Job Description

The Employer Engagement Manager is an externally facing role with responsibility for generating and managing a strong prospect pipeline of new employers, professional associations and networks as part of our employer engagement strategy as well as taking new business leads through to account management stage. The successful candidate will be required to ensure regular communication with employers and professional associations, coordinating face to face and e-mail contact with them and liaising with employees working in different teams across the Charity to support this. They will need to utilise the Charity’s Client Relationship Management (CRM) system (based on salesforce) to ensure that contact with employers is done in a coordinated and efficient way and meets the needs of employers. In addition to managing and enhancing existing links and partnerships they will be required to initiate, develop and secure new links and partnership with a range of national and regional employers and professional associations.

Over the next two years the Charity wants to significantly increase the number of volunteers engaging in all its programmes. Many of these people will volunteer because their employee or professional body has encouraged them to get involved, perhaps via their HR or CSR schemes. The post holder will be expected to deliver quarterly targets, increasing the number of volunteers registered and engaged in our programmes. In addition, they will identify opportunities with employers to support the funding of the Charity.  The role will also liaise very closely with the Inspiring Governance employees who are specifically working to engage new employers/ volunteers interested in governance programmes.

Education and Employers is a small charity working at a rapid pace to bring about change and the ideal candidate will be a self-starter with strong communication skills, able to absorb key information quickly and work well with a small team in a dynamic working environment.

Key Accountabilities

Overall Management (20%)

• Supporting the on-going development of an employer engagement strategy focusing on new business development and identifying priority economic sectors and geographic areas and KPIs
• Liaising with the Inspiring Governance team responsible for engaging employers to ensure all programmes are included in the offer to employers
• Reviewing and enhancing resources and materials to support new business development
• Working with the Head of Research to articulate the business case for volunteering, tailoring this for different sectors and types of employers
• Producing regular reports for SMT providing a summary of employer engagement including the number of new volunteers, partnerships established and reporting against agreed KPIs
• Keeping up to date with current employment trends, corporate issues, sector research and corporate funding trends.

Developing new employer relationships (60%)

• Support the CEO on an ad hoc basis with high level business relationships, maintaining information flows and adding value to these existing arrangements.
• Generating and managing a strong prospect pipeline: identifying, developing and securing employer partnerships with great long-term potential
• Working closely with our marketing team to establish compelling communications to engage new employers and volunteers with the charity’s mission
• Rapidly developing effective relationships with key employers and professional associations, developing new business leads, identifying opportunities for effective promotion of volunteering schemes and taking this through to account management
• Building relationships within client accounts to give the charity a clear insight into their business structure, operations and CSR priorities
• Meet quarterly KPIs regarding identifying and approaching new employers

• Supporting the charity to grow relationships (and generate funding from them where applicable) by contributing management information to employer bids and pitches and identifying opportunities for income generation through employer engagement.
• Regular monitoring of pipelines of new business and ensuring continual updating of CRM (Salesforce) across the charity.

Ongoing account management (20%)

• Using our CRM system ensure efficient management of existing links with employers and professional associations
• Build on existing HR and CSR contacts and further develop these, ensuring key points of contact for each employer
• Working closely with members of staff who have responsibility for specific employers, professional bodies and sectors
• Recognising quickly when to engage SMT colleagues in supporting the development of a promising future partnership
• Deal with any complaints in a prompt, courteous and effective way end ensure they are address and resolved
• Supporting delivery of events and campaigns with key employers and professional associations

Other

• Other ad hoc management and administrative tasks to support the team as needed and deemed necessary to fulfil the role

Person specification

Skills/ Knowledge/ Expertise

Essential

• A passion for supporting young people in realising their potential
• Experience in identifying and bringing in new relationships/business into an organisation i.e. business development to deliver a range of strategic objectives
• A successful track record in driving campaigns to influence the behaviour of external stakeholders / customers
• 3+ year experience both over the phone and face-to-face in influencing external stakeholders / customers to change behaviour (this might be in a sales and marketing environment)
• Polished presentation skills, adapting to different audiences and opportunities; including the ability to effectively impart our research findings to and deliver effective presentations.
• Experience in successful relationship management – ability to engage confidently and sensitively with stakeholders and partners at a range of levels of seniority up to and including board level
• Knowledge and first-hand experience of effective use of client relationship management databases; preferably salesforce
• Knowledge and interest in the education and / or employment areas
• Strong organisational skills: able to demonstrate capability in multiple task management and evidence of success in delivering clear outcomes to agreed timescales, deadline and budgets
• Excellent knowledge and practical application of Microsoft office tools
• Fluency in written and spoken English

Desirable

• Specialist knowledge of the education and employment sectors and the policy environment and delivery models which underpin relationships
  • Experience of working in a small team
  • Understanding of risk management and data protection

Personal Attributes

• Good level of education, demonstrating strong client facing aptitude and communication skills both written and verbal. Comfort and confidence in working with a variety of external stakeholders, having an entrepreneurial and enterprising approach to their work.
• Good working knowledge and practical application of Microsoft office tools and customer relationships software
• A “doer”- ability to anticipate requirements and act to provide workable solutions
• Creative and solutions orientated, perceiving processes as the means rather than the end and as an aid to effective delivery
• Influencer - demonstrates personal ‘presence’ and gains the confidence of others through temperament, capability and calibre
• Demonstrates sensitivity and possesses the ability to manage effectively the organisational tensions that sometimes develop between all stakeholders involved in the organisation and delivery of the event.  
• Team Player: working collaboratively and flexibly to achieve outcomes and is keen to add value to the organisation’s culture and ethos
• Able to undertake some occasional work in the evenings and at weekends
• Able to travel in the UK

Application

The Education and Employers charity values having a diverse workforce.  We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of their background.

The closing date for applications is the 28th November and only successful candidates will be notified no later than 30th November that they have been shortlisted. Interviews will take place on the 6th  December at the Education and Employers’ offices in Fleet Street London.

Please use the online application method to send a CV and Covering Letter setting out your interest in and suitability for the role. Applications will only be accepted from those with the right to work in the UK with a valid passport/visa

Please note we will only consider applications with both a CV and covering letter.

Applications from recruitment agencies will not be considered under any circumstances.