Director of Business Development and Partnerships (14 months fixed term contract, maternity cover)

ENGINEERINGUK; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job description

Can you help us grow the future talent pool for UK engineering and technology? We’re driving change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers and are looking for an impactful Director of Business Development and Partnerships (maternity cover) to join our mission. The UK urgently needs to address engineering and technology skills shortages to drive economic prosperity and improve sustainability. EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit dedicated to growing the future talent pool, collaborating with over 400 organisations across industry, education, and the third sector in our research, leadership, activities for schools, and advocacy. In this pivotal role, you will lead a team that builds and maintains relationships with businesses, Professional Engineering Institutions, and funders. With your team, you will help us secure funding, source valuable content, and create holistic partnership opportunities. It’s an exciting time to join as we have established strong delivery against our strategy and wish to grow our income to expand our reach and impact. As a key member of the Executive Team, you will bring critical corporate insight, ensure our activities are relevant and impactful, and act as an ambassador for EngineeringUK, representing our collaborative, inclusive, insightful and curious values.

About Engineering UK

Our purpose is to drive change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers.

Our vision is that the UK has the workforce needed for engineering and technology to thrive, to improve sustainability and to achieve net zero.

Our mission is to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be informed, inspired and progress into engineering and technology.

In the UK, we don’t have enough engineers and demand is going up. So, we need more young people to realise there could be a future for them in engineering and technology. To really thrive, we need a stronger, more diverse and representative workforce and for that we have to do things differently to make engineering more appealing.

We are a not-for-profit working with hundreds of organisations across business, education, professional institutions and the third sector so we can all grow the future talent pool together. We drive that collective effort through research and evidence, leadership, activities for schools and advocacy, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

We are guided by a series of values that we apply to all our activity:

• We are inclusive and care about diversity. We understand that we have different needs and create opportunities for everyone's voice to be heard.
• We are collaborative. We listen, share and work in partnership to achieve our vision.
• We are curious and keen to learn. We challenge ourselves and others to innovate and experiment.
• We are insightful. We evaluate what we do and draw on research to make decisions and to improve our collective understanding.
• We are driven by a strong sense of purpose. We are determined to make an impact and achieve our goals.

About the role

The Director of Business Development and Partnerships (DBDP) leads work at the interface between EngineeringUK and the engineering and technology sector that we represent and serve. As a member of the Executive Team, the DBDP brings critical insight of the corporate world and ensures that our engagement activities are relevant to them, represent their breadth and that our research, analysis and policy work draws on current and real-world experience. The Director leads a team that maintains established relationships with businesses, PEIs and funders and builds new relationships, encouraging organisations to support our work through funding, the provision of content and holistic partnership opportunities.

The Business & Industry team consists of 11 colleagues working under 4 pillars:

• New partnerships
• Corporate relationships
• Trusts and foundations
• Professional institutions and partnerships.

The Director has 4 line-reports: 3 Heads and one Manager. Each team has a slightly different role in meeting the B&I team strategy, but all work collectively to ensure that key industry bodies and businesses are engaged with our work.

New partnerships. Engage new businesses with our portfolio of activities including corporate membership, EUK Education programmes, The Tomorrow’s Engineers Code, policy, and other opportunities.

Corporate relationships. Responsible for account managing existing relationships with members, sponsors and funders including supporting STEM strategy development, organising peer-learning opportunities, upgrading membership/funding levels, networking them across EngineeringUK, and deepening engagement across multiple activities.

Trusts and foundations. Managing existing high-value partnerships with funders who support our programmes, engaging new funders to scale our work, working with other teams to develop compelling proposals and raise EngineeringUK’s profile in the grant-making space.

Professional institutions and partnerships. Coordinate engagement with PEIs across EngineeringUK, ensuring a consistent approach and maximising joint value from our partnership. Securing new partnerships (and then managing, renewing and cross-selling the relationship) with SME clusters.

Reporting to the Chief Executive, and as part of the Executive Team, the DBDP is expected to understand the governance requirements of charities and companies and work with the Board of EngineeringUK to support decision making.

The role is London based at our office at 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN and may involve some travel in the UK. We believe that hybrid working has many benefits and are pleased to offer flexible working with a minimum of 2 days (or 40%) a week in the office and the option for a flexible start and end to the working day in our vibrant central London office overlooking the Thames. Further details on our flexible working practices can be discussed at interview or you can reach out to a member of our HR team.

Further details of the role can be found in the recruitment pack on the vacancies page on our website.

Person specification

Essential Skills / Competencies

Ability to fully engage with EngineeringUK’s mission and values, be committed to its goals and act as an ambassador for and role model within the organisation.

• Proven experience of successfully identifying, initiating and establishing funding relationships, understanding customer needs and translating these into solutions.
• Experience of writing and presenting proposals and securing funding.
• Experience of leading, managing and motivating teams to deliver results.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build and maintain effective relationships at all levels inside and outside the organisation; persuades, influences and listens to others using reason and cooperation.
• Experience in strategic analysis, strategy setting and taking a pro-active approach towards improvement.
• Flexible and imaginative approach to problem solving and ability to challenge assumptions and successfully deliver challenging messages.
• Experience identifying and understanding customer needs and translating these into solutions.
• Work in a way that supports our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable Skills / Competencies

• Knowledge of the engineering and technology sector.
• Knowledge of STEM education and engagement.
• Proven participation at an executive or senior level.

EngineeringUK is committed to being an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels they belong. This is supported by the dedicated work we are doing to ensure our policies and practices are inclusive and that our staff are trained to be able to fulfil this commitment.

We value the benefits of a diverse workforce and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. Our recruitment process is designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible and to ensure people are individually assessed regardless of their backgrounds or characteristics. We are an equal opportunities employer and are open to flexible working, including job share.

Applying for this role

Applications

If you would like to request to submit your application in an alternative format to support accessibility, please let us know.

The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on 22^nd April.

Interviews

Applications will be assessed against the requirements for the post as set out in the Role Profile and Person Specification.

We are a Disability Confident committed employer. We guarantee an interview to any disabled people who meet the minimum requirements of the role. Additionally, if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to make this process easier for you then we are happy to do so. Just complete the relevant sections of the online application form.

We aim to notify candidates who have been shortlisted on 25^th April. If you have not heard from us after this date, please assume that you have not been successful.

First interviews will be held on 7^th May.

Second interviews will be held on 19^th May.

What can we offer you?

• Competitive salary.
• 28 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays), in addition we normally close for the Christmas week.
• Competitive pension (10% employer contribution).
• Annual bonus opportunity.
• Flexible working.
• A vibrant office with terrace overlooking the Thames embankment and Tower Bridge.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Life Insurance (4 x salary).
• Long term illness/incapacity insurance cover (permanent health insurance or PHI).
• Annual private health check for all employees over 40 once they have completed their probationary period and to employees over 35 after 3 years’ service.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Yearly flu vaccination.