United Kingdom · Operations · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director / VP of Global Operations

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

Free to start: a plan built for this role, and a Future Fluency module to try first. No card.

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One email: what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for, where it leads, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toEVP of Global Operations or Chief Operating Officer
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Head of Operations (EMEA) · VP, Supply Chain & Manufacturing · Operations Director, Business Unit X · Global Operations Lead

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Project Management OTHM Qualifications · Level 5 · covers 1 of 3 standards
Highfield Level 5 Diploma in Operations Management Highfield Qualifications · Level 5 · covers 1 of 3 standards
FDQ Level 4 Certificate for Proficiency in Food Manufacturing Excellence FDQ Limited · Level 4 · covers 1 of 3 standards
EAL Level 4 Diploma in Rail Engineering Advanced Technician Competence Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · Level 4 · covers 1 of 3 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Digital Business Practices OTHM Level 5 Diploma in Project Management
Project Implementation Highfield Level 5 Diploma in Operations Management
Lead organisational change to sustain excellence in food operations FDQ Level 4 Certificate for Proficiency in Food Manufacturing Excellence
Leading workplace organisation activities EAL Level 4 Diploma in Rail Engineering Advanced Technician Competence

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Sustainability Fluency building care for people and planet into the work
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director / VP of Global Operations

4 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Digital Business Practices OTHM Qualifications · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 5
  2. Project Implementation Highfield Qualifications · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 5
  3. Lead organisational change to sustain excellence in food operations FDQ Limited · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 4
  4. Leading workplace organisation activities Excellence, Achievement & Learning Limited · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 4
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director / VP of Global Operations?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI-Driven Scenario Planning & Optimisation
  • Circular Economy & Sustainable Operations Leadership
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director / VP of Global Operations plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

3What this role really is

This role shapes operational strategy for a major business unit or an entire region. It involves decisions that keep global operations running, balancing today's efficiency with tomorrow's demands.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

SAP S/4HANA Strategic

You won't be a daily user, but you'll define the strategic ERP roadmap for your business unit, approve major customization budgets, and interpret enterprise-level performance data from the system to drive strategic pivots.

Power BI Premium Architect

You'll define enterprise-wide KPIs and visualisation standards for operational performance. You'll interpret insights from complex dashboards to challenge business assumptions and drive strategic pivots, championing data literacy across your organisation.

Anaplan Advanced/Strategic

You own the strategic modelling process. You'll direct your teams to build new scenarios for S&OP, M&A integration, or network redesign, using model outputs to defend multi-million-pound decisions to the board.

Celonis Expert/Sponsor

You're the executive sponsor for process mining initiatives. You use Celonis insights to identify multi-million-pound opportunities for automation and re-engineering across your business unit, holding your VPs accountable for process improvement metrics.

Diligent Boards Expert

You directly use the platform to access, review, and annotate board materials. You understand the governance and security protocols, and you contribute your own strategic reports and presentations to the board pack.

ServiceNow GRC Strategic

You set the risk appetite for global operations within your business unit. You review enterprise risk dashboards and ensure operational resilience plans are robust, tested, and compliant with regulatory requirements.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Strategic Capital Expenditure No authority. Escalate all requests to supervisor. Recommend expenditure up to £10K for process improvements, requiring manager approval. Propose and justify capital expenditure up to £50K for workstream-specific projects, requiring Director approval.
Organisational Design & Hiring No authority. Participate in interview panels for peers. Provide input on team structure and participate in interviews for junior roles. Make recommendations on team structure within your workstream. Conduct final interviews for junior roles, provide input for mid-level hires.
Vendor Selection & Contracts No authority. Use approved vendors only. Suggest new vendors for routine services, requiring manager approval. Select vendors for specific projects up to £25K, requiring Director approval. Negotiate terms within established guidelines.
Operational Process Changes Follow established procedures. Escalate any deviations. Implement minor process improvements within your area, informing manager. Design and implement significant process changes within your workstream, consulting Director for impact on other areas.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

EBITDA Impact from Operational Savings
Direct financial contribution from efficiency gains, cost reductions, and working capital improvements.
Target · Deliver >£20M in annual operational efficiency savings

In Q2, your team reduced logistics costs by £5M through carrier renegotiations and optimised routing, directly boosting the business unit's EBITDA by that amount.

