Partnership & Membership Manager in Manchester

WIG is a membership charity that is building a community of leaders across public, private and not-for-profit sectors. For over 40 years, WIG has brought together senior decision-makers and thought leaders from business, government and civil society to tackle the challenges that matter most to the UK’s future.

After a successful one year pilot, WIG is establishing a second office in Manchester as the foundation for expanding its presence, relationships and impact across the UK’s regions and nations. The office will provide a permanent regional base from which WIG can build stronger connections between central government, regional institutions, business, universities and civil society.

The Partnership & Membership Manager will play a pivotal role in establishing and growing this new regional presence. The post-holder will develop and deliver an SME membership proposition that complements WIG’s core membership offer, enabling a broader range of regional businesses to participate in WIG’s cross-sector community.

The role will build and convert a pipeline of membership, partnership and bespoke leadership opportunities, including regional adaptations of WIG’s established “Workings of” interventions. It will also identify and develop relationships with universities and other anchor institutions that can act as key convening partners within their regions.

This is an opportunity to help shape a new area of WIG’s work from the outset. The successful candidate will combine commercial drive with strong relationship-building skills and an understanding of regional economies, institutions and leadership networks. They will work across WIG to ensure that regional activity strengthens, and is fully connected to, the organisation’s wider membership, leadership development and strategic dialogue offer.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test and deliver WIG’s dedicated SME and regional membership proposition, ensuring it is clearly differentiated from and complementary to the core WIG membership offer.
• Build a strong pipeline of prospective SME and regional business members in WIG’s priority regions and nations.
• Develop a deep understanding of regional businesses’ priorities, challenges and appetite for cross-sector engagement.
• Convert prospects into members and establish strong relationships that support retention, engagement and future commercial opportunities.
• Work closely with the London Membership team to ensure a joined-up member experience and clear referral and account-management arrangements.

Business development and commercial pipeline

• Build, manage and close a robust pipeline of place-based commercial opportunities.
• Develop and sell WIG’s bespoke “Workings of” interventions for Combined Authorities, local leaders and other regional stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities for bespoke leadership programmes and interventions, working with WIG’s Leadership Development team to translate opportunities into deliverable programmes.
• Develop compelling proposals, pitches and commercial propositions that respond to regional needs while maintaining consistency with WIG’s wider offer.
• Maintain accurate CRM data, pipeline forecasts and commercial reporting against agreed income targets.

Regional partnerships and university relationships

• Identify universities and other anchor institutions capable of acting as WIG convening partners within priority regions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Vice-Chancellors, senior university leaders and other regional stakeholders.
• Develop partnership models that use local institutions to extend WIG’s reach, convening capacity and connection to regional leadership networks.
• Work with partners to identify opportunities for joint convening, leadership development and locally relevant interventions.
• Ensure regional partnerships add demonstrable value to WIG’s existing university members.

Cross-WIG collaboration

• Work closely with Membership, Partnerships, Marketing, Leadership Development and Research, Policy & Impact colleagues so that regional opportunities connect into WIG’s wider offer.
• Share regional intelligence, member insight and emerging opportunities across WIG.
• Ensure clear boundaries between the regional SME proposition and WIG’s core membership activity, avoiding duplication or internal competition.
• Contribute to the evidence base demonstrating the impact and commercial sustainability of WIG’s Nations & Regions model.

Other

• A commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Significant ability to travel across the UK.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Relevant professional qualification in business development, marketing, membership, sales or management would be advantageous.

Competencies

• Commercial acumen: confident in identifying opportunities, developing compelling propositions, managing a pipeline and converting relationships into sustainable income.
• Relationship excellence: able to build trusted relationships with senior leaders across business, government, universities and civil society.
• Entrepreneurial mindset: comfortable developing a new proposition, testing the market and adapting the approach according to evidence and customer insight.
• Place-based awareness: understands regional economies, devolution and the different stakeholder ecosystems operating within regions and nations.
• Strategic thinking: connects regional opportunities with WIG’s broader mission and strategic priorities rather than pursuing isolated commercial opportunities.
• Collaboration: works effectively across WIG teams, sharing intelligence and ensuring regional work strengthens the overall WIG offer.

Experience

• Essential
• Experience in business development, membership, account management, partnerships or a comparable commercially focused role.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and converting a commercial or membership pipeline.
• Experience building trusted relationships with senior external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including producing propositions, pitches or commercial proposals.
• Experience using CRM systems to manage relationships, pipeline and activity.
• Strong organisational and project-management skills.
• Demonstrable interest and understanding in UK public policy, economic growth, devolution or cross-sector collaboration.
• Alignment with WIG’s mission, purpose and values.
• Desirable
• Experience developing propositions for SMEs or regional businesses.
• Experience working with universities, Combined Authorities or other regional anchor institutions.
• Experience of membership organisations, professional services or mission-driven organisations.
• Knowledge of regional economic development and place-based growth.