Company Overview
United Language Centre (ULC) is a Singapore-based English language school dedicated to helping learners build confidence and community through practical English education. Since 2012, ULC serves adult learners, professionals, and international families with quality programmes.
Job Summary
The Business Director will lead ULC's strategic growth, sales performance, operations, and team leadership, translating strategy into commercial plans and sustainable results while enhancing the customer experience.
Responsibilities
Business Strategy and Growth
- Develop and execute ULC's business strategy, annual operating plan, and growth priorities to drive measurable expansion.
- Identify and pursue new revenue streams, market segments, partnerships, and programme opportunities to diversify income.
- Strengthen ULC's market positioning within Singapore's education and language-learning sectors through targeted initiatives.
- Support the development and expansion of adult education, professional, corporate, and international programmes to meet market demand.
- Monitor market trends, customer needs, and competitor activity to inform strategic business decisions.
Sales and Commercial Performance
- Lead the sales team to achieve enrolment, revenue, and conversion targets through clear sales plans and performance metrics.
- Establish and maintain sales performance indicators and reporting systems to track progress and identify improvement areas.
- Enhance lead management, customer follow-up, pricing strategies, and programme promotion to increase sales effectiveness.
- Build and maintain strategic relationships with corporate clients, community partners, and stakeholders to expand business opportunities.
- Review commercial performance regularly and implement timely corrective actions to meet financial goals.
Operations and Organisational Management
- Oversee daily operations of ULC's programmes, campuses, and support functions to ensure smooth delivery and quality.
- Improve workflows, systems, policies, and cross-departmental coordination to increase operational efficiency.
- Ensure adequate staffing, resources, and operational capacity to support business growth and programme delivery.
- Collaborate with academic and operations leaders to maintain high programme quality and a strong student experience.
- Manage budgets, control costs, and allocate resources effectively in partnership with the CEO and finance team.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory, employment, and operational requirements.
Leadership and People Development
- Lead, coach, and develop managers across sales, operations, and other business functions to build leadership capacity.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, initiative, and continuous improvement across the organisation.
- Set clear goals and performance expectations for departments and individual leaders to drive results.
- Strengthen communication and alignment between management, academic, sales, and operational teams to enhance collaboration.
- Support succession planning and develop future leaders to ensure organisational sustainability.
Required competencies and certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, Education, or related discipline.
- Minimum 8-10 years of relevant business management experience, including at least 5 years in senior leadership.
- Proven ability to manage commercial growth and business operations effectively.
- Demonstrated success in sales leadership, business development, budgeting, and performance management.
- Strong commercial judgment balancing revenue growth, service quality, and operational sustainability.
- Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to work occasionally outside standard office hours as required by business operations or events.
Preferred competencies and qualifications
- Experience in education, training, professional services, or other customer-focused service industries.
- Understanding of the Singapore business environment and experience working with multicultural teams and customers.
- Comfortable working in a growing organisation requiring both strategic thinking and hands-on leadership.
