Director of Professional Services
Royal Statistical Society
Hours
Full-time 35 hours per week
Salary
£60000 - £65000
About the Organisation
Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is one of the world’s leading organizations advocating for the importance of statistics and data. We’re a professional body for all statisticians and data scientists. We have more than 12,000 individual members in the UK and worldwide. As a charity, we advocate for the key role of statistics and data in society and work to ensure that policy formulation and decision-making are informed by evidence for the public good. Members work with RSS staff to support areas such as policy development, education, training, statistical communication, and statistical literacy.
About the role
The Director of Professional Services is responsible for our professional affairs activities, overseeing the creation, maintenance, and application of relevant standards through our professional affairs committee, and certification and accreditation schemes. They are also responsible for member recruitment and management, ensuring we continue to attract new RSS members and partners, and that their needs are met. They also oversee a range of activities that engage RSS members (including groups that bring members together on a topic or geographical basis, RSS honors and awards, and our volunteering opportunities), securing both our impact on society and member retention.
Informed by an in-depth understanding of the needs of members and prospective members, the Director manages these activities strategically across the organization, bringing relevant staff together within small teams working on defined goals that support our objectives, foster a sense of value and community for all members and ultimately lead to the growth in membership and impact of the Society.
Responsibilities
Understanding Changing & External Environment:
- Develop an understanding of the preferences and needs of statisticians data professionals, and others interested in data and statistics, to evolve our value proposition and align member benefits to those preferences and needs
- Undertake research to identify new target audiences for membership
- Monitor and respond to developments and emerging trends in charities, membership organizations, and other learned societies, and in statistics data science AI to ensure that our membership offering remains timely and relevant
- Plan and deliver membership surveys and oversee the collection and management of member data
- Provide robust analysis of member behaviors to forecast future renewal patterns to inform financial planning
Development of Strategies and Plans:
- Drawing input from across the organization, develop strategies for membership recruitment, management, engagement, retention, and professional affairs that support the organization’s objectives and foster a sense of value and community for all members
- Lead the creation and delivery of fully costed program plans for member recruitment, management, engagement, and retention that align with key strategic goals
- Support the development of wider strategies and plans across the organization
Programme Management and Delivery:
- Deliver programs of benefits, products, and services that meet the needs of members and attract non-members
- Monitor and report on progress and performance against targets and plans
- Manage projects, including the establishment of new benefits, products, and services, ensuring that quality work is delivered on time
- Work with colleagues to identify and develop promotion, sponsorship, and other funding opportunities, and support colleagues in sales meetings with potential sponsors and funders
- Continually assess and improve processes and oversee the development and maintenance of standard operating procedures
Interfaces Teams and Groups:
- Convene and lead cross-RSS groups to develop, share, and review plans and activities and identify opportunities for synergy and collaboration
- Heads and other teams across the organization to support related objectives
- Staff responsible for business development to capitalize on development opportunities
- Identify relevant experts within the RSS membership and engage them in programs, formalizing a network of volunteers and providing them with support and advice
- Collaborate with RSS volunteers, staff, and external providers to ensure the delivery of projects and outputs to agreed deadlines
- Select, lead, and manage contractors and third-party organizations to support program deliverables
Leadership and Management:
- Bring relevant staff together within small teams working across the organization on defined goals that support our objectives
- Play an active role in the RSS Senior Management Team, providing leadership, and strategic insight for the organization as a whole, and work together effectively in setting and achieving the Society’s goals
- Contribute to decision-making regarding the strategic direction and financial management of the Society
- Oversee budgets and meet income targets for individual programs
- Negotiate with suppliers to deliver value for money
- Line manage staff
Others:
- Represent and promote the Society to relevant external bodies and groups
- Other project work and tasks as reasonably required by the Chief Executive and Executive Committee
Skills, Competencies & Experience
Essential:
- Senior leadership experience
- Significant experience developing strategies and plans, preferably within a membership organization
- Data and evidence to develop value propositions and align services with needs
- Significant experience in program and project management and operational delivery
- Excellent organizational skills and an ability to identify and respond to changing priorities
- Accurately assess project needs or problems, make sound decisions, and develop effective solutions
- Ability to plan, organize, prioritize, and delegate work to ensure completion of time and budget
- Negotiation and influencing
- Leading and managing staff and contractors
- Ability to develop relationships and communicate with a wide range of people
- Ability to structure information and present ideas and concepts clearly and concisely, particularly in written form
- Strong interpersonal skills; ability to persuade, inspire, influence, and achieve results through others
- Establish and develop an extensive network of external contacts
- Strong numeracy skills, and the ability to produce, monitor and assess estimates costs and work within budget
- Leading a small team and employing flexibility and imagination to achieve short-term and long-term business objectives
- Tendering for work and managing external contractors
- Ability to make sound commercial decisions and identify commercially viable, profitable projects
- Collaborative team worker and works with colleagues to achieve strategic and operational objectives
- Effectively work and achieve results in a changing environment
- Ability to work on own initiative within RSS guidelines/directives
- Demonstrable commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Desirable:
- Experience overseeing professional affairs in a member organization
- Interest in or experience of statistics, research, or other aspects of the Society’s work
- Familiarity with developments within data science, statistics, machine learning, AI, and related subject areas
- Understanding of professional membership organizations and learned societies, and their role in the current climate
- Experience in the not-for-profit sector and working with volunteers
Required Qualifications
- Undergraduate Degree
Compensation & Benefits
- 25 days per Annual Leaves
- Plus bank holidays and Christmas and New Year.
- Contribution Pension Scheme 3 months
- Salary Contributions 8% of Scheme
- Contribution Society 16% of the Scheme
- Six-Month Probation Period
- Season Ticket Loan
- Cycle to Work Scheme
Working locations
- Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely.
How to apply
- Send an email to Holly O’Brien, RSS Governance manager at [email protected] with a CV and a cover letter by Monday 4th November 2024 at 5 PM.
Interviews
- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview