Industry Engagement Manager - Northern Ireland (Maternity Cover) in Edinburgh

We’re seeking someone with excellent engagement skills and industry experience to support the seafood sector across Northern Ireland.

Quick overview of the role:

• Job status: This is a full-time role for 12 months as maternity leave cover.
• Location: The job will be home based and will involve travel across Northern Ireland and throughout the UK, principally to the Seafish offices in Edinburgh and Grimsby.
• Salary: The starting salary for this role is £41,000 per year.

What it’s like to work in the Industry Engagement Team at Seafish:

The Industry Engagement team are proactive ambassadors for Seafish and the local seafood industry, leading and supporting activities that drive sustainable growth at a local, regional and national level. We act as a primary contact for seafood business across the supply chain, connecting people to the services of most benefit to them and seeking to understand evolving industry needs. We provide valued support to industry more widely by delivering projects, fostering relationships, and collaborating with stakeholders to maximise the reach of Seafish support and drive positive change.

Job Purpose:

This role is responsible for supporting the seafood industry in Northern Ireland by leading and advancing initiatives that benefit the seafood supply chain. This is achieved through building and maintaining strong relationships with seafood businesses, as well as key stakeholders such as the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), other government bodies, public sector partner organisations and academic institutions. By fostering these connections, the role aims to expand the reach of our support and position Seafish as a valuable industry contributor, driving economic growth and adding value across priority work streams aligned to our Annual Plan.

Special features of the role:

• The job holder must hold a full UK driving licence and will undertake a moderate to significant amount of driving in the execution of their role.
• There will be a requirement to visit quaysides, processing plants, and potentially fish farms. There may be occasional requirements to board fishing vessels, which require a good level of physical fitness.

The main dimensions of the role are:

• Build and maintain relationships with businesses across the Northern Ireland seafood supply chain, DAERA contacts, Local Authorities, partner organisations, relevant public bodies and non-industry based institutions (e.g. academia) to maximise engagement with our work, and make sure key stakeholders understand what we do and are connected to the products and services that are of most benefit to them.
• Represent Seafish locally and nationally in Northern Ireland, acting as the primary contact to help seafood industry stakeholders understand what we do and how it adds value.
• Be the first port of call for general enquiries, promote funding opportunities, expand the reach of our services and improve stakeholder sentiment towards Seafish.
• Manage engagement with the Seafish Northern Ireland Advisory Committee and maintain an appropriate scope of engaged members to capture industry insight, enhance advocacy for our work and position Seafish to have a positive impact on local industry priorities that align with our Corporate Plan objectives.
• Capture and share insight on evolving industry needs, challenges and opportunities so that Seafish can provide relevant and valued support at a local and national level.
• Provide quality advice to seafood businesses and local industry stakeholders on available funds and eligibility of projects or elements within projects that support the sustainable development of the seafood industry and local communities it supports.
• Engage directly with seafood industry stakeholders through in-person meetings and remote systems, ensuring extensive presence across Northern Ireland.
• Develop strong working relationships with internal teams to stay informed on key activities and help make sure our outputs are valued in Northern Ireland and have appropriate industry buy-in.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of our hub of Seafish resources helping us improve our understanding of industry stakeholders and how we manage stakeholder engagement at Seafish.
• Facilitate connections between colleagues and external contacts to maximise service and engagement opportunities.
• Manage, support, host and attend events that help deliver the objectives of the role.
• Manage projects aimed at achieving objectives through customer channels, so that the relevant aims of the Seafish Corporate Plan are realised.

Knowledge, skills and experience required:

• Broad seafood industry understanding, gained through formal education to degree level, hands-on experience, or alternative pathways.
• Knowledge of, and solid proven experience working within, the Northern Ireland seafood supply chain, including a strong grasp of key sector issues and sustainability principles (commercial and environmental).
• Demonstrated ability to engage and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders across multiple sectors, including industry, government, development agencies and research institutes.
• Experience in building and maintaining productive relationships while navigating complex industry dynamics.
• Possesses excellent interpersonal, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to diplomatically manage competing views and interests as a skilled facilitator.
• Proven ability to coordinate complex work programmes, adopting a self-sufficient approach to managing a range of activities with a key focus on problem solving, managing risk, delivering results, demonstrating impact and meeting stakeholder requirements.
• Excellent organisational, planning and project management skills, with experience of managing budgets of up to £75k and successfully delivering projects within agreed timescales.
• Able to deliver agreed results and outputs while working independently, with strong analytical skills and a problem-solving mindset.
• Proficient in communicating effectively across all business levels, with the ability to deliver engaging presentations using software in both virtual and in-person meetings.
• Effective written and reporting skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams.
• Knowledge of Northern Ireland seafood sector representative organisations, authorities, and key non-industry-based seafood industry stakeholders.
• Proven ability to influence and foster partnerships with public bodies and representatives across various organisations.
• Knowledge of Northern Ireland regulatory and compliance frameworks.
• Experience in stakeholder data management and/or using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

Salary and benefits:

All roles within Seafish are classified and have defined salary bands. This role sits within Job Family C in our pay structure, and the starting salary is at £41,000. A new member’s appointment on the pay structure is dependent on the experience they bring to the role when they start. New candidates normally start at the lower end of the range unless they can demonstrate considerable experience in the requirements of the role.

Additional benefits include: 25 days annual leave plus