Director, Strategic Partnerships in Cambridge

This is an exciting opportunity to join our team and play a key role in helping Hughes Hall deliver on its ambition to be an outward-facing Cambridge college that connects academic excellence, professional expertise and external engagement to address real-world challenges. Hughes Hall is a College of the University of Cambridge with a vibrant, international and inclusive community. We aspire to combine academic excellence with a practical, outward-facing approach, working across disciplines and with partners beyond academia.

As one of Cambridge’s most international colleges, Hughes Hall is distinctive in bridging the academic and external worlds through an open, collaborative and non-hierarchical culture. Our students and Fellows bring an extraordinary breadth of experience and perspective, creating a community well placed to generate impact through education, research, partnership and convening.

Working across the College and with external partners, the Impact and Partnerships Director will develop and deliver Hughes Hall’s approach to impact and partnership. They will identify opportunities where the College can make a distinctive contribution, build productive relationships, and translate ideas into practical programmes, partnerships and activities that benefit students, Fellows, partners and wider society.

Working closely with the President and College Officers, the postholder will help shape and focus this work, ensuring it is aligned with College priorities and delivers meaningful outcomes. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Impact and Partnerships Director will contribute to the strategic direction of the College and help strengthen Hughes Hall’s position within Cambridge and beyond.

Key responsibilities include:

• Build and activate a connected College community, bringing together Fellows, students, postdoctoral researchers and staff to apply their expertise to real-world challenges and create impact beyond academia.
• Support the design and delivery of the Pathways+ programme, working closely with the Tutorial team to equip students with the skills, experiences and networks needed to thrive in their future careers.
• Develop and manage a small number of high-value strategic partnerships that advance the College’s impact priorities and deliver meaningful outcomes for students, partners and wider society.
• Position the College within the wider Cambridge innovation and impact ecosystem, building relationships across the University and ensuring active engagement with relevant initiatives, networks and emerging developments.
• Develop the College’s approach to civic engagement, identifying how Hughes Hall can contribute to wider civic life by capitalising on its existing strengths, people, partnerships and assets.
• Lead a focused programme of convening activity, bringing together academic, policy, industry and practitioner communities around priority themes and demonstrating the College’s distinctive contribution.
• Work collaboratively with Development, academic leadership and professional services colleagues to align impact activity with wider College priorities and support a compelling case for philanthropic investment and external support.
• Contribute as a member of the College’s Senior Leadership Team, helping to shape the strategic direction, culture and external profile of Hughes Hall.

Experience required:

• Experience of delivering impact or influence beyond an academic or organisational setting, for example through partnerships, policy or convening.
• Experience of developing and sustaining effective partnerships and networks, with the ability to build relationships, influence and engage credibly across academic, policy, industry, practitioner and philanthropic communities.
• Postgraduate education or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience engaging with external ecosystems, such as policy, industry, innovation, civic or non-academic partners.

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a wide range of benefits to support your wellbeing, development and work–life balance:

• ~27 days of annual leave plus 8 public holidays, pro-rated for part-time hours.
• ~ USS pension scheme.
• ~ Healthcare cash plan.
• ~ Flexible working arrangements to help balance professional and personal commitments.
• ~ Parents and carers support with access to family-friendly policies and the University of Cambridge Holiday Playscheme.
• ~ Life Assurance, enhanced sick pay and access to wellbeing support.
• ~ Opportunities for training and development to support your professional growth.
• ~ Travel benefits, including Cycle to Work scheme, annual season ticket loan and free parking on site, subject to availability.
• ~ Complimentary meals during working hours and access to selected University of Cambridge benefits.

To apply, please click apply and complete the online application form and include a CV and cover letter.

Disability Confident Employer: As a proud member of the Disability Confident scheme, Hughes Hall welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities. We do not provide our recruiting teams with any information about a candidate’s protected characteristics, including disability. If you would like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme, we encourage candidates to state this under the 'Reasonable Adjustments' section of the application. We encourage applicants to disclose their disabilities in the ‘Equal Opportunities Monitoring’ section of the application. Applicants or employees can disclose a disability at any time.

Information about how your data will be handled during the recruitment process is available in the College’s Data Protection Statement for Job Applicants.