Relationship Manager – Opening Higher Education

Are you an experienced professional with the ambition to support the development of key external partnerships? Do you want to play a key role in realising the University of Leeds’ ambition to achieve a global open Higher Education network? Are you an excellent communicator, networker and negotiator; able to assimilate new information quickly? Do you have the drive to support external engagement activities at a senior level, with the ability to motivate and inspire colleagues?

Our planet faces unprecedented challenges. Issues including climate change, political and economic instability, inequality, poverty, and refugee crises threaten the health and wellbeing of the population. To tackle these ‘wicked problems’, we must adopt an open, collaborative approach, working as a global community. The University proposes to champion and drive this transition from competition to collaboration by launching the Opening Higher Education 2030 initiative. Through a stakeholder declaration, launch summit and follow-on activities, we will act as a catalyst for fair and equitable access to the outputs of Higher Education. This initiative will support the University’s strategy to make a positive difference in the world, working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, to benefit society and drive change by providing all with equal opportunities to excel.

In this influential new role, you will work closely with four academic Engagement Leads and the programme delivery team to ensure that the Opening Higher Education 2030 Initiative is successfully co-ordinated and implemented. You will contribute to building mutually beneficial relationships with a wide range of local, national and international individuals and organisations to support the development and implementation of the Opening Higher Education 2030 initiative, support the coordination of a global stakeholder launch event in November 2022 and then beyond this to develop the initiative further in collaboration with all stakeholders.

You will act as a key point of contact for all stakeholders connected with this new initiative and will manage and co-ordinate individual and group cultivation events and activities to engage prospective and existing stakeholders, working alongside an academic and professional delivery team. You will develop processes and systems to register and track engagement and relationship activity, providing regular updates and reports to the delivery team on engagement activities and progress, identifying any risks, issues and proposed solutions.

You will have demonstrable experience of key relationship management and effective business engagement experience at the most senior levels. You will also have excellent organisational and planning skills and attention to detail. You will be comfortable elevating conversations to a strategic level, listening to the key partners’ needs and contributions and working with our senior academic leads to translate them into development opportunities for the initiative.

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Fiona Middlebrook, Executive Officer to the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation

Email: [email protected]

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 11 July 2022