JOB TITLE: Head of Portfolio - Commercial (Hybrid) Jisc Grade: PRS4 Salary: circa £65,000 - £75,000 per annum depending on experience Hours : 35 hours per week Contract: 9 month Fixed Term Contract Reports into: Director of Product – GCTO and dotted line to Sales Director CSE Location: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office, we have hubs in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford. Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices. About Jisc: Jisc is the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research, and innovation. We are a not-for-profit organisation with a big ambition to improve lives through education and research by providing hardware, software, and networking solutions. Our talented people bring their own unique skills and experience to empower our members and customers with the technology they need to succeed. Take your next career step with us and you can make a real difference to the education and research sectors. About the team: GCTO are responsible for delivering many products, services and shared services. This is mainly funded activity from Jisc funders. GCTO are also responsible for the revenue generating aspects relating to connectivity, cyber and cloud that are sold via HE relationship managers, FE relationship managers and the customer team (seeking to increase high-value sales of Jisc products and services to new markets and organisations who are not Jisc members, to increase new revenue streams into the business and thus help reduce reliance on grant funding). The Head of Portfolio is responsible for the commercial propositions that the three sector teams sell. About the role: The Head of portfolio is responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of the GCTO portfolio, alongside sector input. Whilst customer centricity is key, this role is responsible for all aspects of the commercial portfolio, working with finance, product, procurement and suppliers delivering costings and profits that are inline with the sectors. This is a degree of transparency and rigour that is currently missing from the portfolio and one that is inhibiting the team make the commercial (surplus) progress that they need to make. In addition, some solutions working with partners are price prohibitive for potential customers and markets and therefore Jisc is not able to grow revenues and support potential markets. The key to this role in 25-26 is that there is a high degree of ambiguity and it needs a self-starter who can shape both the offerings for customers and the role (s) required within Jisc. There are ELT members to support this (GCTO and MDs) and there are SLT members closer to the problem (Director of Product, Customer Sales Director, Heads of Relationship Management). There is a degree of ambiguity and a degree of sub-optimal practices that will need to be approached and overcome. A high degree of commercial acumen and a high degree of comms & influencing will be essential. Responsibilities will include: Strategic leadership Achieve annual revenue and service targets through effective delivery of the product portfolio vision and strategy Create commercial business models that are replicable across multiple product management disciplines, underpinned by our PLM but cost recovery proficient and profit generating. Contribute to the achievement of Jisc’s company goals and objectives with a wide ranging, strategic perspective on commercial business issues and understanding of their wider implications and long-term impact within GCTO. Develop, deliver and communicate directorate KPIs, objectives and goals for commercial aspects of the portfolio Contribute to delivery of £20m income target and management of directorate P&L Commercial leadership Partner Management - reviewing what we have in place with our biggest partners like BT/Openreach, AWS, Microsoft and pushing for better (SLAs, pricing, escalations, quote turnaround time, marketing support, accreditations etc). Working with the support of procurement but bringing partner specific management to support Jisc’s financial sustainability. Create and implement a modern cost of sale methodology where Jisc can understand our real product costs so we can have confidence in our sell prices and suitability of margins. Drive pace, energy and a can do commercial attitude into the product:sales:marketing relationships, for the good of the sectors/our customers. Work with colleagues within delivery, helping embed a commercial mindset but focusing on professional specialisms, such that technical specialists are not designing customer solutions. Work closely with the product managers and the agile team leads to ensure product releases occur at an appropriate cadence and meet the needs of the product roadmaps and customer commitments Member, customer and sector engagement Contribute to delivery of £20m income target through the development of commercial propositions that meet customer need. Develop strong and valuable working relationships with key partners to develop a sustainable portfolio for Jisc, supporting revenue generation and surplus coverage. Facilitate and coordinate the work of different teams in their effort to provide excellent customer experience Foster and develop external relationships with organisations which deliver value to our customers and members. Operational delivery Work with sales enablement and manage the GCTO portfolio Work with Marketing and manage the GCTO portfolio Seek out collaborative opportunities across CSE and Jisc to maximise skills and expertise for the organisation Foster and support a commercial and collaborative design thinking approach to product development across teams. Provide expert advice, guidance and support to other teams and individuals across the Jisc group on the development and implementation of best practices and trends in product management. Promote synergy with those working in similar or complementary areas across the organisation. Commercial discipline The areas where the role holder will add value can mainly be grouped into either profit drivers or revenue drivers. Profit drivers: Commercial leadership, direct costs, Indirect costs, opportunistic savings (e.g placing orders on suppliers at end of their quarter etc), alliances/partner management, all 'commercial' team structures and individuals' demonstrable ROI, pricing strategy, discounting methodology and devolved authority, NPI, contract terms e.g indexed price rises, auto renewal, purchasing mechanism e.g online vs manual etc Revenue drivers: Sales effectiveness, right processes, systems, methodologies, tools, insight, collateral and support, right skill and will (properly trained and properly managed), sell more (how to drive SOW via cross sell/upsell/higher renewals & retention rates), win more (Net new business via new clients), new vertical feasibility, marketing strategy and focus on ROI via campaigns, value proposition and the underpinning product management Key Skills and Experience: We are seeking a dynamic and strategic leader with a proven track record in commercial and portfolio management. