About the Opportunity
Position overview
Department
Business and Partnership Development & Apprenticeships /
Innovation & Enterprise
Location
London / Remote
Term
Full-time; Fixed term for 12 months
Salary Range
£35,000 - £40,000 per annum, depending on experience
Benefits
The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, offer flexible working and parental leave opportunities, an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free, confidential advice on both home and work concerns as well as optional private medical insurance, season ticket loans and being part of the cycle to work scheme.
1. 25 days holiday allowance plus winter break 27th to 31st December (excl. Bank Holidays)
2. Group life assurance, group income protection
3. Pension schemes and optional private healthcare
4. Employee Assistance Programme
5. Flexible working options
Reports to
Associate Director, Innovation & Enterprise
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, Northeastern's 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 London's 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
6. Grow apprenticeship programme numbers and/or experiential learning opportunities for students (co-ops, internships, placements)
7. Research and identify organisations with potential synergies to the University's expertise
8. Generate new leads and develop proposals for targeting businesses to source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones
9. Carry out business development work to convert prospects into income generating projects
10. Collaborate with the marketing team as needed to enhance business development activity
11. Build and maintain relationships with partner organisations
12. Source new partners and nurture relationships with existing ones
13. Identify innovative partnership opportunities that add value to both NU London and partners
Operations & Reporting
14. Drive demonstrable growth and income from apprenticeship and other work-related learning opportunities
15. 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.
16. Report income forecasts on a regular basis
17. Support internal operational teams in implementing partner engagements
18. Consistent and effective use of Salesforce CRM and with a proactive approach to digital transformation and implementing best-practice tools and methods
19. Ensure compliance with relevant internal and external quality assurance processes and regulations
20. Maintain accurate records in accordance with Data Protection and GDPR
Events & Communications
21. Organise and support engagement activities including in-person events, employer roundtables, and webinars
22. Develop proactive approaches to prospect communications
23. Respond promptly to inbound enquiries and maintain regular outbound communications
24. 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
25. Honours degree or equivalent professional qualification and/or relevant business development experience [E]
26. Recognised qualification in sales or digital marketing [D]
27. Master's Degree [D]
Key Skills & Experience
28. Highly personable with an aptitude to build relationships with industrial partners [E]
29. Excellent communication skills including ability to write engaging content and conduct consultative client meetings [E]
30. Experience of building relationships in the HE/FE sector and/or business community [E]
31. Experience of sales, business or partnership development in a KPI-driven environment [E]
32. Ability to research prospects and generate leads with autonomy [E]
33. Knowledge of higher education, apprenticeships, and early careers/skills [E]
34. Strong organisational and time management skills with ability to work to deadlines [E]
35. Experience in the use of database and management information systems (particularly Salesforce) [E]
36. Excellent IT skills, especially MS Office suite with a positive approach to implementing new technologies [E]
37. Creative approach to problem solving and identifying new opportunities [E]
38. Experience of organising and managing events [E]
39. Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively as a team member [E]
40. High degree of professionalism, personal integrity, and confidentiality [E]
41. Excellent record-keeping and reporting skills with awareness of Data Protection/GDPR [E]
42. Resilient with a can-do attitude and ability to remain calm under pressure [E]
43. Willingness to undertake continuous professional development [E]
Experience of more specialised areas of business development would also be an asset:
44. Creating commercial proposals for prospective clients [D]
45. Working on all areas of public sector procurement processes e.g. bid writing, end-to-end bid management [D]
46. Working with marketing teams across lead generation and development [D]
47. Excellent persuasive writing skills with a high level of attention to detail and strong grammatical skills [D]
Enquiries
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
General Administration