Director of Professional Services

Company: Royal Statistical Society
Salary: £60-65k

Line manager: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 

Line management responsibility: Head of standards and corporate relations (and 3 reports), Member support manager, Volunteering opportunities manager 

Term: Permanent, full time 

Background:  

Our vision is a world where data is at the heart of understanding and decision-making

Founded in 1834, the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is one of the world’s leading organisations advocating for the importance of statistics and data. We’re a professional body for all statisticians and data scientists – wherever they may live. 

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.  

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 honours 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 organisation, 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. 

Pension and benefits: Our defined contribution pension scheme can be joined after three months in post. Your contributions of up to 8% of salary will be double matched by the Society (making a maximum contribution by the Society of 16%). A training budget, season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and employee assistance programme are also available.  

Location: The RSS office is in central London and currently open twice a week. We offer flexible working arrangements and office attendance is encouraged but not mandatory depending on the role. In person attendance for certain meetings is required (including all staff/team meetings and governance/committee meetings that take place in person). Limited travel within the UK and internationally may be required. 
 

Working hours: 35 per week full-time. Applications for job shares, part-time and flexible working will also be considered.  

Holidays: 25 days per annum, plus bank holidays and an additional close down between Christmas and New Year. 

Probation: This post is subject to a six-month probation period. 

Key responsibilities: 

Understanding needs and the changing external environment 

• Develop an understanding of the preferences and needs of statisticians and 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 organisations 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 behaviours to forecast future renewal patterns to inform financial planning 

Development of strategies and plans 

• Drawing input from across the organisation, develop strategies for membership recruitment, management, engagement, retention and professional affairs that support the organisation’s objectives and foster a sense of value and community for all members  Lead the creation and delivery of fully costed programme plans for member recruitment, management, engagement and retention that align with key strategic goals  Support the development of wider strategies and plans across the organisation 

Programme management and delivery 

• Deliver programmes of benefits, products and services which 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 with other teams and groups 

• Convene and lead cross-RSS groups to develop, share and review plans and activities and identify opportunities for synergy and collaboration  Work with heads and other teams across the organisation to support related objectives  Work with staff responsible for business development to capitalise on development opportunities  Identify relevant experts within the RSS membership and engage them in programmes, formalising 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 organisations to support programme 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 organisation 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 programmes  Negotiate with suppliers to deliver value for money  Line manage staff 

Other 

• Represent and promote the Society to relevant external bodies and groups   Other project work or tasks as reasonably required by the Chief Executive or Executive Committee 

Person specification: 

Essential 

• Educated to degree level or equivalent  Senior leadership experience  Significant experience developing strategies and plans, preferably within a membership organisation  Experience using data and evidence to develop value propositions and align services with needs  Significant experience of programme and project management and operational delivery  Excellent organisational skills and an ability to identify and respond to changing priorities  Ability to accurately assess project needs or problems, make sound decisions and develop effective solutions   Ability to plan, organise, prioritise and delegate work to ensure completion to time and budget  Experience of negotiation and influencing  Experience 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  Ability to 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  Experience leading a small team and employing flexibility and imagination to achieve short-term and long-term business objectives  Experiencing tendering for work and managing external contractors  Ability to make sound commercial decisions and identify commercially viable/profitable projects  Collaborative team worker – works with colleagues to achieve strategic and operational objectives  Ability to work effectively 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 organisation  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 organisations and learned societies, and their role in the current climate  Experience of the not-for-profit sector and working with volunteers  

How to apply for the role 

Please submit your CV and a covering letter to Holly O’Brien, RSS Governance manager, at the email address detailed on our website.

The deadline for applications is 5pm 4 November. We may arrange interviews before the deadline has passed. 

The covering letter should be a maximum of two sides of A4 and cover why you are interested in the role as well as how you meet the job specific competencies.  

Any questions about the role should also be directed to Holly. Likewise, if you are interested in applying but cannot do so until nearer the deadline, please email Holly to register your interest.