EY Foundation- High Value Partnerships Manager - Permanent - London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow

Introduction to EY Foundation

The EY Foundation is a charity established in 2014 to help young people from a low-income background to develop the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. We were founded by EY, the professional services firm, who continue to be our primary funder.

Our ambition is that all young people eligible for Free School Meals have an employment and earnings potential equitable to other young people in the UK. We do this through a deep understanding of both sides of the labour market, bringing together employers and young people. We work in collaboration with a wide range of organisations to deliver employability skills programmes, scalable digital interventions, and by leveraging our convening power to influence systemic change. We work in regions across the country, with team members based in four hubs in London, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham. We operate a hybrid working model, where staff work in the office at least one day per week; however, depending on the nature of your role or specific business needs, you may be required to attend the office or events more than once a week.

As an independent charity we raise income through corporate partners, traditional fundraising, and grants. EY Foundation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Successful applicants will need to undertake an Enhanced DBS check via the Disclosure and Barring service, where appropriate.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

At the EY Foundation, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the heart of everything we do. We believe in the transformative power of embracing differences and creating a culture where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to be their authentic selves. We are committed to fostering an environment that celebrates diversity in all its forms, ensuring that everyone – regardless of background, identity, or experience – feels safe, accepted and that they truly belong. Our dedication to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging means continuously learning, improving, and challenging ourselves to build a workplace where every individual can thrive. We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and are proud to be a diverse and inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, identities and experiences. If you share our commitment to creating a culture of belonging and inclusion, we encourage you to join us and help to make a difference.

Your role as High Value Partnerships Manager

We are thrilled to be recruiting for the newly created role of High Value Partnerships Manager at the EY Foundation. This role will join the charity’s Income and Partnerships function and work across three key areas of high value income growth for the charity:

• Trusts and Foundation (grant) income
• High net worth / major donor giving (inc. Legacy income)
• Corporate relationships and corporate foundation income

Working across both Fundraising and Corporate Partnerships teams in a first of its kind role for the Foundation, this role will be responsible for growing new income streams, and building on existing giving programmes and platforms to accelerate the Foundation’s ambitions for impact. You will work proactively both internally and externally to identify, qualify and build a robust pipeline in a target driven environment. This role will be responsible for developing relationships with stakeholders and funders at a senior level, networking across the EY business, the Foundation itself and with external cross sector partners, spotting opportunities for funding, innovation and developing proposals and solutions that harness that opportunity from the above funding partners. You will play a key role in supporting the income growth plans that underpin EYF’s ambition to scale its reach to enable all young people on Free School Meals to have an employment and earnings potential that is equitable to other young people in the UK. The successful candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility, diversity, and inclusion. He / she will also have experience of negotiating high value funding proposals and building relationships to that end and be motivated and excited to work in an environment driven by impact, growth, innovation and collaboration.

The role will include several key responsibilities but are not limited to:

• Trust and Foundation Income: Identify potential funders from T&Fs, approach and develop funding related discussions, prepare/design and propose/negotiate grant funding proposals and secure 5, 6 and 7 figure grants. Maintain relationships with existing grant funders – overseeing performance feeding back/evaluation/reporting requirements and curating relationship networks internally with grant funders and this market. Liaising internally with Programme and Finance teams as well as senior management and colleagues to socialise, familiarise and develop grant-fundable propositions that are aligned to our financial and strategic impact requirements as outlined in our theory of change, business model and forward facing business plans strategies and yearly delivery plans.
• Major Donor / High Net Worth Giving: Design and build a major donor giving programme that segments the audience, delivers an annual communications plan to this audience (with associated materials, events and benefits), and makes appropriate asks of a regular giving and one-off donation basis. Build, test and grow a legacy giving programme. Work closely within the EY business and associated groups/community to ascertain income opportunities at different values from segmented groups of EY staff and alumni in different markets and geographies. Oversees a schedule of HNW activities, events and communications touchpoints with the purpose of acquiring additional funders, maintaining/securing renewals of existing donors and ‘grows’ the value of this programme.
• Corporate Relationships & Foundations: Work closely with corporate partnership colleagues to ascertain high value corporate funding opportunities – particularly with corporate foundations to grow income – developing appropriate proposals as above.
• General: Seek new business, account manage existing relationships, work to a target driven framework and maintain a performance reporting regime through completion of pipelines, dashboards and CRMs. Support as necessary the work of the existing corporate and fundraising teams to deliver traditional fundraising events and activities and to support the signing up of new corporate partners, or renew existing ones into our operational programme delivery. Lead on producing compelling pitches, grant proposals, impact reports and other engaging content in support of engaging your target audiences. Work closely with EY Foundation colleagues in Programmes, Influence and Impact and Finance to develop proposals and partnerships that are deliverable, financially viable and meet EYF’s strategic objectives.

