Chief Education Officer

Job Introduction

Chief Education Officer

Location: Sheffield HQ

Contract: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week minimum, but as required by the position, you will be expected to be on call 24/7 to deal with business requirements.

Job Overview:

• As Chief Education Officer you will lead the high-level strategy and execution of Thought Leadership, Content, Digital and Educational Services across the Twinkl group. You will draw upon your deep understanding of all phases of the English National Curriculum from EYFS through to KS4, to provide direction, alignment and oversight of all educational activity. 

• You will play a critical role in shaping the education landscape in England as a Thought Leader in the EdTech Industry, whilst also ensuring that the Twinkl group continues to provide innovative and critically impactful educational solutions to educators worldwide. 

Group Education Strategy and Leadership: 

• Responsible for creating and implementing high level and wide scope strategies to drive the group's impact and success in the education space. This involves identifying new opportunities, developing plans to adapt to changes in education policy, and expanding the ways in which we can support the education of Twinkl group’s user base.

• Ensuring successful integration and alignment of Twinkl Group company's educational programmes.

• Responsibility for ensuring that all Twinkl group companies provide a high-quality educational offering, that provides an aligned pedagogical approach. 

• Direct leadership of the Education Policy, Education Content, Digital and Education Projects SLT (Including Head and VP Level)

• Oversee large cross-functional and Education projects - Setting clear expectations, timelines and deliverables. Hold others to account, as well as yourself, against these timelines and deliverables.

Competitive and Market Analysis: 

• Demonstrate a hunger for expanding your knowledge of global education, expanding your knowledge of Education around the world to enable more effective content and product solutions to be delivered across the group.

• Monitor education trends, including changes to the national curriculum, assessment models, and teaching technologies, to ensure our Products and Services remain at the forefront of educational innovation.

• Engage with teachers, school leaders, and educational experts to understand classroom needs and inform future product development.

• Systematic analysis of the competitive environment, identifying opportunities, threats and improvements. 

• Build and maintain partnerships with education boards, schools, and academic institutions to ensure our materials are widely adopted and trusted.

• Collaborate with internal teams (Product, Content and Education Policy) to ensure alignment with accreditation requirements and education regulations. 

Education & Thought Leadership:

• Establish yourself as a key thought leader within the Global Edtech community, able to speak with authority and influence across a range of Education topics

• Represent the Twinkl Group at industry events, conferences, and educational panels as a thought leader in education. 

Content Strategy & Innovation:

• Oversee the design and development of engaging and effective educational content that meets curriculum standards and learning objectives worldwide with strong knowledge of all phases of the English National Curriculum.

• Demonstrate an ability to consider the full educational journey of a learner from birth to school leaver - designing content solutions that recognise every stage of a learner's journey through the education system

• Lead content development teams, providing guidance, support, and feedback to ensure the delivery of market-leading high-quality educational materials.

Product & Service Strategy & Innovation:

• Work closely with the Innovation, Product and Digital teams to drive the development of innovative digital tools and learning platforms that complement our curriculum materials.

• Lead the exploration and implementation of emerging technologies (e.g., AI, adaptive learning) to enhance the learning experience.

• Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to develop product positioning and messaging strategies that resonate with schools and educational institutions.

Leadership, Team Development & Communications:

• Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate processes and performance within the Education Collective and wider business, delivering clear priority, direction and challenge to those under your authority.

• Build and lead high-performing operational teams, providing guidance, support, and mentorship.

• Foster a positive work culture that promotes employee engagement, growth, and retention.

• Recruit and onboard top talent, and develop succession plans for critical roles.

Key Requirements:

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in educational leadership, content development, or a related field.

• A minimum of 5 years of experience as a classroom educator.

• An undergraduate degree or higher in Education, Curriculum Development, or a relevant discipline.

• Broad knowledge of global pedagogy, and educational trends in both education practice and emerging theory. 

• Proven track record of successful educational product development and implementation.

• In-depth knowledge of educational trends, standards, and best practices.

• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills.

• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams toward common goals.

• Familiarity with the publishing industry and its specific challenges is preferred.

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.

• 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