Economic Development Senior Manager

The Location The base location for this role is Boldon House, our exciting new professional services hub. Boldon House is situated on the outskirts of Durham near the Arnison Centre in Pity Me. Boldon House brings a number of professional services teams together in a vibrant office environment which supports collaborative working and is designed to embrace hybrid working. To find out more, visit the project webpage: Boldon House – Durham University.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:

• You’ll receive 30 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, and as a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can also take advantage of our cost-effective and environmentally friendly Tusker Car Benefit Scheme, allowing you to lease a brand-new electric or hybrid vehicle with savings on tax and National Insurance.
• We have a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• Our family-friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
• Various salary sacrifice schemes are also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs, and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest-free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Your application should cover the following criteria: Essential Criteria

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
3. Professional practitioner with specialist expertise in economic development, including business and industry engagement, high-growth sectors, place-based partnerships and/or regional innovation ecosystems.
4. Experience of supporting skills, employment or talent-related activity where this is aligned to economic development priorities, sector growth or business and industry needs.
5. Knowledge and understanding of high-growth sectors and regional innovation ecosystems and how universities can contribute to economic growth through research, innovation, skills and partnership activity.
6. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior academic, professional services, civic, public sector and/or industry partners.
7. Experience of building and maintaining productive internal and external networks, using these relationships to share intelligence, develop collaborative opportunities and positively influence organisational reputation.
8. Experience of contributing to the development of strategic proposals, business cases, funding applications or partnership programmes involving multiple stakeholders.
9. Project and programme management experience applied across a multi-disciplinary project team or diverse portfolio of activity.
10. Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels, including the ability to identify priorities, assess opportunities and develop practical routes to delivery.
11. Strong digital competence across a range of digital systems, devices and applications used to manage projects, data and stakeholder information, including Microsoft 365.
12. Committed to continuing professional development and maintaining awareness of relevant policy, funding and economic development agendas.

Desirable Criteria

1. Knowledge of the UK and North East devolution, skills, innovation and/or sector policy landscape, including Industrial Strategy and Local Growth Plans.
2. Experience of working with pre-award, post-award or programme governance processes for economic development, innovation or skills-related activity
3. Experience of working with local or combined authorities, universities, government departments, industry, sector bodies or regional partnerships.
4. Experience of developing skills, education or employment-related initiatives aligned to economic development or priority