Higher Education (HE) Partnerships Manager

About Us

STEM Learning’s vision is a world-leading STEM education for all young people across the UK. To achieve this, it provides a range of support to formal and informal education, including subject-specific professional development for teachers and other educators, quality assured resources, support for STEM Clubs and other activities, and a student-facing experiences. It also facilitates the STEM Ambassador programme, enabling nearly 25,000 individuals from more than 7,500 employers to share their enthusiasm and expertise with young people and teachers throughout the UK.

The Role

This is an exciting – self-directed – role accountable for creating, sustaining, and developing mutually beneficial relationships between STEM Learning, individual universities, HE sector bodies and Research Institutions across the UK.

This role will be accountable for the strategy, leadership and development of STEM Learning’s engagement with the HE sector – HEIs - both individually and collectively - Research Institutions, Catapult Centres and other related collaborative partners, working strategically to develop synergies and opportunities. Through this approach, this role will lead a demonstrably coordinated and impactful strategic collaboration between STEM Learning, the HE sector and UK’s research community – working with organisations both individually and collectively - to drive social mobility and widening participation. 

It is important that individual schools, colleges, teachers and senior leaders have access to a high-quality programme of professional development which positively impacts young people’s achievement, enthusiasm for and progression in STEM related subjects and careers. This role is instrumental in ensuring that all schools and colleges are able to benefit from the support provided by STEM Learning, which meets local and regional needs alongside addressing national priorities. 

This role will contribute positively to building STEM Learning’s reputation as ‘the partner of choice’ for all HEIs, research institutions and others wanting to engage in and support the UK’s STEM education and skills agenda.

To achieve STEM Learning’s vision, key deliverables for this role will include:

• Ensuring STEM Ambassadors become key to the UK Research and Innovation infrastructure. This role will lead collaborative partnerships between STEM Learning, universities and other research and innovation organisations to create a highly active and impactful national community of volunteers focused to engage young people with - and the dialogue around - research and innovation and how this impacts their lives.
• Strategic leadership of collaborative partnerships between STEM Learning and its four Shareholding Universities. This role will place specific focus on strong collaboration with STEM Learning’s four shareholder universities – University of York; University of Leeds, University of Sheffield; University of Sheffield Hallam. This role will lead a variety of projects which will have compelling logic with two key ingredients: (i) strong mutual added value of collaboration; (ii) a focus on specific priority areas for STEM Learning and its shareholders. 

As part of delivering the strategy, this role will coordinate, build, maintain and continually develop strong, effective partnerships with a wide range of national and regional partners to enrich and amplify the impact of STEM Learning’s support.  This role will also work with others to:

• Develop mutually beneficial relationships with universities, sector bodies and partners to support STEM Learning’s fundraising goals;

• Raise the profile of the work and impact of STEM Learning within the HE sector and UK Research and Innovation infrastructure;

• Bring together the HE, school and college sector to improve engagement with, and attainment in, STEM subjects, with STEM Ambassadors at its heart;

• Working strategically with STEM Ambassadors and other key partners, support a step change in the positive perceptions of young people, their teachers, families and other influencers about the range and breadth of careers open to them in research, innovation, and other sectors;

• Develop financially beneficial international HE partnerships.

Our Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a high performing individual with a track record of success working with, or within the higher education sector or related sector. To be successful in this role you will have extensive knowledge of the higher education sector with the ability to influence positively across all levels both internally and externally, while engaging with and managing stakeholder relationships.

You will possess excellent organisational and communication skills and the ability to prioritise a demanding and varied workload. The ability to work with a diverse range of stakeholders is essential to ensure our engagement with universities and research institutions delivers sustained impact.

You will have the ability to think analytically, while managing and prioritising conflicting demands, working on your initiative and as part of a team.

Our Benefits

• 30 days holidays plus bank holidays
• Access to a fantastic pension scheme
• A comprehensive employee assistance programme
• Access to a voluntary staff benefits scheme including cycle to work loan scheme; health cash back plans; free eye tests; discounted vouchers and much more

Next Steps

To apply please submit your CV and a cover letter (via the ‘Apply’ button above) explaining what interested you in the role and why you think you are our ideal candidate.

There is no closing date for this appointment; applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so early applications are recommended.

To find out more about this exciting opportunity, please visit our vacancies page .