Head of Learning and Service Development

Lead with purpose. Drive impact. Shape the future of dyslexia support.

The British Dyslexia Association is a leading charity representing the voice of people living with dyslexia, and we’re on a mission to build a society where everyone with dyslexia can thrive. We’re looking for a strategic, commercially-minded leader to take our services to the next level.

As part of our Senior Management Team, you’ll play a key role in shaping the charity’s future, driving income generation, and ensuring our services are inclusive, evidence-informed, and aligned with our vision. If you’re passionate about education, equity, and innovation - and ready to lead with heart and ambition - we would love to hear from you.

Location

Hybrid – this role is primarily home-based (UK), with regular travel required to work from our office in Bracknell (Berkshire) once a month, and to a location in London at least once a week, or as needed. 

What you'll be doing

Service management

• Provide strategic oversight of the design, delivery, and evaluation of CPD programmes, tutoring, and assessment services, ensuring they meet the needs of members, partners, and the wider sector
• Ensure all services are inclusive, evidence-informed, and of consistently high quality, embedding best practice in accessibility and pedagogy.
• Lead performance monitoring and evaluation, ensuring services achieve agreed financial objectives, demonstrate measurable impact, and deliver value for money.
• Contribute to effective marketing and communications strategies to raise visibility, grow participation, and strengthen the organisation’s reputation as a leader in training and assessment.
• Drive income generation and sales of CPD, tutoring, and assessment services, identifying opportunities to expand reach, build partnerships, and secure new markets.
• Stay ahead of sector standards, policy developments, and accreditation requirements, ensuring all provision remains compliant, relevant, and aligned with the organisation’s strategic priorities.

Business development

• Identify opportunities for new services, partnerships, and innovations.
• Support cross-departmental strategic development, working collaboratively with teams to identify opportunities for growth and enhancement of service provision.
• Drive growth of paid-for programmes to support the charity’s sustainability.
• Conduct market analysis to understand the needs of schools, professionals, employers and parents.
• Develop pricing models and service packages that balance affordability with viability.
• Explore new commercial opportunities aligned with the charity’s mission.
• Build strong relationships with schools, professionals, partners, and funders.

Management and leadership

• Provide clear leadership and direction for your team, ensuring alignment with the organisation's mission, values, and strategic objectives.
• Effectively manage, support and challenge direct reports, fostering a positive and high-performing team culture, and assist other line managers in their team to do the same.
• Promote a culture of inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What we're looking for

Essential

• Proven experience leading education, training, or professional services in a charity, education, or not-for-profit setting.
• Experience developing and growing income-generating programmes or services.
• Understanding of CPD, tutoring, and/or assessment markets.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop a high-performing team, promoting a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance mission and income.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience engaging internal and external stakeholders.
• Strategic thinker who can turn vision into practical, deliverable plans.
•  Ability to identify market needs and translate them into viable learning offerings.

 Desirable

• Knowledge or experience of dyslexia, neurodiversity, or special educational needs.
• Experience with digital learning or assessment products.
• Experience working with schools, universities, employers or professional bodies.
• Relevant teaching or professional qualification.

Closing date: 31 October 2025 (noon). We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received, so we encourage you to apply early.

Use of AI in Applications
We value the unique experience and perspective each candidate brings. While we understand that AI tools can be helpful in drafting applications, they can sometimes result in responses that feel generic or impersonal. This makes it harder for us to get a true sense of you.

To help your application stand out, we encourage you to write your responses in your own words. If you do use AI tools to support your writing, please treat the generated content as a starting point rather than a final answer. Make sure your application genuinely reflects your experience and voice.