Strategic Skills & Partnerships Lead in Manchester

Reports to: Head of Policy & Public Affairs

Location: Salford, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester or Newcastle

Contract type: Fixed Term 12 Months

Apply via: Please submit a CV and cover letter that sets out how your recent experience aligns with the Essential Experience criteria in the role description to jobs@screenskills.com. Please structure your response with clear, specific examples. Applications that do not address these criteria may not be progressed.

About us: ScreenSkills is the industry-led skills body for the screen industries - film, television (including children's, unscripted and high-end), VFX and animation. We are supporting the continued growth and future innovation across the whole of the UK by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce who are critical to the global success of the screen sector. We are a charity supported by industry contributions to our Skills Funds – High-end TV, Film, Animation, Children's TV, Unscripted TV to help people get into the industry and progress within it.

Role purpose: This is a highly external-facing role with real influence, focused on building strategic partnerships, strengthening skills pathways and representing ScreenSkills across the sector, with an initial focus on engagement and delivery across the English regions. Working at the intersection of industry, education, policy and regional delivery, the role will help connect workforce needs with skills development opportunities, building relationships and collaborative approaches that create impact regionally and nationally. A key early priority will be to support clearer signposting of skills development opportunities, working closely with colleagues in communications and across ScreenSkills to help ensure partner programmes, regional initiatives and wider skills development activity are visible, accessible and effectively promoted through our online and social channels.

We're looking for someone who is motivated by the future of the screen industry and the opportunities that strong skills development can create. Alongside excellent relationship-building capability, the role requires someone who is confident operating across complex stakeholder environments and able to work with credibility, influence and autonomy. We recognise no candidate will meet every requirement below. If you meet most of the criteria and are excited by the opportunity to help shape skills and workforce development within the screen industry, we encourage you to apply.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop strategic partnerships across industry, education and public-sector stakeholders to strengthen workforce pathways and skills development across the screen sector.
• Identify and develop opportunities for regional and national collaboration that respond to industry workforce needs and emerging skills priorities.
• Represent ScreenSkills externally across industry, skills and stakeholder forums, building visibility, credibility and influence across the sector.
• Influence and engage senior stakeholders across industry, education and regional skills systems to support collaboration and long-term partnership development.
• Support the development of skills pathways and workforce initiatives informed by regional intelligence, industry engagement and policy awareness.
• Manage projects, budgets and multiple workstreams to deliver impact and support organisational priorities.
• Generate / contribute to bids, proposals and funding opportunities that support partnership development and sector growth.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Skills and workforce development: Strong understanding of post-16 education, apprenticeships, standards, short courses, and CPD. Understanding of devolution, LSIPs and local skills needs, and how these shape workforce development and regional skills priorities. Good understanding of education and skills policy, or a strong interest and ability to develop this knowledge quickly, and how it shapes workforce development, skills pathways and industry engagement.
• Screen & creative industries: Good understanding of the screen industry and its workforce needs. Direct experience in TV or film production, post-production, commissioning, distribution, exhibition or related creative-industry environments is highly valued.
• Partnerships & influence: Strong relationship-building skills, with the ability to develop partnerships and engage a wide range of stakeholders across industry, education and the public sector. Existing regional and/or national networks, or the ability to build credibility and relationships quickly across the sector. Ability to operate confidently across complex stakeholder environments and influence at a senior level. Strategic and collaborative approach to partnership development and stakeholder engagement. Confident representing an organisation externally; experience with public speaking or panel participation is advantageous.
• Delivery & ways of working: Highly organised, with strong project management and prioritisation skills and the ability to manage multiple workstreams effectively. Financially literate and comfortable managing budgets, funding and partnership activity. Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, solutions-focused approach. Able to write clear and compelling pitches, proposals, presentations and stakeholder communications. Experience supporting bids, tenders or funding opportunities is advantageous. Strong PowerPoint and visual presentation skills are an advantage.

Practicalities:

• Willingness to travel across the UK.
• Ability to attend occasional evening events and overnight stays where required.

We support flexible working arrangements to help balance travel and personal commitments.

Corporate responsibilities of all ScreenSkills personnel:

• Take ownership of, and contribute to, internal and external communications activity both in their job role and as part of ScreenSkills' overall strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate a personal commitment to embracing and promoting ScreenSkills' positive approach to the achievement of acceptance, openness, and equality of opportunity at work for people from under-represented groups (e.g. such as those with disabilities and from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and minority ethnic groups).
• Promote and develop individual and organisational activities which support and enhance environmental sustainability and health and safety objectives.
• Establish good working relationships with both internal and external customers and provide a high-quality service which meets their needs.
• Support yours and your colleagues' activity through a commitment to effective and correct use of corporate tools and resources, including the ScreenSkills' intranet for internal communications and authorised systems for contact management.

ScreenSkills is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering after a career break, women, people who are LGBTQ+, minority ethnic groups, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, from a less advantaged socio-economic background as well as any other under-represented group.