Senior Manager Proposal and Client Engagement

Position description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.

We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.

Department: Cultural Engagement
Contract type: Definite
Duration: 12 months (possibility of extension)
Gross Monthly Starting Salary: 5 042.00€

Role Purpose

As a part of the Business Strategy, Performance and Partnerships (BSPP) team, the role incorporates client/partner engagement and advocacy, business development and proposal management, and contract delivery advisory, which supports British Council’s global growth ambition, through strategic partnerships, working in close collaboration with British Council sector and regional teams globally.

Challenges & Accountabilities

Strategy & planning

• Provides recognised client and business development expertise to support the effective development and delivery of the British Council’s global business strategy for Cultural Engagement;
• Contributes to the development of the British Council’s wider Cultural Engagement Strategy and plans, to support the achievement of mutual value to the UK and clients/partners, and enable delivery of optimal cultural relations impact in a financially sustainable way.

Key account management

• Provides guidance on the development and management of key strategic relationships with clients and partners in close coordination with regional, sector and corporate stakeholders;
• Develops and maintains excellent strategic relationships and networks with external client/partners and stakeholders in Brussels, the UK and across relevant regions.

Client/partner engagement and Positioning

• Maintains an authoritative knowledge of the UK’s strengths, reputation and capacity within education (formal and non-formal), English and arts/cultural markets in order to engage and position with clients/partners and other practitioners;
• Maintains an authoritative knowledge of client/partner policies and programming to inform sector and regional colleagues of developments and alignment;
• Coordinates advocacy efforts in Brussels which target clients/partners and other stakeholders, building respect for British Council’s international development and cultural relations capabilities;
• Participates in internal and external working groups, and other collaborative fora to develop coordinated strategies for cultivating, managing and leveraging strategically important relationships to enable achievement of BC commercial and impact targets;
• Maintains excellent relationships with internal colleagues in the UK and across the global network, to ensure effective, integrated and joined-up delivery of agreed business development objectives.

Pipeline and business development

• Generally, supports the development and growth of optimal business development pipeline, drawing on sector, regional and local intelligence to inform, and collaborate with colleagues across Cultural Engagement and the global network to take the offer to market. Gathers research and intelligence from a Brussels/HQ perspective on clients/partner trends and opportunities, and coordinates colleagues to do the same from a country/regional perspective;
• Ensures timely reporting and communication on externally funded contracts/grant funded opportunities;
• Assures accurate pipeline data through Salesforce CRM pipeline;
• Acts as proposal manager and/or supports the development of high-quality bids/proposals – management of the approval/decision-making process; secures the necessary human and financial resources to deliver the bid; creates a bid plan and monitors its progress; provides technical and commercial quality assurance on project design and tender submissions;
• Leads lessons learnt exercise for both wins and losses and draws insights. Develops lessons around professional best practice and commercial rigour;
• Supports maintenance of database of external consultants in key sectors including identification and relationship management.

Commercial and contractual management

• Responsible for pursuit expenditure and business development running costs against approved pursuit budgets;
• Prepares financial proposals, project budgets and costing models;
• Plans financial aspects of handover to delivery teams, prepares transfer of the approved costing model into a financial plan;
• Prepares agreements to associate, non-disclosure agreements, pre-bid agreements, contract agreements and partner and consultant agreements. Negotiates and agrees terms with partners, clients, consultants and UK Global Contracts Team.

Business delivery

• Generally, supports the successful delivery of client/partner contracts and ensures learning is embedded into advocacy and the pursuit of new business;
• Contributes to project start up and inception, handover from business development team to implementation team, risk management including but not limited to contracts, tax, status and security risks;
• Participates in contract boards and closure activities, helping to ensure learning is embedded in future policy and project design via advocacy initiatives.

Capacity building

• Build the capacity of the internal network to engage and position, to pursue business and to delivery with key clients/partners;
• Embeds effective processes, standards and tools to support colleagues with pipeline and consultant/partner relationship management.

Leadership & management

• May provide formal line management to a small team, which might consist of staff both within and beyond the local office base;
• Identifies requirements and recommends training and development provision to build improved business-development capability within the unit/team/area;
• Ensures that the principles of British Council Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy are applied to all aspects of our state aid/non-state aid programme work.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)

• To actively contribute to an inclusive and anti-racist organisational culture, being aware of your own biases, and taking action to mitigate against these. Ensuring people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for people’s well-being and mental health;
• Understand the British Council’s approach to equality, diversity and inclusion and how it applies to your role, and make time for learning and development relating to EDI and anti-racism.

Qualifications

• Working rights to live and work in Belgium;
• English essential, and French desirable;
• A University degree in a related field, i.e. economics, development studies, international affairs, education, culture, etc.;
• Proven experience of advocacy, business development and delivery of client funded development contracts (external environments);
• Experience building partnership and working with funding from multi-national and/or national bodies, i.e. EU Institutions, European Governments, International Organisations;
• Experience engaging with the European Institutions;
• Knowledge and understanding of the international development agenda;
• Operates successfully in a complex, multi-cultural context;
• Experience of leading pursuit and proposal development;
• Experience in budget preparation and budget monitoring;
• Desirable: Experience of working in a developing country context;
• Desirable: Experience building partnerships and working with funding from German Government and/or UN bodies and/or World Bank;
• Desirable: Experience engaging with the European Parliament and/or the European Council of Ministers.

Benefits

• Groups insurance (2nd pillar pension scheme);
• 13th month;
• Holiday bonus;
• Reimbursement public transport costs up to 34€/month and train season’s tickets following the Employer’s legal reimbursement rules;
• Commuting cycling allowance: 0.35€/km;
• Mealvouchers of 6€/working day (with personal contribution of 1.09€ per mealvoucher);
• Teleworking allowance 30€/month (captured in a structural teleworking agreement three days/week);
• 25 days annual leave.

Closing Date: Applications will close on 29/02/2024 at 23:59 (Central European Time (CET)).

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Application instructions

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