Licensing Manager - Enterprise in Bristol

Salary: £41,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Jisc grade: PRS3

Job Type: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

About Jisc: For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used. We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are working to build a better digital future for education and research. At Jisc, we help the tertiary education and research sectors harness technology to deliver world-class teaching, learning and discovery.

The role: In this exciting and highly collaborative role, you’ll identify, shape and negotiate agreements that respond to complex member needs — financial, legal, systems and workflows — and translate them into future-focused solutions with real impact. You’ll manage a portfolio of technology agreements in line with Jisc’s product lifecycle and service management frameworks, using data and market insights to evaluate performance and ensure the portfolio meets our revenue and sustainability goals.

Your particular focus will be on technologies and platforms that keep our members’ digital estates running smoothly, including:

• Cyber Security
• AI and Virtualisation
• Productivity and Collaboration
• Data and Insights
• Student Lifecycle Management

Your work will strengthen our portfolio and support digital transformation across institutional IT teams. Please note: This is not a hands-on technical or engineering role. You don’t need deep product-specialist knowledge or system configuration skills. A strong level of IT literacy is important — you should feel comfortable with core concepts such as cloud services, servers, SaaS, virtualisation, identity, and how enterprise software fits within wider IT architectures. You may bring this understanding from IT management, technology projects or services, software licensing, asset management, supplier management, or on-the-job experience.

This role may particularly appeal to: IT Managers, Project Managers, IT Service Managers, Software/Asset Managers, Contract Managers working with IT suppliers, Licence Compliance Managers, Technology Account Managers, or others across similar domains. If you’re passionate about supporting the UK tertiary education and research sectors through smart, impactful licensing agreements — we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing: In this role, you will:

• Negotiate high-value, complex renewals and new agreements, including developing counterproposals and analysing detailed financial information.
• Lead and contribute to cross-functional projects, building strong collaboration with internal colleagues and external partners.
• Conduct desk research into emerging solutions, ensuring our activity aligns with member needs and sector trends.
• Communicate with influence, delivering clear, tailored briefings and presentations to senior stakeholders, and distilling complex concepts into simple, actionable insights.
• Bring hands-on experience in enterprise software and/or Higher or Further Education, enabling you to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by our members.

It’s a bonus if you have:

• Experience drafting agreements, reviewing legal terms, and working with legal counsels.
• Ability to research deeply and draft high-level technical, legal or product specifications.
• Two or more years’ experience in an HE/FE software or negotiation-related role.
• Experience working directly with organisational IT teams.

What we’re looking for: We’re seeking a proactive, collaborative professional who brings both the mindset and capability to drive meaningful impact. You’ll thrive here if you:

• Bring a growth mindset, actively seeking new knowledge and opportunities to develop.
• Have a genuine interest in technology and how digital tools shape organisations, services and user experience.
• Demonstrate strong advocacy and negotiation skills, tailoring messaging and finding creative pathways to agreement.
• Have exceptional communication skills, keeping messages clear, concise and tailored.
• Understand institutional information systems and decision-making processes.
• Can think tactically, identify and mitigate risks, and translate complex requirements into compelling vendor submissions.
• Bring advanced data and financial analysis skills.
• Have a track record of spotting complex issues or inefficiencies and leading cross-organisational solutions.

Qualifications or training: It’s a bonus if you have:

• A degree or higher-level qualification.

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us? At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life. Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion: Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging. We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process: Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone - just tell us what works best for you. We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality. If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile. We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship: Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial reimbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.