Working Capital Reduction (Days Inventory Outstanding - DIO)
How quickly we convert inventory into sales, impacting cash flow.
Target · Reduce DIO by 10% year-over-year for your business unit/region

Last year, DIO was 90 days. This year, you've implemented new S&OP processes and reduced safety stock, bringing DIO down to 81 days, freeing up significant cash.

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as % of Revenue
The direct costs of producing our goods, relative to our sales.
Target · Reduce COGS as a percentage of revenue by 100 basis points (1%) through strategic initiatives

If COGS was 60% of revenue, you'd aim to bring it down to 59% through things like strategic sourcing, manufacturing footprint optimisation, or process improvements.

Strategic Goal Attainment for New Initiatives
Successfully launching operations in new markets, integrating acquisitions, or deploying major new technologies.
Target · Successfully launch operations in a new market or integrate a £100M+ acquisition on time and on budget (95% adherence)

You led the operational integration of a recent £120M acquisition, hitting all key milestones for supply chain and manufacturing integration within the agreed 12-month timeline and £5M budget.

Organisational Resilience & Risk Mitigation
How well the operations function anticipates and responds to major disruptions.
  • Proactive identification of geopolitical risks, robust contingency plans for critical suppliers, minimal impact from unexpected supply chain events (e.g., port strikes, natural disasters), successful navigation of new tariffs or trade restrictions. You're not just reacting
  • you're preventing.
Cross-Functional Influence & Collaboration
Your ability to get other executive functions to buy into and support operational initiatives.
  • CFO actively champions your capital expenditure requests, Product teams consistently design for manufacturability, Sales teams accurately feed demand forecasts, and other VPs seek your input on their strategic plans. You're seen as a trusted partner, not just a service provider.
Talent Development & Leadership Pipeline
Building a strong, capable team and ensuring a pipeline of future leaders.
  • High retention rates for key operational talent, successful internal promotions to senior roles, clear succession plans for critical positions, positive feedback from direct reports on mentorship and career growth opportunities. Your team is growing and developing.
Board & Executive Communication
Clarity and impact of your presentations and updates to the executive team and board.
  • Board members consistently understand complex operational challenges and opportunities from your presentations, your recommendations are adopted, and you're seen as a credible, articulate voice for operations. They'll ask tough questions, but you'll have the answers.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Transforming Global Operations

You'll be leading multi-year programmes to re-architect our supply chain, manufacturing footprint, or logistics networks. This means making big, impactful decisions that change how we operate worldwide.

Leading the complete redesign of our EMEA distribution network, resulting in a 15% reduction in delivery times and a 10% cut in transport costs.

Solving Complex, High-Stakes Problems

Your days will be filled with tackling challenges like mitigating geopolitical risks, integrating newly acquired companies with disparate systems, or optimising for both cost and resilience in a volatile market. These aren't easy fixes.

Developing and executing a contingency plan that successfully navigates a major customs blockade, preventing millions in lost sales and customer dissatisfaction.

Developing and Mentoring Future Leaders

You'll be coaching and developing a large team, including managers and senior individual contributors. This means investing time in their growth, delegating significant responsibilities, and building a robust succession pipeline.

Seeing one of your direct reports get promoted to a VP role in another part of the business, knowing you played a key role in their development.

