Industry Engagement Manager

Manchester Metropolitan University; Manchester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Manchester Metropolitan University seeks an Industry Engagement Manager to lead in managing and developing business relationships with SMEs, particularly in West Cheshire. This role focuses on enhancing business engagement through collaborative efforts, excellent communication, and strong organisational skills. Ideal for candidates with a background in business development, this fixed-term position offers a supportive working environment committed to diversity and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in employer-facing roles, building relationships.
• Exceptional customer service experience with diverse customers.
• Ability to work independently and within a team.

Responsibilities

• Manage existing and develop new business relationships.
• Focus on small and medium enterprises in West Cheshire.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Communication

Relationship Building

Customer Service

Organisational skills

Job description

About you

• Are you an excellent communicator with a passion for supporting SME's?
• Do you thrive on building meaningful and long term business relationships and have a background in business development?
• Do you relish the opportunity to work in a dynamic and business engaged University centre?

If so then this role may be for you.

About the role:

The role will sit within Professional Services in the Centre for Enterprise, under the Business Engagement and Partnerships Directorate which sets the institutional priorities for Business Engagement and Partnerships activity. The team are looking for an Industry Engagement Manager to lead on managing existing relationships and developing new relationships with businesses who benefit from CfE programmes. There will be a specific focus on small and medium businesses who operate in the West Cheshire area. We will also be looking for someone with excellent organisation and interpersonal skills, who can build strong relationships with the Centre's internal and external stakeholders – including colleagues, funders and small business owners and managers. This role will be perfect for someone who is currently operating in a business development role

About the team or project:

The Centre for Enterprise (CfE) was set up in 2002 to provide regionally based and externally focused academic leadership and knowledge exchange in entrepreneurship and innovation. The team works collaboratively across the university with academic departments, research centres and professional services functions (particularly Research and Knowledge Exchange, Careers and Employability Services, and Marketing). The Centre transforms academic research into practical solutions to empower North West micro, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to develop, innovate and grow. To date, the CfE has collaborated with over 2,500 businesses and delivered over £45million worth of programmes. The CfE team brings academic and professional services colleagues together to build the capacity and capability of small business across the Greater Manchester region and beyond. As such, it is a critical element in the University's role as an anchor institution within the regional and National economy. The CfE team is a friendly, dynamic team that is mutually supportive and full of people who truly believe in the social and economic value of small business and have turned this into a number of award-winning projects and programmes.

About the candidate:

We are looking for someone who has extensive experience of:

• Working in an employer-facing or sector-based role; building relationships and/or sourcing opportunities.
• Working with a diverse range of customers to deliver an outstanding customer service experience.
• Updating professional services and academic colleagues on progress against targets.
• Managing a varied and demanding workload, including planning effectively, prioritising work and meeting deadlines.
• Working independently and as part of a team.

This role is fixed term until 31 March 2026. This post is open to internal candidates as a secondment opportunity and also external candidates.

To apply: Please attach your CV and covering letter to the online portal.

Manchester Met University is committed to creating an intentionally inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We understand the importance of having a diverse workforce and the benefits it can bring to ensuring diversity of thought and innovation in everything we do. We, therefore, encourage applications from our local and international communities, in particular people from ethnic minority groups, disabled people and people who identify as LGBTQI