Business & Partnerships Development Officer

About the Opportunity

Department: Business and Partnership Development & Apprenticeships / Innovation & Enterprise

Location: London / Remote (Hybrid working in line with business need – typically 50% of working week on campus)

Term: Full-time; Fixed term for 12 months (Part-time options may be considered)

Salary Range: £35,000 - £40,000 per annum, depending on experience

Benefits: The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, offers flexible working and parental leave opportunities, an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free, confidential advice on both home and work concerns as well as optional private medical insurance, season ticket loans and being part of the cycle to work scheme. 25 days holiday allowance plus winter break 27th to 31st December (excl. Bank Holidays) Group life assurance, group income protection Pension schemes and optional private healthcare Employee Assistance Programme Flexible working options.

Reports to: Associate Director, Innovation & Enterprise (Currently to Director of Business Development – Interim cover for Maternity Leave)

Start date: Immediate – March 2026

The Role: Northeastern University London (NU London) is seeking a Business and Partnership Development Officer to support the promotion and delivery of work-related learning opportunities including degree apprenticeships, co-op placements, short courses and other non-credit bearing offerings. The role involves working with employers across all sectors as part of workforce planning and development. Proactive and results-driven, you will identify and secure growth and income generating opportunities for NU London and, where appropriate, Northeastern's wider global network. The externally facing aspects of this role involve contact in person, via web-conference, email, and telephone with organisations whose relationships are highly valued by NU London. Through your ability to champion, inspire, and communicate opportunities for business collaboration, you will be a key appointment in NU London's external business and partnership development activities. The role is field-based and suitable for hybrid working but with a need to travel within the UK and attend the London-based campus when required. The successful applicant will primarily focus on apprenticeship business – working with employers to increase the use of apprenticeship training to upskill their existing workforce and develop new hires, with the aim of growing numbers on NU London apprenticeship programmes. There may also be opportunities to support co-op placement development as business needs evolve.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Business and Partnership Development

• Grow apprenticeship programme numbers and/or experiential learning opportunities for students (co-ops, internships, placements)
• Research and identify organisations with potential synergies to the University's expertise
• Generate new leads and develop proposals for targeting businesses to source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones
• Carry out business development work to convert prospects into income generating projects
• Collaborate with the marketing team as needed to enhance business development activity
• Build and maintain relationships with partner organisations
• Source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones
• Identify innovative partnership opportunities that add value to both NU London and partners

• Drive demonstrable growth and income from apprenticeship and other work-related learning opportunities
• Achieve and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of employer partnerships, such as the number of apprenticeship starts secured, employer satisfaction and retention.
• Report income forecasts on a regular basis
• Support internal operational teams in implementing partner engagements
• Consistent and effective use of Salesforce CRM and with a proactive approach to digital transformation and implementing best-practice tools and methods
• Ensure compliance with relevant internal and external quality assurance processes and regulations
• Maintain accurate records in accordance with Data Protection and GDPR

• Organise and support engagement activities including in-person events, employer roundtables, and webinars
• Develop proactive approaches to prospect communications
• Respond promptly to inbound enquiries and maintain regular outbound communications
• Support promotion of work-related offerings via events, partnerships, and digital channels

Person specification criteria:

To undertake this role, the following should apply – should you not have the experience below, please do highlight where transferrable skills would assist with you undertaking the role.

Qualifications:

• Honours degree or equivalent professional qualification and/or relevant business development experience [E]
• Recognised qualification in sales or digital marketing [D]
• Master's Degree [D]

Key Skills & Experience:

• Highly personable with an aptitude to build relationships with industrial partners [E]
• Excellent communication skills including ability to write engaging content and conduct consultative client meetings [E]
• Experience of building relationships in the HE/FE sector and/or business community [E]
• Experience of sales, business or partnership development in a KPI-driven environment [E]
• Ability to research prospects and generate leads with autonomy [E]
• Knowledge of higher education, apprenticeships, and early careers/skills [E]
• Strong organisational and time management skills with ability to work to deadlines [E]
• Experience in the use of database and management information systems (particularly Salesforce) [E]
• Excellent IT skills, especially MS Office suite with a positive approach to implementing new technologies [E]
• Creative approach to problem solving and identifying new opportunities [E]
• Experience of organising and managing events [E]
• Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively as a team member [E]
• High degree of professionalism, personal integrity, and confidentiality [E]
• Excellent record-keeping and reporting skills with awareness of Data Protection/GDPR [E]
• Resilient with a can-do attitude and ability to remain calm under pressure [E]
• Willingness to undertake continuous professional development [E]
• Experience of more specialised areas of business development would also be an asset:

• Creating commercial proposals for prospective clients [D]
• Working on all areas of public sector procurement processes e.g. bid writing, end-to-end bid management [D]
• Working with marketing teams across lead generation and development [D]
• Excellent persuasive writing skills with a high level of attention to detail and strong grammatical skills [D]

Enquiries: Informal enquiries may be made to Emma Kelly (emma.kelly@nulondon.ac.uk). However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process: Please include a covering letter of no more than one page addressing the role criteria and a full curriculum vitae. Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary.

Job sponsorship: Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Position Type: General Administration

Additional Information: Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.