Job vacancy

Senior Relationship Manager

You will oversee significant high value relationships with a small number of major clients. 

Job details

Department

Innovation and Research

Responsible to

Provost - Innovation and Research

Location

Kedleston Road, Derby Campus

Salary

£58,863 to £73,579 per annum (for exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £84,616 per annum)

Closing date

Wednesday 2 October 2024

Contract type

Permanent

Post type

Full-time

Adaptive working type

Hybrid
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location with the opportunity to work remotely available in line with our Adaptive Working Framework.

Reference

0439-24

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

Innovation and research is at the heart of everything we do at Derby; it informs our learning and teaching, supports businesses, drives partnerships and provides real-world impact.

The University Innovation & Research Department (I&R) is responsible for our research and knowledge exchange activities including funding opportunities, knowledge transfer partnerships, researcher development, ethics, impact, postgraduate research students, and external returns including REF and KEF.  

The University of Derby is Gold Rated for its student education and outcomes. Our work with partners in public and private sector industries are critical to our continued success and plans for growth. We have committed to Industry Engagement being a key pillar of the University’s strategic framework. Securing and building strong relationships with Public and Private sector organisations are a vital element of all our strategies and we are building capacity to ensure our relationships with Industry are excellent.

This role is based in the University Innovation and Research team that has responsibility for ensuring we have capacity to engage and manage our Industry Engagement, and ensuring we continuously improve our core success measures for Research, Innovation and Graduate Outcomes. We work to achieve this through a wide range of business partners from Small Enterprises to Large Blue Chip organisations (including Rolls Royce PLC), and across a range of public services partners in Health, Policing and Education.

We are seeking to appoint an exceptional candidate to oversee significant high value relationships with a small number of major clients. The successful candidate will be working frequently with the University Executive Board members, including the Vice Chancellor. They will have the opportunity to build relationships with senior representatives from our industry.

This role requires an experienced and extremely motivated individual seeking the opportunity to be a lead in the institution to improve our growth and enhance our reputation with industry partners.

  1. Lead on the strategic development of existing client relationships ensuring the University maximises the opportunities for student placements and income.
  2. Thoroughly understanding a clients’ needs and objectives and provide comprehensive solutions where the University can support the achievement of their operations.
  3. Act as the lead connection point between the University and the clients to ensure the service and support the University provides meets or exceeds the client requirements.
  4. Identify, capture and manage any risks with the delivery of any services or support to a client and escalate these appropriately, especially if there is the potential for damage to reputation or relationship with the client
  5. Work collaboratively with other teams, across the breadth of the university, to provide regular oversight and reporting of all activity with the clients to the University Executive Board.
  6. Working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to secure external funding opportunities aligned to areas of core focus between the University and its clients.
  7. Engaging with regional and national stakeholders to influence policy developments and create opportunities to support the delivery of the priorities of the University and its clients.
  8. Lead the negotiation of new and existing agreements with clients, ensuring this maximises the financial and strategic return for the University.
  9. Provide support and advice to the broader teams working with the clients to build the culture of relationship management across the wider University.
  10. Represent the University at networking events to build and develop the client relationship.
  11. Represent the University at key national and international forums to establish our reputation as a leading university for innovation and industry engagement.
  12. Increase the University’s engagement and success in major strategic bids to support industry engagement.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

  • Relevant first degree (or equivalent qualification) or comparable knowledge gained through professional experience commensurate with a senior leadership role

Experience

  • Demonstrable experience of building sustainable relationships with high value clients
  • Significant track record of exceeding profit targets through client relationship management
  • Demonstrable experience and track record in proactively developing new business opportunities and sustaining income streams
  • Experienced in writing successful proposals for profit generation and strategic growth
  • Experience of operating strategically at a senior leadership level in a complex organisation
  • Track record of working with local government and the region to align partners strategies and meet institutional priorities

Skills, knowledge & abilities

  • Highly collaborative and committed to team working across the institution
  • Well-developed inspirational leadership and people management skills
  • Demonstrable ability to build relationships, communicate, influence and negotiate effectively on a wide range of issues with different stakeholders internally and externally at a local and national level
  • Able to prioritise under pressure to ensure the strategic priorities of the institution are maximised
  • An ability to act independently and decisively
  • Strong business skills and commercial acumen and track record of working with industry and commerce
  • Ability to pitch the priorities of the University and close deals with its clients
  • A good understanding of the working of Higher Education institutions (across School, College and Institutional levels where appropriate)
  • Ability to identify opportunities for business engagement across all aspects of the University’s mission, and the nature of academic drivers/priorities and their variance between disciplinary
  • An ability to understand business need to propose a potential variety of solutions that are relevant to the client’s requirements
  • Strong organisational skills with an attention to detail, achieving University and external deadlines
  • The ability to set appropriate service targets and monitor implementation of development plans to achieve desired impact
  • Outstanding written communication skills, with the proven ability to develop high quality, audience appropriate written papers and strategies
  • Ability to coach and mentor colleagues in the area of customer relationship management

Business requirements

  • Willingness and ability to travel and work outside of normal working hours if necessary
  • Occasional overseas travel may be required
  • Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)
  • Local Government Pension Scheme
  • Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
  • Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers
  • Discounted onsite gym
  • Discounted access to Devonshire Spa
  • Access to employer-funded Private Health Insurance
  • Holiday trading
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • A flexible working environment
  • A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Professor Warren Manning, Provost Innovation and Research via w.manning@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Lead with purpose, apply now to make an impact.

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the highest of either the going rate for the SOC code or the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£38,700 per annum).

If the role is eligible, but the offered salary is less that the going rate for the role, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if:

  • Your job is on the Immigration Salary List

  • You’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training

  • You have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job

  • The role you are applying for is a postdoctoral position

Please note that the University cannot confirm your eligibility for sponsorship until an offer is made and your individual circumstances have been considered.

For more information, visit Applying from Overseas.

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion. However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

A university that celebrates you

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2040.

Environment and sustainability

 

Further details

Download Senior Relationship Manager job descriptionDownload Senior Relationship Manager job description

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.