Job Title - Lead Specialist, Partnership Strategy 

Description - You’ll lead and grow a global faculty and student advocacy network, turning research, insight, and relationships into clear actions that shape Pearson’s products, strategy, and market engagement.

Location: London, UK Hybrid Preferred / Flexible for Remote

About The Role

The Lead Specialist, Partnership Strategy will play a critical role in building and leading the Faculty Advisor Program within the Advocacy Team for International Higher Education at Pearson. This role is responsible for developing, managing, and scaling a global community of 75 higher education faculty who serve as trusted representatives in professional settings such as training webinars, sales product demonstrations, and market feedback forums.

In addition, this role will lead the Research & Insights function for Advocacy, ensuring that approximately 150 students and 75 faculty stakeholders are strategically engaged to deliver high-quality feedback, research, and market insights to internal teams including marketing, sales, product, and strategy. This role will design and execute surveys, focus groups, and qualitative research, translating complex findings into clear, actionable insights for senior leadership.

This is a highly collaborative, relationship-driven role requiring strong program leadership, proven experience managing and delivering complex projects, research expertise, and the ability to communicate clearly with a diverse global audience.

Key Responsibilities:

Faculty Advisor Program Development & Leadership

Design and scale the Faculty Advisor Program to drive advocacy and market engagementRecruit and onboard faculty as professional representatives and advisorsBuild strong faculty relationships to ensure engagement and impactCoordinate faculty involvement in webinars, sales activities, and product demosLead the Advocacy Team’s research strategy across faculty and student communitiesDesign and run surveys, focus groups, and feedback programs to capture market and product insightsAnalyze qualitative and quantitative data to identify trends, opportunities, and innovation inputsPackage and present clear, compelling insights to senior leadership and cross-functional teams

Research & Insights Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

Partner closely with cross-functional teams to align research priorities and advocacy activitiesEnsure Advocacy stakeholders are engaged with structured communication plans and feedback loopsAct as a professional ambassador, representing the organization with credibility and professionalism in academic environments

Program & Project Management

Lead multiple complex programs and timelines simultaneouslyDevelop simple, scalable processes for onboarding, engagement, and research executionTrack impact, participation, and outcomes of advocacy and insights initiatives

Experience & Skills Required

6+ years of experience in project management, program management, or strategic initiatives5+ years of experience working in the higher education sector, university experience preferred Strong research and analysis skills, including survey design, qualitative research, and insight synthesisProven ability to build trusted relationships with senior faculty and academic stakeholdersExcellent communication skills with ability to translate complex ideas into clear, actionable messagesExperience designing programs for simplicity, scalability, and global engagementStrong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives in parallel

Preferred Qualifications:

PhD strongly preferredExperience working with higher education courseware or learning products is beneficial but not required

 

Your Rewards & Benefits

We know you’ll do great work, so we give a lot back with some of the best benefits in the business. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so our workplace programs meet the different needs of our diverse teams, and their families, too.