About the Opportunity

Position overview

Department

Business and Partnership Development & Apprenticeships /

Innovation & Enterprise

Location

London / Remote

(Hybrid working in line with business need typically 50% of working week on campus)

Term

Full-time; Fixed term for 12 months

(Part-time options may be considered)

Salary Range

35000 - 40000 per annum depending on experience

Benefits

The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance offer flexible working and parental leaveopportunities an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free confidential advice on both home and work concernsaswell asoptional private medical insurance season ticket loans andbeingpart of the cycle to work scheme.

• 25 days holiday allowance plus winter break 27th to 31st December (excl. Bank Holidays)

• Group life assurance group income protection

• Pension schemes and optional private healthcare

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Flexible working options

Reports to

Associate Director Innovation & Enterprise

(Currently to Director of Business Development Interim cover for Maternity Leave)

Start date (dependent on successful completion of relevant checks)

Immediate March 2026

The Role

Northeastern University London (NU London) is seeking a Business and Partnership Development Officer to support the promotion and delivery of work-related learning opportunities including degree apprenticeships co-op placements short courses and other non-credit bearing offerings. The role involves working with employers across all sectors as part of workforce planning and development.

Proactive and results-driven you will identify and secure growth and income generating opportunities for NU London and where appropriate Northeasterns wider global network. The externally facing aspects of this role involve contact in person via web-conference email and telephone with organisations whose relationships are highly valued by NU London.

Through your ability to champion inspire and communicate opportunities for business collaboration you will be a key appointment in NU Londons external business and partnership development activities. The role is field-based and suitable for hybrid working but with a need to travel within the UK and attend the London-based campus when required.

The successful applicant will primarily focus on apprenticeship business working with employers to increase the use of apprenticeship training to upskill their existing workforce and develop new hires with the aim of growing numbers on NU London apprenticeship programmes. There may also be opportunities to support co-op placement development as business needs evolve.

Duties and Responsibilities

Business and Partnership Development

• Grow apprenticeship programme numbers and/or experiential learning opportunities for students (co-ops internships placements)

• Research and identify organisations with potential synergies to the Universitys expertise

• Generate new leads and develop proposals for targeting businesses to source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones

• Carry out business development work to convert prospects into income generating projects

• Collaborate with the marketing team as needed to enhance business development activity

• Build and maintain relationships with partner organisations

• Source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones

• Identify innovative partnership opportunities that add value to both NU London and partners

Operations & Reporting

• Drive demonstrable growth and income from apprenticeship and other work-related learning opportunities

• Achieve and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of employer partnerships such as the number of apprenticeship starts secured employer satisfaction and retention.

• Report income forecasts on a regular basis

• Support internal operational teams in implementing partner engagements

• Consistent and effective use of Salesforce CRM and with a proactive approach to digital transformation and implementing best-practice tools and methods

• Ensure compliance with relevant internal and external quality assurance processes and regulations

• Maintain accurate records in accordance with Data Protection and GDPR

Events & Communications

• Organise and support engagement activities including in-person events employer roundtables and webinars

• Develop proactive approaches to prospect communications

• Respond promptly to inbound enquiries and maintain regular outbound communications

• Support promotion of work-related offerings via events partnerships and digital channels

Person specification criteria

To undertake this role the following should apply should you not have the experience below please do highlight where transferrable skills would assist with you undertaking the role.

Qualifications

• Honours degree or equivalent professional qualification and/or relevant business development experience E

• Recognised qualification in sales or digital marketing D

• Masters Degree D

Key Skills & Experience

• Highly personable with an aptitude to build relationships with industrial partners E

• Excellent communication skills including ability to write engaging content and conduct consultative client meetings E

• Experience of building relationships in the HE/FE sector and/or business community E

• Experience of sales business or partnership development in a KPI-driven environment E

• Ability to research prospects and generate leads with autonomy E

• Knowledge of higher education apprenticeships and early careers/skills E

• Strong organisational and time management skills with ability to work to deadlines E

• Experience in the use of database and management information systems (particularly Salesforce) E

• Excellent IT skills especially MS Office suite with a positive approach to implementing new technologies E

• Creative approach to problem solving and identifying new opportunities E

• Experience of organising and managing events E

• Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively as a team member E

• High degree of professionalism personal integrity and confidentiality E

• Excellent record-keeping and reporting skills with awareness of Data Protection/GDPR E

• Resilient with a can-do attitude and ability to remain calm under pressure E

• Willingness to undertake continuous professional development E

Experience of more specialised areas of business development would also be an asset:

• Creating commercial proposals for prospective clients D

• Working on all areas of public sector procurement processes e.g. bid writing end-to-end bid management D

• Working with marketing teams across lead generation and development D

• Excellent persuasive writing skills with a high level of attention to detail and strong grammatical skills D

Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Emma Kelly ().

However all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process

Please include a covering letter of no more than one page addressing the role criteria and a full curriculum vitae.

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged but voluntary.

Job sponsorship:

Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Position Type

Additional Information

They can be reached at the following:

However all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process

Applications should be made by 00:00 on the job postings end date (if applicable).

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged but voluntary.

Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full curriculum vitae.

The panel will be shortlisting for this position on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this post before the closing date if we receive a large number of applications.

Please note all employees of Northeastern University London are required to undergo at least a basic DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London.

For staffs own wellbeing for part time roles the expectation is if you have multiple roles they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week) and for full time roles the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles).

Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.