The Spark is looking for a dynamic and solution focused Partnerships Manager. This is a new role with significant latitude to grow and shape the post.

The Partnerships Manager will play a key role in The Spark’s development strategy, ensuring a sustainable pipeline of income from commercial, charitable and public sector sources. The post holder will work with the senior management team to identify and develop opportunities for potential new projects and services.

The ideal candidate will be creative, flexible, a great communicator and have demonstrable experience of fundraising or building partnerships, identifying opportunities and developing solutions.

We’d like to hear from you if you're passionate about creating impactful partnerships to help create a healthier and happier society, where everyone has access to the support they need to thrive.

Responsibilities

• Provide creativity and drive in securing significant income from a range of sources both public and private

• Manage new and existing contracts, working closely with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure delivery of an outstanding experience from enquiry through to contract completion

• Build mutually beneficial relationships with other third-sector organisations

• Work closely with the Head of Marketing & Development and Head of Services to develop and implement a strategy to ensure that existing and new income streams are sustainable and aligned with deliverable resources and overall commercial objectives

• Work collaboratively across the organisation, particularly with the training and counselling teams to determine opportunities and develop commercial plans which meet defined objectives

• Achieve agreed annual performance and financial targets and provide regular pipeline forecasts and reports for the senior management team

• Work with the senior management team to produce reports and tenders where appropriate

• Act as organisational lead in developing and maintaining relationships with existing and potential funding partners, as well as other key stakeholders and other influential organisations and individuals

• Proactively develop and secure a pipeline of strategic partnerships, identifying opportunities, writing bids and generating leads. The successful candidate will have the skills and experience to develop compelling proposals and lead on negotiations

Experience

• Extensive track record of networking, building credible relationships and influencing external stakeholders

• Demonstrable commercial awareness

• Identifying potential business & funding opportunities

• Experience of presenting proposals to external partners

• Extensive experience of identifying and securing new income streams

Skills & Abilities

• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify potential business opportunities

• Strong numeracy, literacy and problem-solving skills.

• IT literate and confident with MS Office, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

• Ability to work within a team to translate new partnerships into our services.

• Strong communication skills

Personal Qualities

• Ability to thrive and adapt in a climate of rapid change

• Self-motivated

• Solution focussed approach to working

The Spark is a leading provider of couples counselling, marriage counselling, individual counselling, youth counselling and family counselling services in Scotland. We are also the biggest provider of school-based counselling services in the country, supporting thousands of children and young people each year with counselling.

As an SQA approved training centre, The Spark is at the forefront of counselling and mental health training services. Ranging from introductory courses in mental health first aid to advanced diplomas in counselling and psychotherapy theory and practice, The Spark provides pathways for individuals seeking a new career in counselling from trainee to supervisor levels.

About the role

The role will manage all aspects of The Spark’s digital strategy and engagement activities, maximising the organisations profile across multiple platforms.

• Developing, managing and evaluating digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels including pay per click, social media, SEO, SEM, Google Ads and Google Grants to achieve lead generation and strategic objectives
• Evaluating and reporting on ROI for all digital marketing activities against KPIs
• Developing, managing and evaluating content and social media strategy for the organisation
• Managing the digital publishing schedule and setting content deadlines and collating content from colleagues
• Ensuring the organisation’s website adheres to organic SEO best practices
• Managing day-to-day operation of the organisation’s website, social media platforms and e-communications, including:
  • Managing all front-end elements of the website via CMS
  • Writing regular content and ghost-writing articles on behalf of colleagues for the web
  • Managing customer databases, writing, collating and sending regular e-communications
  • Managing website analytics, providing regular reports and analysis to management, external funders and stakeholders, and provide strategic recommendations for future activity
  • Producing engaging, unique and accurate content for the website and digital channels
• Working with internal teams across Customer Service, Training and School Services to develop, implement and evaluate project-specific digital marketing campaigns to achieve strategic objectives
• Appointing and working with external agencies where appropriate to provide:
  • Website technical support
  • Website development including usability, design, content and conversion
  • Digital assets and content
• Responsibility for planning and budgetary control of all digital marketing activities
• Communicating with partners in relation to digital marketing activities
• Researching and identifying new digital marketing opportunities
• Contributing to industry blogs and online publishing platforms

Reasons to work with us

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent training & development opportunities
• Flexible working
• Company pension scheme
• Glasgow Credit Union Savings Scheme