What frustrates people
  • Dealing with the 'Watermelon' Status Report: Regional reports that look fine on paper but hide deep issues you only uncover by digging in.
  • Geopolitical Whack-a-Mole: Constantly having to redesign parts of your supply chain due to tariffs, conflicts, or pandemics, often undoing years of optimisation.
  • The Inventory Tug-of-War: Being squeezed between the CFO who wants zero inventory and the CRO who wants zero stockouts.
  • M&A Graveyard: Inheriting a mess of incompatible systems and entrenched cultures from acquired companies.
  • Design for Cost, Not for Manufacturing: Battling with R&D over products that are brilliant in concept but a nightmare (and expensive) to produce at scale.
  • The Tyranny of the Urgent: Your strategic calendar gets constantly derailed by immediate, high-priority operational crises.
What this role does not give you
  • A quiet, predictable 9-to-5 existence with minimal travel.
  • A role where you can avoid tough, cross-functional negotiations and political navigation.
  • A chance to solely focus on one specific operational area without broader business unit accountability.
  • A guarantee that every strategic initiative you launch will be perfectly executed without significant hurdles or resistance.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the profitability, market competitiveness, and customer experience for a significant portion of our business. Your decisions on supply chain design, manufacturing footprint, and process optimisation can free up tens of millions in working capital, reduce our Cost of Goods Sold, and ultimately boost our EBITDA. You're not just managing operations; you're driving business transformation at a multi-year scale.

Inside the business
  • CFO and Finance Leadership (for budget and P&L reviews)
  • Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Sales VPs (for demand planning and customer commitments)
  • Chief Product Officer (CPO) and R&D Leads (for design for manufacturability and new product launches)
  • Regional General Managers (for local market operational execution)
  • Legal and Compliance teams (for regulatory adherence)
Outside the business
  • Key Strategic Suppliers (for long-term partnerships and risk management)
  • Logistics Partners (for global freight and warehousing)
  • Regulators and Government Agencies (for import/export and compliance)
  • Industry Bodies and Associations (for best practice sharing and influence)
  • External Auditors (for financial and operational controls)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven track record of leading large, multi-site or multi-region operational teams (typically 100+ people) for at least 5-7 years, with a focus on driving significant financial and operational improvements.
  • Demonstrated experience in managing a substantial operational P&L (minimum £2M+) and delivering measurable EBITDA impact.
  • Extensive experience in designing and executing complex supply chain and manufacturing strategies across multiple geographies.
  • A history of successfully leading major operational transformation programmes (e.g., ERP implementations, network redesigns, Lean Six Sigma deployments) from concept to sustained results.
  • Strong experience in executive-level stakeholder management, including presenting to C-suite and potentially Board members.
  • A degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience that clearly demonstrates strategic operational leadership.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Enterprise Architecture for Operations Tech

As operations become more digital, you need to think like an architect, not just a user. This means understanding how all your operational systems—ERP, MES, WMS, TMS, BI—fit together, how they scale, and where the critical integration points and vulnerabilities lie. It's about building a robust, future-proof digital foundation.

API-First Integration Strategies · Data Mesh Principles in Operations · Cybersecurity for OT (Operational Technology) · Cloud-Native Operations Platforms

  • This quarter: Work closely with your IT counterparts to understand the current operational technology architecture and identify key pain points.
  • Next 6 months: Sponsor a cross-functional working group (Operations, IT, Security) to develop a 3-year roadmap for your business unit's operational tech stack.
  • Month 7-12: Review and approve design principles for new system implementations, ensuring they align with an API-first and data-mesh approach.
  • Year 2: Lead a major vendor selection process for a new core operational platform, challenging vendors on their cloud-native and cybersecurity capabilities.

Quick win: Ask your IT security team for a briefing on the top 3 cybersecurity risks to your operational technology. Understanding the threats is the first step.

Advanced Analytics & Prescriptive Modelling

Moving beyond descriptive ('what happened') and predictive ('what will happen') to prescriptive ('what should we do'). This means using advanced statistical models and optimisation algorithms to recommend optimal actions for complex operational problems, like dynamic pricing, capacity allocation, or multi-echelon inventory optimisation.

