Programme, Policy & Partnerships Manager in Birmingham

The Multicultural Apprenticeship and Skills Alliance (MASA) is a national movement focused on improving equity, diversity, inclusion and social mobility across apprenticeships, employability and skills. We work with employers, training providers, colleges, community organisations and sector leaders to influence practice, shape thinking, build stronger pathways into opportunity and ensure underrepresented communities are better served by the system.

We are looking for an ambitious, outward-facing leader who can build partnerships, shape influence, spot opportunities and help grow MASA’s reach, reputation and impact nationally. This is not a passive role. We need someone who is comfortable selling, influencing, representing us externally and creating momentum. Someone who can build trusted relationships across employers, policymakers, providers, community organisations and civic stakeholders, while also helping deliver high-quality programmes and visible outcomes.

You will need to be confident in commercial conversations, credible in public-facing environments, and comfortable navigating policy, thought leadership, public affairs and community-led engagement. You should understand how to build an ecosystem around a mission - connecting people, institutions, opportunities, ideas and influence in a way that grows MASA’s reach and relevance. This role is for someone with a growth mindset who can spot openings, bring opportunities in, shape strategic partnerships, create smart KPIs, and get out into the market and make things happen.

Core focus of the role

• Drive partnership growth and business development
• Support and strengthen MASA’s policy, public affairs and thought leadership presence
• Represent MASA confidently across events, meetings, forums and stakeholder spaces
• Build meaningful community-led and sector-led relationships that expand our ecosystem
• Help design and deliver programmes that create value and impact
• Bring structure, performance measures and commercial discipline to growth activity

Key responsibilities

• Programme delivery
  • Lead and support the planning and delivery of MASA programmes, campaigns, forums and events
  • Ensure delivery is well organised, high quality and aligned to strategic goals
  • Coordinate stakeholders, timelines, outputs and follow‑up actions
  • Capture insight, outcomes and feedback to inform future activity and demonstrate value
• Policy, thought leadership and public affairs
  • Support MASA’s voice and visibility across policy, public affairs and influence spaces linked to apprenticeships, skills, employability, equity and social mobility
  • Contribute to thought leadership activity by helping shape themes, roundtables, events, campaigns and strategic conversations
  • Identify opportunities for MASA to be in the right rooms, with the right people, saying the right things
  • Represent MASA externally with credibility, warmth and confidence
• Partnerships, growth and commercial development
  • Build, manage and grow relationships with employers, training providers, colleges, community organisations, sector bodies and strategic stakeholders
  • Identify, open and progress new partnership, patron, sponsorship and commercial opportunities
  • Lead consultative sales conversations with confidence, translating MASA’s work into a compelling value proposition
  • Create and manage a live pipeline of prospects, opportunities, warm leads and strategic conversations
  • Support patron retention and growth by ensuring relationships are active, valuable and well managed
  • Bring in opportunities that strengthen MASA’s profile, influence, income and delivery reach
• Community engagement and ecosystem building
  • Build strong, trusted relationships with multicultural communities, grassroots organisations, educators, employer networks and local and national stakeholders
  • Develop a joined‑up ecosystem around MASA that connects employers, communities, providers, policymakers and delivery partners
  • Ensure MASA’s engagement approach is community‑led, relevant and rooted in trust
  • Help create pathways that lead to real opportunities for underrepresented individuals and communities
• Performance, insight and KPIs
  • Develop and track smart KPIs linked to partnerships, growth, engagement, influence and impact
  • Create practical systems to monitor pipeline activity, stakeholder engagement, conversions and delivery outcomes
  • Use insight and performance data to sharpen focus, improve execution and support reporting to leadership
  • Bring discipline and visibility to growth activity, not just energy

What success looks like

• You have quickly built strong relationships with MASA’s key stakeholders, patrons and partners
• You have established a credible external presence and are representing MASA confidently in the market
• You have built an active pipeline of partnership, patron and growth opportunities
• You have introduced a clearer structure for tracking opportunities, relationships and follow‑up
• You are contributing ideas, momentum and external energy from the outset

In your first 6 months:

• You have helped secure a strong pipeline of new partnerships, patrons, collaborations or commercial opportunities
• MASA has grown a stronger external presence across policy, public affairs, thought leadership and stakeholder spaces
• Community‑led engagement is more visible and core to the business, we are better connected and more strategically aligned
• MASA’s programmes and partnerships are commercially viable, better joined up, more measurable and more impactful
• Clear KPIs and tracking systems are in place to support growth, delivery and accountability
• You are recognised internally as well with your peers as someone who brings energy, credibility, strategic thinking and results

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who combines commercial instinct with credibility and purpose. You may come from skills, employability, education, membership, partnerships, community engagement, public affairs, social impact or business development. What matters most is that you know how to build relationships, create opportunities, carry a brand well, and turn activity into growth.

You will be comfortable moving between senior stakeholder engagement, external representation, programme delivery, sales conversations, community‑based relationship building and practical follow‑through. You will not be waiting for a perfect brief. You will be proactive, self‑directed and energised by building.

You will bring

• Strong experience in partnerships, business development, external engagement or growth‑focused roles
• Confidence in selling, influencing and leading consultative commercial conversations
• A strong understanding of one or more of the following sectors: skills, apprenticeships, employability, education, social impact or community engagement
• The ability to represent an organisation confidently with senior leaders, employers, policymakers, community stakeholders and partners
• Experience of building strategic relationships and turning them into tangible outcomes
• A good grasp of policy, public affairs or stakeholder influence, particularly where it connects to education, skills, inclusion or employability
• Experience of community‑led engagement and an understanding of how trust and credibility are built across diverse communities
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to create structure, focus and follow‑through
• Confidence in developing practical KPIs, tracking progress and using performance measures intelligently
• A self‑starting, growth‑driven mindset with the confidence to get out there and make things happen

Particularly valuable

• Understanding of the apprenticeships landscape and the wider skills and employability system
• Experience in thought leadership, convening, campaigns, stakeholder forums or policy engagement
• Experience using LinkedIn and external platforms to build profile, generate opportunities and strengthen influence
• Existing networks across employers, providers, community organisations, local government or sector bodies
• Lived experience or strong professional experience working with multicultural and underrepresented communities

What will make someone stand out

• They are commercially sharp and mission‑aligned
• They are comfortable in rooms with senior people and credible in community spaces
• They understand both influence and execution
• They can build ecosystems, not just contacts
• They bring opportunities rather than waiting for them
• They are confident enough to lead externally and grounded enough to deliver internally
• They have the energy, judgement and drive to go out and really build something

What makes this role exciting

This is a chance to help shape a growing national movement with real ambition. The role offers autonomy, visibility and room to build. You will help strengthen MASA’s profile, expand its partnerships, influence key conversations and create opportunities that have real impact on underrepresented communities across England.

Working arrangements

• Birmingham head office base, with flexibility to work from home where appropriate
• Regular travel across England, typically 1-2 days per week depending on partnership and programme activity
• Travel expenses covered
• Occasional evening and weekend work for events, networking and external visibility