Business Support Executive

Virgin is entrepreneurial at its heart, having spent the last 50 years starting and scaling businesses around the world. 

In 2013, Virgin StartUp was founded by Sir Richard Branson to support the next generation of founders who are looking to do the same.

Since then, we have helped tens of thousands of founders to start and scale… and we’re just getting started.

We’re an entrepreneurially minded, not-for-profit organisation, that exists to empower founders to start up and thrive. 

We know there’s a lot that goes into starting a business, so we’re here to help on all fronts - advice, access to funding, mentoring, training and sometimes just a friendly shoulder to lean on.

We provide straight talk and useful advice to make the entrepreneurial road less bumpy and access to a supportive and dynamic community to help founders have some fun along the way.

A diverse team that has recently grown to 15 members, helping founders from idea stage right through to scaleup stage and are supported by expert Brand, Legal, People, Finance, IT and External Relations teams from the Virgin Group.

Found out more about Virgin StartUp here and here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We’re looking for Business Support Executives who have a passion for helping start-ups thrive. This is an ideal position for someone who is interested in helping a broad range of founders across a variety of different industries. Someone who is a real people person, passionate about entrepreneurship, can manage multiple applications at various stages and support founders as required in the early stages of their journey with us. You will need to be a strong team player, be highly organised and be willing to positively represent Virgin StartUp. 

Business Support Executives are part of the Founder Support Team and support founders at the very start of the Start Up Loans Programme (‘the Programme’) process with us. Each Business Support Executive is the first contact point for applicants, guiding them through to being assigned to a Business Advisor.  

THE ROLE INVOLVES

• Conducting an initial assessment of the application based on received information prior to contacting the applicant.  
• Conducting initial triage calls with applicants, to welcome them to Virgin StartUp (VSU) and share what their journey with us may be like, understand their idea and motivation, their readiness for the process, along with conducting the following checks and requesting documents as required: 
• Know Your Client (KYC) 
• Eligibility 
• Personal affordability  
• Following up with a message or further call, as appropriate.  
• Chasing or updating applications status as required. 
• On receipt of further documents (e.g. draft business plan), conducting an initial review of them for suitability (KYC and business) and if all in order, progressing to a Business Advisor with appropriate handover notes. 
• If applicant is not ready to work 1:1 with a business advisor or if not eligible for the Start Up Loans Programme, the Business Support Executive will appropriately sign-post the applicant to further resources or alternative funding options outside the Programme, whichever is helpful.  
• Motivate suitable founders and manage caseload effectively to ensure founders are supported through their start up journey in a reasonable time frame. 
• Keep our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system updated with interactions and documentation received. 
• Work with the rest of the team to ensure a smooth and consistent customer journey.  
• Maintain all quality procedures relating to client files and records in line with our requirements. 
• Ensure work, at all times, conforms to our procedures and standards. 
• Ensure a deep understanding of the eligibility requirements of the Programme. 
• Inbound query management – The Founder Support Team welcome all applicants onto the Start Up Loan programme but also field all initial interest and questions in Virgin StartUp, this includes but is not limited to answering inbound phonecalls and emails on all aspects of Virgin StartUp.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• A passion for entrepreneurship and supporting others. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, a real people person. 
• Some direct experience in reviewing Business Plans desired. Regarding experience in reviewing business plans, the ability to spot the key thing to look out for in them is desired, although training will be provided on business planning and cash flow forecasting. 
• An understanding of commercial businesses gained through either SME management, studies or experience of running own business. 
• Some analytical skills, including the ability to assimilate complex information, identify and prioritise key issues and assist the applicant to identify practical solutions. 
• Solid business acumen.  
• Well-developed or keen to learn training, coaching, mentoring and motivational skills. 
• Solid IT skills, proficient in Microsoft Office. 

SKILLS

• Good planning, organisational and communication skills, both written and verbal.  
• Ability to multi-task and prioritise and manage a high caseload of work.  
• Accustomed to delivering great results against targets and meeting deadlines. 
• Self-motivated, empathetic and good communicator.  
• Flexible, adaptable, resourceful and resilient. 

BONUS

• Experience of using Salesforce / equivalent CRM. Training will be provided if not.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Our Culture Pact sets out the attributes we look for in our Virgin people:

Purpose driven – You are values driven, striving to be human, brave and visionary in how you work. You are committed to doing the right thing and relish doing your bit to help us change business for good. 

Inclusive team player - You are a curious, perceptive collaborative and responsive team player. Keen to learn and understand, you recognise the strength in diversity and seek to behave inclusively always. You are thoughtful and supportive and consistently value the ideas and contribution of others. 

Flexible and future focused - You are flexible but remain focused, and always balance the needs of the company and team with your own priorities. You willingly adapt to the evolving needs of the business, are receptive to new ways of working and keen to play your part in driving positive change in our culture. 

Always accountable - You embrace responsibility and take pride in doing your best work, with full ownership for quality and results. You are solutions-orientated and work hard to get the job done - with passion, determination and resilience to succeed. You own your continuous development and are always seeking to improve and upskill. 

Pioneering - You are innovative, explore all possibilities and create new opportunities. You push boundaries and challenge the status quo, taking calculated risks where appropriate, acting always with integrity yet with a sense of fun and creativity. 

Some of the attributes that define a ‘Virgin person’ just can’t be quantified in words. We pride ourselves on welcoming people from all walks of life, with all sorts of skill sets. Most recently, Virgin successfully campaigned to add ‘Dyslexic Thinking’ as a skill on LinkedIn. Any uniqueness is a strength and will be considered an asset to our team. 

SALARY & BENEFITS

• £28,000 - £32,000 (+10% discretionary bonus)
• Unlimited holiday
• 2 return flights per year, to any Virgin Atlantic destinations worldwide
• Private Medical Insurance
• Access to digital GP service
• Comprehensive health assessments – available every 2 years (after 2 years employment)
• Bupa Dental Insurance
• Workplace Pension with Aviva
• Free lunch every day (when working from the office)
• Access to Virgin Pulse – stay active and earn wellbeing points, which can be converted into rewards each quarter
• Access to an online platform that provides discount on a host of Virgin Companies and a range of other 3rd parties and brands
• A host of other things - e.g. Cycle to Work scheme, Payroll giving, Employee Assistance programme, Access to Nudge - a financial wellness platform started with a Start Up Loan from Virgin StartUp as it happens :)

This role is accepting applications on a rolling basis, so be quick! In your covering message, please outline / indicate:

1. Why you are passionate about supporting UK-wide founders and working for Virgin.
2. Your experience and approach to supporting founders.
3. If you have worked on the Start Up Loans Programme, please outline your experience with it and typical amount of founders you helped support each month.
4. Your potential notice period.

We expect to be hiring 2 full-time roles on 2-year fixed term contracts as part of this recruitment, with the role starting as soon as possible / in June.