EY Foundation - Partnerships Manager (Business Development)

The EY Foundation is a charity established in 2014 to help young people from a low-income background to develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. We were founded by EY, the professional services firm, who continue to be our primary funder.

Our ambition is that all young people eligible for Free School Meals have an employment and earnings potential equitable to other young people in the UK. We do this through a deep understanding of both sides of the labour market, bringing together employers and young people. We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to deliver employability skills programmes, scalable digital interventions, and by leveraging our convening power to influence systemic change.

We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week; however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.

As an independent charity, we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants.

EY Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring service, where appropriate.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

The scale of the challenge to tackle racial inequality is huge, but we are passionate in our determination to secure change – both for our organisation and the young people we serve.

With over 80% of the young people we work with from Black, Asian or ethnic minority communities, our team and Board need to reflect the young people we support.

In 2019, we made diversity and inclusion a strategic priority, with a focus on race, and in 2020 we published eleven race commitments. This included 50% of our team and leadership team coming from the Black, Asian or ethnic minority communities by 2025. Specifically, it is our objective that 30% of our team and leadership team will come from the Black community. You can find out more here.

Your role as Partnerships Manager

In your role as Partnerships Manager (BD), you will be responsible for developing relationships and generating income from new business pursuits, with a particular focus on the EY Foundation hubs (in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester).

You will proactively seek opportunities to expand the corporate partnerships pipeline through external pursuits, as well as by identifying and implementing ways to engage with EY clients and bid opportunities. You will work closely with the Head of Corporate Partnerships, Corporate Partnerships Account Managers, and Employer Engagement Manager.

You will also work with the Head of Fundraising to identify and provide stewardship for other potential funders of the EY Foundation.

The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion.

Within the Foundation, we adopt flexible roles that reflect the dynamic nature of our charity and enable our people to learn, develop and grow their skills and open up career opportunities. This is part of our investment in you. This role profile provides an outline of what will be involved in your role rather than an exhaustive list of duties. Both you and this role will naturally evolve.

The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:

• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships to build and sustain a strong pipeline of fee-paying corporate partners (employers) to fund our programming, deliver the wider work of the EYF and significantly grow our impact.
• Lead on identification, cultivation, and development of corporate partnerships pipeline, with a focus on growth sectors.
• Drive income generation through leading key pursuits and client relationships.
• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships on priority pursuits and projects, and strategic partnerships.
• Work with Head of Corporate Partnerships and Corporate Partnerships Account Managers to develop innovative ways to engage businesses in the work of the EY Foundation on a long-term basis.
• Support a systematic approach to engaging EY client leads (and clients) in the work of the EY Foundation.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of impactful communications to use for sales and marketing.
• Lead on sales pitches, proposal development, contract drafting, and elements of partnership onboarding.
• Collaborate with Employer Engagement Manager on stewardship of business volunteers and develop a strategy to maximise their engagement with the Foundation.
• Support with account management of key new and existing partnerships, working closely with the Corporate Partnerships Account Managers.
• Work with the Communications team to identify and develop opportunities for profile-raising and to influence through corporate partnerships work.
• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships with reporting requirements for the Finance and Operations team.
• Work closely with the Head of Corporate Partnerships to support employer communications and events activities.

At EY Foundation, we highly encourage all our staff members to get involved proactively and volunteer for our internal activities and events regardless of their role within the Foundation.

1. Your experience, competencies and skills

What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable experience and knowledge in the following areas:

• Required experience, competencies and skills:
• Proven successful experience in a similar role.
• Demonstrate a track record of successful business development and fundraising activities.
• A proven track record of quickly and effectively building strong relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• A proven experience in working effectively with senior business leaders and other senior stakeholders in support of a social mobility and change agenda.
• Track record of building and managing an effective pipeline.
• Ability to quickly understand complex products and broad service offerings, as well as the ability to respond to market demand to tailor products to maximise corporate partnerships income.
• Demonstrable account management and/or project management experience.
• Proven knowledge of the relevant GDPR legislation is required.
• Proven experience in translating data into actionable insights and developing & delivering comprehensive presentations.
• Experience in delivering strategic and operational plans for your area of responsibility.
• Making business/service area critical decisions that have had a positive impact.
• Delivering targeted outcomes against income objectives.
• Deliver excellent customer experience to internal or external customers or service users.
• Ability to work under pressure and in fast-paced & delivery-focused organisations.
• Experience in developing and implementing new ways of working.
• Strong communication skills, capable of simplifying complex topics to engage stakeholders.
• Strong and evidenced commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong commitment to improve the working lives and prospects of disadvantaged young people in the UK.

• Previous experience in using a CRM database.
• Proven track of mentoring and coaching other staff members is advantageous.
• SharePoint Proficiency.

Recruitment Process

Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best candidates through a comprehensive evaluation of their skills, motivation, and potential. The process includes:

The first stage interview will be based on:

• Competency-Based Interview Questions: We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
• Motivational Interview Questions: We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
• Scenario-Based Questions: You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.

Understanding of Our Organisation: We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.

The second stage interview will be based on:

• Presentation Development: Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
• Further questions using the question techniques outlined above.

Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.