Business Engagement and Relationship Lead in Leeds

£46,889 per annum - Grade 8
Fixed Term until March 2027
37 hours per week
Leeds
Closing date: Monday 25 May 2026 at 11:55pm

Please note that the Combined Authority will consider requests for part-time working and/or job share. We currently have a vacancy for a Business Engagement and Relationship Lead to join our Business Engagement. This role is integral to building and maintaining the relationships that we have with our West Yorkshire business community.

Key Account Management focuses on larger organisations who are important employers in the region and those with high growth potential to help facilitate strong relationships, and ease accessing business support. It's an exciting time as we implement our new business support model for the West Yorkshire Business Growth Hub, giving you the opportunity to shape how businesses are supported, connected and enabled to thrive.

If you enjoy leading senior relationships and working across public-private partnerships, this is a rare and rewarding opportunity to help deliver a more inclusive, prosperous West Yorkshire. In this role, you will act as a visible and trusted contact for business leaders, working at pace to remove barriers to growth and unlock opportunity. You will shape and champion a joined-up, responsive system of business support, bringing people and organisations together to ensure businesses get the right support at the right time.

This will involve developing partnerships with local authorities and business support providers across the public and private sectors to turn ambition into impact. This is a role for someone who thrives on influence, collaboration and problem-solving - who has excellent relationship building skills, and wants to make a tangible difference to businesses, jobs and the economy across the region.

Our Offer

• Work your way – From flexible and agile working options, including a generous flexi-time scheme to help you balance your personal life and career.
• Time to recharge – Enjoy 28 days of annual leave (with increases based on length of service), plus all Bank Holidays.
• Free greener travel across West Yorkshire – Cover your commute sustainably with unlimited free bus and rail travel using the MCard (Zones 1–5).
• Secure your future – Benefit from a highly competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Investing in you – Take advantage of fully funded professional development, regular training, and up to 3 paid volunteering days per year.
• Grow with us – Incremental salary progression for most roles and annual cost of living increases.
• Family first – We offer enhanced parental and bereavement leave, plus other family-friendly policies to support you when it matters most.
• Your wellbeing, our priority – Access 24/7 free confidential counselling services and the Headspace app for you and up to 5 family or friends.
• Modern workspace in a prime location – Work in bright, contemporary offices just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, fully equipped with the latest tech.

The Role

Reporting into the Inclusive Economy Manager, your key responsibilities will include:

• Lead and grow strategic relationships with businesses across West Yorkshire.
• Build strong relationships across the business support ecosystem, including local authorities and partners to better support business needs.
• Drive impact, performance and delivery against regional growth priorities by achieving KPIs, and taking a proactive approach to business engagement in line with the organisation’s Local Growth Plan.

Please review the Role Profile for more information about the responsibilities.

About You

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience:

• Senior-level business engagement experience.
• Understanding of the West Yorkshire business market and business support ecosystem.
• Ability to lead, influence and work across complex partnerships.
• Although there is no current line management responsibility required in this role right now, leadership and people management experience, or a desire to progress to this is ideal.
• Strategic thinking with strong communication and problem-solving skills, and a can-do attitude.

To Apply

If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements under the ‘About You’ section of the advert and criteria within the Role Profile.

Please visit our Advice for Candidates webpage and review the guidance on this page for support in completing your application form.

Further Information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, or other personal circumstances.

We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met. Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases on an annual basis.