Optimisation Algorithms (e.g., Linear Programming) · Simulation Modelling (e.g., Discrete Event Simulation) · Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection · Decision Support Systems (DSS) Design

  • This quarter: Identify a critical operational decision point in your business unit that could benefit from prescriptive analytics (e.g., dynamic inventory placement).
  • Next 6 months: Work with your data science or analytics team to scope and pilot a prescriptive model for that identified decision point.
  • Month 7-12: Evaluate the ROI of the pilot and, if successful, plan for broader deployment, focusing on how to integrate the recommendations into daily operations.
  • Year 2: Challenge your teams to embed advanced analytics into at least 50% of your key operational decision-making processes.

Quick win: Ask your analytics team to present on one instance where they've used advanced statistical modelling to solve a real-world operational problem. Understand the 'how' and 'why'.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly engage with industry thought leaders and participate in executive-level operations forums and conferences (e.g., Gartner Supply Chain Symposium, CSCMP Annual Conference).
  • Pursue executive education programmes focused on global strategy, digital transformation, or advanced leadership from top business schools.
  • Mentor emerging leaders within and outside your organisation, honing your leadership and coaching skills.
  • Stay current with geopolitical and macroeconomic trends, understanding their potential impact on global supply chains and operational strategy.
  • Actively seek out opportunities to lead cross-functional steering committees for major enterprise initiatives.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI-Driven Scenario Planning & Optimisation

Traditional planning models just can't keep up with the volatility of global markets. AI can process vast amounts of data—from weather patterns to social media sentiment—to create far more accurate and dynamic scenarios for demand, supply, and risk. Leaders who can use these tools will make better, faster decisions.

  • Reinforcement Learning for Supply Chain
  • Digital Twins for Operations
  • Generative AI for Policy & Procedure Drafting
  • Explainable AI (XAI) for Trust

Circular Economy & Sustainable Operations Leadership

Customers, investors, and regulators are demanding more sustainable practices. This isn't just about 'greenwashing' anymore; it's about fundamentally redesigning our operational models for resource efficiency, waste reduction, and product lifecycle management. Leaders who can champion this will unlock new value and mitigate significant risks.

  • Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) Models
  • Reverse Logistics Optimisation
  • Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
  • Industrial Symbiosis

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC/DMADV)
  • Supply Chain Optimization (SCOR Model)
  • Theory of Constraints (TOC)
  • Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment)
  • Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) Leadership
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Senior Manager / Principal, Global Operations (Level 5)

    3-5 years

    Skills to master

    • Leading managers, designing and deploying standardised processes across multiple sites, managing significant functional budgets, influencing cross-functional peers at a senior level.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led a major functional transformation programme (e.g., global logistics optimisation) that delivered measurable financial impact.
    • Consistently exceeded functional KPIs and demonstrated strong talent development within your teams.
    • Received strong feedback on your ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive consensus on complex issues.
  2. 2

    Director of Operations (Regional or Specific Function)

    2-4 years

    Skills to master

    • Full P&L ownership for a smaller region or a specific, critical operational function (e.g., Head of Manufacturing for a product line), managing a direct leadership team, and engaging with executive-level stakeholders.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Demonstrated full accountability for a significant operational P&L, consistently hitting or exceeding targets.
    • Successfully built and led a high-performing leadership team within your domain.
    • Proven ability to translate strategic goals into executable operational plans and drive their delivery.
  3. 3

    Consulting Leader (Operations Practice)

    4-6 years

    Skills to master

    • Deep expertise in operational strategy, process improvement, and supply chain transformation across diverse industries. Strong client management, executive communication, and problem-solving skills.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Led multiple large-scale operations transformation projects for Fortune 500 clients.
    • Consistently advised C-suite executives on operational strategy and delivered significant, measurable value.
    • Developed and mentored consulting teams, demonstrating strong leadership capabilities.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead towards the highest levels of executive leadership, including chief executive or board level positions.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director / VP of Global Operations is actually changing.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Digital Business Practices, worked against Director / VP of Global Operations.

