Partnerships Lead for Women's Professional Network

Meat Business Women; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global networking group for women in the meat and food manufacturing industries is seeking a Partnerships Lead for a maternity cover role starting February 2026. The candidate will be responsible for driving strategic relationships, expanding commercial activities, and ensuring the value of partnerships. The role demands strong business development skills, excellent communication, and a commitment to empowering women in the industry. This position can be full-time or part-time depending on the right candidate's fit.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in business development and onsite delivery.
• Experience in building strategic relationships with various stakeholders.
• Commitment to empowering women in the industry.

Responsibilities

• Build and nurture strategic account relationships.
• Grow revenue and expand commercial activities.
• Deliver engagement initiatives for partner organizations.

Skills

Commercial Acumen

Relationship Building

Strategic Thinking

Communication Skills

Collaborative Leadership

Job description

Partnerships Lead Maternity Cover 2026

Background & Context

Meat Business Women (MBW) is the global professional networking group for women working across the meat and food manufacturing industries, assuring the sustainability of the sector by attracting and retaining the best possible talent.

MBW was established in 2015 and now operates across UK, Ireland and Australia, with members in 22 countries globally. In addition, it is recognised by the United Nations as solution to one of their Sustainable Development Goals. In 2021 Meat Business Women transitioned into a membership organisation and launched a website from which individuals can become a Meat Business Women member. Alongside individual memberships, corporate businesses can become a Partner with MBW, with 57 Partners to date.

Partnerships unlock a host of benefits for our Corporate Partners : For their members this includes training, development, mentoring, networking and attendance at flagship events, all of which build confidence through experiences. For the Corporate Partners themselves, MBW provides a crucial support function for their ESG & L&D initiatives, We deliver a mixture of research and DEI leadership, as well as online and onsite delivery, aligning with the needs of the business in meeting their progression goals.

In 2026, MBW is proudly launching the third round of its Global Gender Representation Research, which is a globally recognised benchmark that tracks gender balance across the food and meat manufacturing industry. Data is independently analysed and submitted to the United Nations. This 2026 edition will provide the most comprehensive picture yet of gender representation across the full food supply chain and help identify opportunities to strengthen inclusion, leadership pipelines, and talent retention. Alongside existing programs of delivery to our Partners, the outputs from this work will help to shape the future needs of our industry, our partners and its members in 2026, and beyond.

Job Description

This is an initial 10-month maternity cover role, starting from February 2026 onwards. We may seek to extend the role beyond this timeline and are open to the possibility of either full time or part time contracts for this time period. For MBW, it’s about finding the right person with the right passion to deliver for our Partners!

The role will have accountability and responsibility for the delivery of the strategy. It will protect and develop a specific ring-fenced portion of our more Strategic relationships, whilst seeking new growth opportunities within the corporate space.

This is a role for an energetic and enthusiastic, commercially-driven professional who has a proven track record of onsite delivery and business development. They will understand the importance of delighting the customer and growing upon solid and strongly maintained partnerships. A commitment to empowering women in the industry is a must. The objective of the role is to promote and expand the company’s commercial activity that will generate revenues and lead to sustainable growth. The role reports into the new Managing Director of Meat Business Women, working across the whole team (UK & elsewhere) to deliver into our success.

Partnerships Lead – What Success Looks Like

As Partnerships Lead at MBW, you’ll be the driving force behind building and nurturing our Strategic account relationships. This role is about influence, impact, and creating value for partners—combining commercial growth with relationship excellence, ensuring MBW is indispensable to partners.

Core Attributes for Success

• Commercial Acumen with Purpose You understand how to grow revenue while aligning with MBW’s mission. You see partnerships as strategic levers, not transactions, and can balance commercial goals with long-term relationship building.
• Relationship Builder & Connector You thrive on creating meaningful connections across diverse stakeholders—from HR leaders to senior executives. You know how to engage, listen, and tailor solutions that make MBW indispensable to our partners.
• Strategic yet Practical You can think strategically about growth and priorities, while also rolling up your sleeves to deliver—whether onboarding a partner, coordinating an event, or producing a tailored update.
• Insight-Driven & Curious You bring fresh ideas by spotting trends and understanding partner needs. You’re proactive in recommending solutions that add measurable value, from talent initiatives to engagement programs.
• Influential Communicator You articulate MBW’s value proposition with clarity and confidence, inspiring partners and internal teams alike. You’re comfortable leading meetings, presenting to senior stakeholders and members alike, and representing MBW at industry events. You are comfortable navigating and networking within partner businesses, understanding that these may be complex in nature.
• Collaborative Leadership You lead through influence, not hierarchy—collaborating with the MBW team and working seamlessly with partners to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences.

What You’ll Deliver

• Deep, trusted relationships with existing partners that translate into retention and advocacy.
• A pipeline of new partnerships that drives sustainable growth, working alongside the MBW team on a unified strategy across both Meat and Food Manufacturing.
• Engagement initiatives that make MBW a “must-have” for partner organisations, be that in-person or online as needed.
• Clear, data-backed reporting on KPIs and impact for key contacts, be they at Management level, within the People function, Marketing or elsewhere within the org.
• Strategic input that shapes MBW’s membership and partnership evolution.

About the process

We are looking to have informal calls in December / Early January and a formal interview in late January, with references as part of this process.