Partnerships Manager

The challenges humanity is facing aren’t the stuff of dystopia, science fiction, or textbooks. They’re happening today – and they’ve never been more complex and interconnected.   Yet our higher education system is still structured in silos, leaving graduates ill-equipped to tackle the complexity that surrounds them. The next generation is now demanding to learn in a different way. That’s where The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) comes in. LIS equips undergraduate, postgraduate and professional learners with an interdisciplinary toolkit to tackle the complex problems of the 21st century. With a world-class faculty, exceptional cohorts and close partnerships with organisations across the public, private and third sectors such as TSB, UKHSA and NHS Trusts, LIS is building a new type of education for those who want to shape the world, not just fit in. We are the first new UK education institution for 50 years to have full degree-awarding power since inception, and offer undergraduate, masters, as well as professional development programmes that take an innovative interdisciplinary approach to education.   Role Summary The purpose of this role is to support the securing, management and retention of strategic, income-generating partnerships of all sizes. You will build relationships with the LIS Network and help to grow it by communicating the LIS approach, programmes and thought leadership via compelling pitches, proposals and events. The LIS Network team facilitates partnerships that deliver meaningful outcomes for LIS students, institutional learning for LIS, and support the institution’s financial sustainability.   Reporting to the Head of Network and working closely with our academic faculty and teams across registry, recruitment, and marketing, you'll play a key role in generating B2B income, ensuring the smooth-running of partnership programmes, creating opportunities for LIS students and developing new partnership offers. You will provide responsive support to partners and colleagues, strengthening LIS’ relationships with organisations from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors in the UK and internationally.   Key responsibilities   Growing the LIS Network Co-design and play a key role in running network development and partner engagement events; lead their administration from managing invitation lists to follow up communications Own the development and implementation of a cultivation calendar, including engagement events and regular communications Semi-regularly, attend events and conferences hosted by partner and other external organisations to inform relationship building activities, as well as raise the visibility of LIS’ partnership offers (lead generation) Working with the Head of Network, share insights on partner interests and wider sector trends with Leadership team, Programme Leads, Marketing and Futures to inform the iteration of our partnership offer and non-accredited programmes for professionals Contribute to the development and creation of new products: educational programmes and partnership offers working closely with the Head of Network, as well as faculty, adjunct faculty and/or external partners Set up and attend new business meetings, as appropriate Cultivating New Partnerships Ensure allocated bids, proposals and presentations meet partner criteria and deadlines, internally stewarding the development of the work Support colleagues to develop deliverable project budgets, and cost offers appropriately Draft proposal materials and MOUs using templates; support contracting processes Research prospects ahead of meetings and events in order to prepare internal briefs, scope outreach, conduct due diligence and inform risk assessment Lead on the delivery of our external conferences strategy: from research to securing invitations; briefing to liaison with internal and partner marketing teams to maximise brand visibility for LIS Stewarding Partner Relationships to drive satisfaction and retention Ensure allocated projects are delivered on time and on budget through proactive, end-to-end project management Support Head of Network with aspects of project and account management for example scheduling, information gathering, and programme evaluation Draft and adapt LIS materials according to agreed partner objectives and in collaboration with internal colleagues, particularly faculty Organise and facilitate wash up meetings and feedback which feed into the LIS continuous improvement process and maximise the chance of partner retention Securing Opportunities for LIS students Manage a pipeline of leads for BASc (undergraduate) internship opportunities, sourcing contacts from LIS colleagues and working to targets set by the Head of Futures in line with student numbers, sectoral interest, and demand Once negotiated, hand secured placements over to the Head of Futures with all relevant information to enable a mutually beneficial internship Follow up with internship partners to gather feedback and build multi-year partnerships Support the Head of Network and Programme Directors to identify, generate leads for and secure curriculum partnerships for the BASc and LIS MBA degree programmes Contribute to the smooth administration of the partnerships function Ensure there is up to date, accurate and shareable data for all partner relationships and income pipeline (via the CRM or status report) to support reporting and timely follow up. This will involve regular cleaning and maintenance, list creation, setting up automations and dashboards Work with the Head of Network to develop, improve and codify processes as we scale the function Support iterations of policy and precedent by tracking decisions as we evolve partnerships processes and offers Notes Role to include but not restricted to the tasks detailed in this role description. LIS is a scale-up organisation, and all employees may be asked to help or get involved with projects owned by different parts of LIS.   Requirements The ideal candidate will have: Proven strong relationship management skills and demonstrable experience and understanding of what it takes to create long-term external partnerships Demonstrable experience managing an end-to-end sales pipeline to agreed targets Confident and persuasive communication skills across phone, email, video and face to face, comfortable engaging with a range of stakeholders across sectors, with a proven ability to distil complex information and convey ideas effectively Experience of successful project management, staying on budget and on time whilst working with multiple internal and external stakeholders A sound commercial understanding, allowing you to budget, cost and price new products in the context of the market, and spot new business opportunities that add value to LIS’ work Ability to operate with discretion where needed, particularly in handling sensitive financial information Experience using CRM platforms such as HubSpot, MS Dynamics, Salesforce (LIS currently uses HubSpot) Alignment with LIS’s values: rigour, curiosity, courage, compassion, and meraki We value growth mindset and action over years of experience. If you are excited about our mission and believe you can thrive in this role, we want to hear from you. Benefits Salary: £45,000 - £50,000, dependent on experience 30 days annual leave Monthly fitness contribution On successful completion of your probationary period, the option to join the company-sponsored private health plan. Annual personal development contribution for external training/coaching The opportunity to join a mission-led organisation that is changing higher education