Your skills, knowledge, experience and qualification

What you will bring to the Foundation is your demonstrable experience and knowledge in the following areas:

• Technical Skills
• Communication – Produces high quality, tailored communications to a range of audiences across all channels. Creates long term plans to underpin these communications to achieve productive relationships. Uses evidence, data and storytelling to create persuasive pitches, applications and proposals.
• Data analysis and insight generation - Uses data to generate actionable insights that improve efficiency, outcomes and strategic planning; interprets trends and patterns to inform forecasting, decision-making and impact measurement.
• Technology & Systems: Integrates digital tools and systems (e.g., SharePoint, CRM, and emerging technologies into ways of working to improve collaboration, accuracy and efficiency.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence – Building relationships with and stewarding HNWI supporters - i.e. hosting one-to-one meetings, running events and creating stewardship opportunities. Developing a pipeline of new supporters through mechanisms such as giving clubs, family offices, business groups/Rotary etc.
• Business Skills
• Strategic Thinking: Understands EY Foundation’s evolving strategy and translates it into clear objectives and priorities for their area; identifies opportunities to strengthen services, enhance impact and support organisational goals.
• Leadership skills
• Collaboration: Builds strong cross team (and external) relationships. Builds a good understanding of key strategic projects within the organisation to act as an effective ambassador and to spot opportunity for fundraising.
• Risk management - Identifies, manages and mitigates operational, reputational and financial risks within their area. Escalates issues appropriately and manages dependencies.
• Compliance – adheres with compliance processes and policies including safeguarding, data protection, Independence, HR and mandatory training.
• Knowledge
• Understanding of the social mobility context the charity operates within and business case for investment in young people. GDPR, relevant fundraising legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Experience
• Experience in securing income from Grant Makers, Major Donors or Business Development (minimum of two of three areas). Demonstrate a track record of successful business development/income generation in a target driven environment.

• Skills, Knowledge and experience
• Experience in harnessing a CRM, particularly Microsoft Dynamics for fundraising success.
• Experience working in small to medium sized organisation in a cross-team role.
• Experience building networks of donors e.g. leveraging giving circles.
• Track record in securing six-figure partnerships.

Recruitment process

Our recruitment process is designed to identify the best candidates through a comprehensive evaluation of their skills, motivation, and potential. The process includes:

• The first stage interview will be based on:
• Competency-Based Interview Questions: We will assess your technical and professional competencies relevant to the role.
• Motivational Interview Questions: We aim to understand your drive, passion, and alignment with our organisation's values and mission.
• Scenario-Based Questions: You will be asked to respond to hypothetical situations to demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and decision-making skills.

• The second stage interview will be based on:
• Presentation Development: Candidates will be required to develop and present a topic related to the role, showcasing their communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of Our Organisation: We value candidates who have a strong understanding of our organisation, including our mission, values, and the sector we operate in.

Our organisation is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support during the recruitment, selection, or onboarding process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Key dates

First round interviews: 24 July and 27 July Second round interviews: 29 July and 30 July If you are invited to interview and are unavailable on one or both dates, please let the recruiter know, we will do our best to offer an alternative. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the interview process, please don’t hesitate to let the recruiter know when contacted.