customer success initiatives.
- Utilise customer feedback and data to drive improvements in our marketing strategies, product offerings, and service delivery.
Financial Management and Reporting:
- Oversee revenue forecasting, budgeting, and financial planning processes, with a specific focus on marketing ROI and commercial efficiency.
- Report on revenue performance to the CEO, providing actionable insights and recommendations.
- Work closely with the finance team to ensure accurate financial reporting and alignment with company-wide financial goals.
Requirements
If you don’t meet every requirement below, but you still believe you’re the right person for the job, we strongly encourage you to apply.
- Proven experience in senior leadership roles within growing companies, with a strong track record in both marketing and commercial functions.
- Extensive experience in senior marketing leadership roles with a proven track record of driving through through marketing strategies
- Deep expertise in digital marketing, brand management, content marketing, and demand generation, with a strong ability to translate marketing initiatives into tangible business outcomes
- Strong commercial acumen with experience overseeing sales and customer success functions, preferably across both B2B and B2C
- Demonstrated success in scaling businesses, leading cross-functional teams, and aligning marketing and commercial strategies to drive growth
- Exceptional analytical skills, with a data-driven approach to decision-making and a deep understanding of marketing and commercial metrics and KPIs.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and influence at all levels of the organisation.
- Experience with international markets and global expansion is a plus.
- Experience taking one or more brands to significant success, and are able to articulate how you did it
- Strong communicator - you write and speak concisely, confidently and persuasively, and can explain your thinking effectively. And have excellent storytelling skills
- Have the ability to deeply empathise with the needs and ways of thinking of different kinds of customers and stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, and school leaders
Additionally, please make sure you are comfortable with:
- Working in a growth company / startup environment, where things can change fast
- You’re genuinely passionate about learning and growth - you thrive in a culture of feedback, giving and receiving it
- You set high standards for everything you do, and have enthusiasm, commitment, and ability to deliver results
- You know that being an outstanding leader can be like being a ‘business athlete’ and requires high levels of mental toughness and resilience
- You excel at time management and task prioritisation, adeptly balancing multiple projects and demands while maintaining a healthy work-life balance
- You’re excited to work in an organisation that directly improves students’ lives, and to join us in our mission to solve education
At Up Learn, we welcome everyone and are committed to building inclusive teams. We celebrate differences and encourage everyone to join us and be themselves at work. We always follow the guidelines of the Equality Act in all aspects of recruitment, selection, employment, training, development and promotion opportunities at Up Learn.
Benefits
What we offer:
Up Learn offers generous remuneration, equity share options, and a fun, friendly, high-calibre team that trusts you and gives you the freedom to be brilliant.
You will have the chance to define the future of education and make a meaningful contribution to the lives of thousands of students, and:
Remuneration
- 💰 Highly competitive salary
- 📈 Equity options
- 💸 Employer-matched pension
- 💳 Perks scheme offering discounts & rewards at 30,000+ brands including up to 55% off cinema tickets
Health & Wellbeing
- 🦷 Level 6 (highest level) dental insurance
- 👶 Significantly enhanced maternity and paternity leave
- 🚲 Cycle-to-Work: we are registered so you can buy a bike and accessories tax-free
- 👓 Eye test & glasses reimbursement
- 📚 Company library: we have hundreds of books in our company library, topped up monthly with the most highly requested books. You can borrow a book whenever you like
- 📖 Unlimited budget for any work-related books you need
- 🚑 Emergency support salary advance
- 🏥 Mental health first aiders
- 👨👩👧 Family access to Up Learn: your family and close relatives get unlimited access to any Up Learn course for free!
Time
- 🏖️ Minimum 35 days of paid holiday per year made up of: 26 days of bookable holiday, plus UK bank holidays, plus unlimited ‘extra days’ (i.e. if you need a few more days, no problem)
- 🏡 Hybrid working environment with two days in the office per week (one team day and one company day) and the rest is up to you!
- 💻 Ability to work remotely for longer periods
- 🕰️ Flexible working hours
- ⭐ 1 fully paid day for volunteering at a charity or not-for-profit of your choice each year
Social
- 🏰 Annual company off-site where we get out of the city and take a break together
- 🏃 Free sporting activities like 5-a-side football games, lunch-time jogs, badminton games, paid-for monthly CrossFit sessions
- ☕ Unlimited delicious coffee (high-end coffee beans) at the office, tea selection and other soft drinks, plus unlimited snacks and fresh fruit
- 🥂 Weekly ‘Friday celebrations’ with a huge range of drinks, from craft beer to frozen margaritas, alongside soft drinks, smoothies, and fruit juice
- ☕ Paid for coffee breaks (a great chance to get to know the team)
- 💃 Regular team outings like go-karting and skiing
All in addition to
- Influence, trust and impact inside a well-funded VC-backed startup that's scaling
- A spacious and bright private office in Old Street, with delicious coffee, a selection of teas and unlimited snacks and drinks
Our Core Values
- Live for Learning
We are open-minded and have a never-quenched thirst for learning, expanding our experiences, getting feedback, iterating and improving - Strive for Consistent Excellence
We hold an extremely high standard, pay attention to the details and take pride in consistency - Objective and Rational
We think from first principles, avoid biases, use believability, regulate our emotions and are obligated to dissent when we disagree - Relentlessly Resourceful
We are honey badgers, we don’t compromise, we work smart and get the job done - Caring and Compassionate
We demonstrate care and compassion for ourselves, each other and for students
How to apply
If this sounds like it’s for you, we can’t wait to hear from you!
- Send us your CV & tell us in 150 words why you’d be great for this role.
- Inviting someone to join our core team is a big deal for us and we put a lot of time and effort into the process. If we figure out we’re not perfect for each other at any stage we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
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Last updated on Aug 13, 2024