Job Description

ISP Key Responsibilities

Operating Model

• Own and lead the re-design and implementation of a new onboarding model
• Ensuring the new operating model and approach is efficient, effective, scalable, and globally consistent
• Define and maintain onboarding frameworks and playbooks to drive consistency and best practice
• Ensure the onboarding model enables rapid, low-risk integration into group standards, across functions
• Balancing speed of integration with protection of education quality and local context
• Align resource and capacity planning to the acquisition pipeline, including proactive management of regional bandwidth and constraints

 Delivery

• Own end-to-end onboarding function (re-design and BAU activity)
• Running a scalable onboarding pipeline aligned to acquisition volumes
• Ensure acquisition readiness in partnership with Group functions, Divisions, and Regions ahead of completion
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk onboarding challenges, ensuring swift and practical resolution
• Facilitate cross-functional coordination to align on key tasks, timelines, and deliverables
• Build strong relationships and trust with newly acquired school leadership teams
• Play a proactive role in decision making and issue resolution – acting with authority to challenge our functions and divisions
• Operate effectively across complex, multicultural, and multi-time zone environments
• Lead, support, and mentor a geographically dispersed onboarding team to deliver high-quality outcomes

Governance

• Ensure robust oversight, transparency, and risk management across onboarding
• Establish and manage onboarding governance structures, including stage gates, reporting cadences, and decision forums
• Track and report on progress, risks, issues, and dependencies across all onboarding activities
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and transparency of reporting to support strategic decision-making
• Provide clear, concise updates to senior leadership and investors on onboarding status and risks
• Oversee effective use and optimisation of Monday.com for onboarding tracking and reporting
• Ensure all onboarding activities align with group standards, policies, and compliance requirements

 Continuous Improvement

• Drive ongoing optimisation and value realisation from our onboarding function
• Capture lessons learned from each acquisition and embed into future onboarding projects
• Identify and remove process bottlenecks and inefficiencies to improve speed and quality of delivery
• Continuously enhance tools, templates, and reporting dashboards to improve stakeholder value
• Define and track onboarding KPIs (e.g. speed, quality, stakeholder satisfaction, cost efficiency)
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and capability development within the onboarding team

Success Measures/ KPI’s

Including, but not limited to:

• Time to integrate (No. of days)
• Milestone adherence (%)
• Quality of execution (No. of reported issues/ escalations)
• Reporting accuracy and timeliness (%)
• Stakeholder satisfaction (NPS or score)
• Lessons learned/ process improvement implementation rate (%)

Key Relationships

To succeed in this role, the Senior Acquisition Onboarding Manager must demonstrate strong leadership ability and capability to build and maintain effective working relationships with all relevant stakeholders, including:

• Acquisition Onboarding Managers – to lead, challenge, develop and inspire
• Divisions, Regions and Schools – for overall integration alignment and success
• Group Functional Heads – who provide expertise and support throughout the integration process

External providers - whom we may enlist to support our onboarding processes

ISP Principles

Begin with our children and students. Our children and students are at the heart of what we do. Simply, their success is our success. Wellbeing and safety are both essential for learners and learning. Therefore, we are consistent in identifying potential safeguarding

and Health & Safety issues and acting and following up on all concerns appropriately.

Treat everyone with care and respect. We look after one another, embrace similarities and differences and promote the well-being of self and others.

Operate effectively. We focus relentlessly on the things that are most important and will make the most difference. We apply school policies and procedures and embody the shared ideas of our community.

Are financially responsible. We make financial choices carefully based on the needs of the children, students and our schools.

Learn continuously. Getting better is what drives us. We positively engage with personal and professional development and school improvement.

ISP Commitment to Safeguarding Principles

ISP is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All post holders are subject to appropriate vetting procedures, including an online due diligence search, references and satisfactory Criminal Background Checks or equivalent covering the previous 10 years’ employment history.

ISP Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

ISP is committed to strengthening our inclusive culture by identifying, hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing teammates regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender expression, age, disability status, neurodivergence, socio-economic background or other demographic characteristics. Candidates who share our vision and principles and are interested in contributing to the success of ISP through this role are strongly encouraged to apply.