Health Partnerships Manager in Guildford

The University of Surrey is a global community of ideas and people, dedicated to life-changing education and research. We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve - shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee.

Join our Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences as a Health Partnerships Manager, taking senior professional services leadership responsibility for the University’s NHS education contracts and external health partnerships. Reporting to the Associate Director (Business Operations), you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the Faculty’s external relationships are strategically managed, contractually compliant, and positioned for growth.

You will take strategic ownership of the NHS Education contract, ensuring full compliance with all contractual, regulatory, quality, and reporting requirements. Working with confidence at a senior level, you will conduct high-level negotiations with NHS commissioning bodies and Trust Education Leads, proactively identifying opportunities to develop new business across an extended regional locality in line with workforce planning priorities and Faculty strategy.

A key element of the role will be supporting the School of Veterinary Medicine as it prepares for growth in student numbers. You will line-manage the Clinical Placements Manager, acting as the senior point of escalation for complex or sensitive matters and maintaining the stability, resilience, and effective capacity of the wider Clinical Placements team. More broadly, you will lead on Faculty strategic initiatives, represent the Faculty at a senior level on committees and working groups, and chair or support internal and external stakeholder forums as required. This is a substantive and varied senior role, offering genuine scope to shape the Faculty’s external partnership landscape and contribute to its long-term strategic ambitions.

The successful candidate will be a senior professional services leader with a proven track record of managing complex stakeholder relationships and delivering strategic objectives in a demanding environment. You will bring demonstrable experience of strategic planning, project and programme management, and people management, alongside a sound understanding of financial management principles in a devolved setting.

You will be confident and authoritative in your dealings with external partners, with the negotiation and influencing skills necessary to build and sustain productive relationships with NHS commissioning bodies, Trust Education Leads, and other senior stakeholders. You will be proactive in identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and confident in proposing creative solutions to support the Faculty’s strategic development.

Experience of the higher education sector and an awareness of the activities of the University are essential. A relevant degree or postgraduate qualification alongside significant management experience is required, though candidates who can demonstrate substantial vocational and strategic leadership experience, evidenced through progressively more demanding roles, are equally encouraged to apply.

The role is predominantly based at the Manor Park campus in the Kate Granger Building, with occasional travel to Stag Hill. Hybrid working patterns can be considered, with a minimum of three days on site expected for full-time staff.

Please apply on the University website including a CV and covering letter demonstrating how you meet the essential requirements outlined above. We can offer a generous remuneration package, which includes relocation assistance where appropriate, an attractive research environment, the latest teaching facilities, and access to a variety of staff development opportunities.

The University of Surrey is committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities for all. We place great value on diversity and are seeking to increase the diversity within our community. Therefore we particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.