Partnerships Lead in Manchester

About Us

Biodiversity Units UK is working at the centre of one of the biggest changes in the UK development market right now: Biodiversity Net Gain. We help developers, landowners, and infrastructure projects deliver BNG in a way that actually works commercially and at scale. Demand is already strong and growing quickly. So far, a lot of that demand has come inbound. The next step is being much more deliberate about who we work with - building relationships with the developers, consultancies, and infrastructure projects that will shape the market over the next 5–10 years.

The Role

This is a senior, outward-facing role focused on one thing: getting us in front of the right people. You’ll be responsible for identifying, approaching, and building relationships with senior decision-makers across major developers, planning consultancies, and infrastructure projects. A key point to be clear on: This is not a sales execution role. You won’t be closing deals or managing accounts. Your job is to:

• open doors
• build credibility
• create opportunities

Once those opportunities are established, our internal team will take them through to execution.

What You’ll Actually Be Doing

• Working out which developers, consultants, and projects we need to be speaking to (not just taking a list - helping shape it)
• Getting in front of senior people - typically at Director or Board level
• Building relationships that position us as a serious long-term partner, not just another supplier
• Keeping momentum - this is a high-activity, outbound role
• Passing well-qualified opportunities over to the internal team to take forward
• Feeding back what you’re hearing in the market so we can keep improving how we position ourselves

What This Role Is (and Isn’t)

This role suits someone who:

• is comfortable walking into a room with senior stakeholders
• knows how the UK development or infrastructure world actually works
• can build relationships from scratch without relying on inbound leads

It is not suited to someone without a solid background in the sector. You don’t need to have done BNG before - but you do need to understand how developers, planners, and infrastructure projects operate, and how decisions get made.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong experience in UK property development, infrastructure, or planning
• A clear understanding of how large, complex projects are structured and delivered
• Experience dealing with senior stakeholders (Director / Partner / Board level)
• A track record of opening doors and building relationships from a cold start
• Ideally, an existing network in the sector (but credibility and approach matter just as much)
• Someone who is self-directed and doesn’t need a lot of structure to be effective
• Commercial awareness - you know what a good opportunity looks like

The Kind of Person Who Does Well Here

• You enjoy being out in the market, meeting people, and making things happen
• You’re persistent without being pushy
• You’re credible - people take you seriously quickly
• You’re comfortable with a role that isn’t fully defined yet
• You care more about impact than process

Level

We’re open on level depending on the person:

• Manager: Strong experience, high energy, and clear potential to operate at a senior level
• Director: Established in the market, with an existing network and the ability to influence at the top level

Package

Circa £60k base (depending on experience) + Bonus linked to partnerships and revenue. Real opportunity to shape how this part of the business grows.

Why This Role

You’ll be working at the centre of a major shift in the development market. The business already has traction - you’re not starting from zero. You’ll have real autonomy and visibility. What you build here will matter.