General manager - interim manager

Role Objectives and Responsibilities
Following a tertiary LBO backed by Cinven since 2019, the Group launched an ambitious strategic growth and transformation plan in 2020, aiming to become a leading player in higher education across Europe. Central to this plan is a strong commitment to a hybrid model (city-center campuses combined with online learning), allowing for increasingly personalized learning paths across disciplines like management, engineering, political science, and communication—integrating social and digital dimensions.
This positioning should enable the client to maintain its growth trajectory in a tightening market where credibility is key.
Within this context, the General Manager will be responsible for leading teams, growing the activity, and ensuring the profitability of the School based in Madrid, Spain. This includes managing a P&L with €6 million in revenue, 1,000 students, and a team of 40 (school staff and faculty).

Key Responsibilities
→ Business Development
•    Ensure the achievement of the school’s objectives and results (revenue, profitability, accreditations, student satisfaction).
•    Encourage and foster synergies ("hybridizations") with other Group business units.
•    Represent and promote the brand locally, understand the local market and specific needs.
•    Participate in the annual budget planning and execution.
•    Ensure transactional efficiency, particularly around student admissions, and monitor margin contribution goals.
→ Campus Representation and Local Ecosystem Engagement
•    Build and maintain relationships with local political, administrative, and regulatory institutions.
•    Manage local press relations.
•    Develop partnerships with local businesses.
→ Site Management and Leadership
•    Lead the school teams and support their development: academics, student affairs, business development, support services.
•    Foster team cohesion and ensure alignment with shared goals.
•    Contribute to the Group’s transformation projects.
→ Academic Oversight
•    Collaborate with academic program managers.
•    Build and manage a high-quality faculty pool, with a focus on academic efficiency.
→ Stakeholder Engagement
•    Represent the school to all stakeholders (students, families, faculty).
•    Ensure the quality and smooth delivery of academic programs in line with quality standards and accreditation frameworks.
•    Maintain high levels of student satisfaction, oversee safety and regulations, support student life initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators
•    Student satisfaction rate
•    Campus contribution margin
•    New student recruitment target
•    Stability of faculty and staff
•    Development of a local business network

Profile Sought
•    Minimum of 7 years of managerial experience in team and project leadership within sales/marketing functions (ideally during periods of transformation) in the service sector, or in a similar role within the education sector.
•    Strong leadership presence and proven experience driving change in service-oriented, mid-sized companies undergoing significant transformation.
•    Experience in managing both in-person and remote teams, with a mix of strategic and operational responsibilities.
•    Comfortable working in a matrix organization.
•    Strong sensitivity to branding, positioning, and both B2B and B2C dynamics. Highly business-oriented.
•    Ability to identify obstacles to change and remove them, while providing a clear vision and meaningful direction.
•    Excellent communication skills tailored to diverse audiences (C-Level, management, schools, operations, students, parents), with a strong ability to synthesize and present clearly.
•    Strong interpersonal skills; capable of influencing with diplomacy.
•    Fluent in both Spanish and English.