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership. Key competencies include: Proven P&L ownership and success, with a strong grasp of financial performance and growth levers Extensive commercial management experience, ideally within technology-driven sectors Track record of successful new product introductions, from concept to market launch Deep understanding of customer experience, with a focus on delivering value and satisfaction Strong background in product lifecycle management, including roadmap development and execution Strategic marketing expertise, with the ability to position offerings effectively in competitive markets Demonstrated capability in strategic delivery, aligning portfolio initiatives with business goals Commercial success in connectivity, cloud, or cybersecurity domains Ability to develop and present compelling business cases, driving investment and stakeholder buy-in Exceptional communication and influencing skills, adept at engaging cross-functional and senior stakeholders Advanced negotiation skills, with a history of securing favorable outcomes Experience operating at a senior leadership level, with board-level exposure preferred Strategic and creative thinker, capable of identifying opportunities and solving complex challenges Collaborative leadership style, fostering alignment and engagement across teams Strong problem-solving mindset, with a proactive and solutions-oriented approach Excellent interpersonal skills, including active listening and the ability to build rapport across all levels Don’t meet every single requirement? We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles! Why work for us? At Jisc, every role is vital, and every team member is valued. We believe a meaningful career is one where you feel truly part of something bigger. We're dedicated to fostering a culture of lifelong learning, offering you a rewarding job with ample opportunities to grow and make a significant impact on the education and research sectors. At Jisc, we believe that balancing your personal and professional life is key to happiness and fulfilment. We embrace flexible working, focusing on results rather than hours spent at a desk. It's not about where you work, but how you create a flow that energizes both your work and home life. Our hybrid working policy is adaptable, with office time varying by team and role. Our Guiding Principles—Customer First, Never Stand Still, Make an Impact, and Always Inclusive—are the foundation of our work. We are dedicated to upholding these values in everything we do. Take a look at our fantastic benefits! We offer: Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas plus the opportunity to buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window Generous flexible pension schemes (see further details below) A comprehensive 24/7 mental health support package, including coaching and appropriate counselling or specialist therapy, with no predetermined limit on the number of sessions you can access Annual Jisc performance award A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan (see below), mental health first aiders and support A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money The opportunity to donate to charity tax-free with our Payroll Giving benefit Salary sacrifice - Electric Car Lease Scheme, Cycle to work and SmartTech (buy the latest technology and white goods products, spreading the cost over up to twelve months, direct from your salary and interest-free) subject to terms and conditions and available upon request A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave Specsavers corporate eye care scheme including free eye test vouchers and up to £70 towards new glasses for VDU use Life assurance cover Equity, diversity and inclusion: At Jisc, we don’t look for ‘sameness’, but to truly include people who can add unique perspectives and experiences to our culture, and we are working hard to achieve progressive change. ‘Always inclusive’ is one of our six guiding principles which actively encourages us to bring our whole authentic selves to work. We believe that our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to our success. Jisc believes our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging. We work with passionate colleagues to strengthen knowledge and awareness, provide learning and development opportunities, and foster multiple employee networks which create a sense of community and influence our policies and practice. We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status. Application process: We are committed to supporting your success. Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process, in your role, and during your time at Jisc. Your unique skills and experiences are valuable to us, and we want to ensure you have everything you need to thrive. At Jisc, we value honesty, integrity and genuine applications. We want to get to know the real you, and while we recognise you might use AI to get started on a CV or cover letter we would ask you to check that information very carefully before you submit. Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it. However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls! We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn. If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile. Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge. No agencies please. You will need to create an account and sign in to apply for a role Other details Job Family Professional Pay Type Salary