Digital Business Practices Level 5

Applied to your work in Director / VP of Global Operations

1. To enable the learner to differentiate between various digital business models and their defining characteristics. 2. To enable the learner to evaluate the suitability of different digital technologies for effective business communication strategies. 3. To enable the learner to assess how digital technologies can contribute to the effective management and operation of organisations, projects, and smart cities. 4. To enable the learner to compare and contrast the benefits of digital interactions in both B2B and B2C contexts. 5. To enable the learner to examine the role of digital business technologies in managing complex organisational environments. 6. To enable the learner to formulate a comprehensive digital transformation strategy, considering leadership roles and data-driven insights.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director / VP of Global Operations
  • Lean Six Sigma (DMAIC/DMADV)
  • Supply Chain Optimization (SCOR Model)
  • Theory of Constraints (TOC)
  • Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment)
  • Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) Leadership
  • Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director / VP of Global Operations is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. EVP of Global Operations / Chief Operating Officer (Level 7)

    3-5 years

    This is the ultimate step up, moving from shaping a business unit to defining the operational strategy for the entire enterprise. You'll be accountable to the CEO and Board for global operational performance.

    • Global P&L management for £10M+ operational budgets.
    • Enterprise risk management and operational resilience at the highest level.
    • Driving market-shaping operational innovations.
    • Leading large-scale organisational change across thousands of employees.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As a Director/VP, your time is gold. You're juggling strategic transformations, board presentations, and constant fire-fighting. Imagine if you could offload some of the heavy lifting, allowing you to focus on truly impactful decisions. That's where AI comes in—not to replace you, but to amplify your strategic reach.

We're not talking about sci-fi. We're talking about practical AI tools that are already available and can dramatically improve how you lead, plan, and respond to global operational challenges. Think less time sifting through data, more time shaping the future.

Automated S&OP Data Prep

Use an AI agent to automatically pull, clean, and synthesise data from SAP S/4HANA, Salesforce, and market intelligence feeds. It'll generate that baseline data pack for your monthly S&OP cycle, saving your senior analysts (and you) countless hours of tedious work. This means quicker, more accurate insights for your executive planning.

Predictive Disruption Alerts

Leverage AI-powered supply chain platforms (like Everstream Analytics) to monitor global events—think weather, port congestion, social unrest, or even supplier financial health. Get predictive alerts on potential disruptions before they hit, allowing you to move from reactive fire-fighting to proactive risk management. This can save millions in expediting fees and lost revenue.

Geopolitical Risk Summarisation

Use an AI tool to scan and summarise daily intelligence reports, news feeds, and government publications related to your key sourcing countries. It can generate a concise daily brief highlighting new risks or policy changes, cutting down your personal research time by hours each week and ensuring you're always informed on the global landscape.

Performance Narrative Drafting

Feed your quantitative performance data (KPIs, metrics, financial reports) into a generative AI model. It'll create the first draft of your monthly or quarterly performance review narrative for board reports or internal communications. You can then refine it with your strategic context and insights, saving significant time on initial write-ups.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director / VP of Global Operations?

Common routes in include Senior Manager / Principal, Global Operations (3-5 years), Director of Operations (Regional or Specific Function) (2-4 years) and Consulting Leader (Operations Practice) (4-6 years). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director / VP of Global Operations progress to?

This role can lead on to EVP of Global Operations / Chief Operating Officer (3-5 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director / VP of Global Operations?

Increasingly, AI-Driven Scenario Planning & Optimisation and Circular Economy & Sustainable Operations Leadership. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

More jobs in operations

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.

If you leave this industry

Global operations, supply chain management and large-scale transformation skills carry across manufacturing, retail, technology, logistics and public sector organisations. The principles of operational excellence apply in any of these settings.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Director / VP of Global Operations plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.