Partnerships Director

The Organisation

Equal Education is a social enterprise working to improve outcomes and narrow the attainment gap for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, including Children Looked After, those with SEND, and unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We have 12 years’ experience delivering 1:1 tuition, working with hundreds of schools and Local Authority partners across the country, reaching hundreds of pupils annually. 

As a member of the Fair Education Alliance, we believe in providing meaningful educational provision to students whose needs may not be best met within a traditional classroom environment, those who aren’t currently accessing education, or who benefit from additional 1:1 support. Our programmes allow students to overcome barriers to learning, help them build trusted relationships, increase their aspirations, and fulfil their potential. We are passionate about our cause and are looking for people who are motivated by a strong desire to address educational inequality and improve outcomes. 

This role will be suited to those who have held roles such as: Headteacher, Assistant/Deputy Head Teacher, Inclusion Team Manager, Head of Service, Virtual School Head, SEND Manager, Commissioning Manager, Educational Consultant. 

The Role

As our Partnerships Director, you will be at the forefront of driving organisational growth, leading our sales and procurement strategy, and positioning Equal Education as a thought leader in the education sector.

We are seeking an innovative and strategic Partnerships Director to lead our sales, procurement, and thought leadership strategy as we scale our impactful programmes for Children Looked After, students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children (UASC). This pivotal role is suited to an experienced professional with deep expertise in public sector procurement, tendering, and B2B/B2G sales, alongside a passion for addressing educational inequality.

A natural communicator, the post-holder will understand the challenges faced by our School and Local Authority Partners. They will be quick to pick up the phone or meet with our valued clients face-to-face in order to find solutions that work for all and ensure we can deliver our high-quality programmes to students. 

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the organisation’s sales, procurement, and partnership strategy to align with growth goals.
• Drive expansion of Equal Education’s programmes across the UK and into new territories.
• Support and mentor members of the Partnerships team, with a focus on personal and professional development. 

Tendering and Procurement

• Lead the tendering process, ensuring compelling, compliant, and winning bids.
• Oversee public sector procurement and contract negotiations with local authorities, schools, and multi-academy trusts.

Sales and Relationship Management

• Build and manage relationships with B2B and B2G partners, including key stakeholders in education and local government.
• Collaborate with internal teams to align service offerings with market needs.

Thought Leadership

• Represent Equal Education at conferences, panels, and events as a keynote speaker or panellist.
• Position the organisation as a leader in education innovation and policy through public engagements and publishing thought leadership pieces.

Operational Oversight

• Work closely with programme delivery teams to ensure partnership agreements translate into impactful services.
• Provide strategic oversight on the commercial aspects of partnership agreements.

Skills and Experience Required:

• Expertise in Public Sector Procurement: Proven experience in writing and winning tenders, with a deep understanding of procurement frameworks in the education sector.
• Sales Leadership: Extensive experience in B2B and B2G sales, with a track record of achieving growth targets.
• Contract Negotiation: Skilled in managing complex negotiations, ensuring mutually beneficial agreements.
• Data-Driven: Skilled in working with databases like Salesforce or other CRM and spreadsheets to track high volumes of client information and student outcomes. 
• Local Authority Knowledge: A background working with or for local authorities is highly desirable.
• Thought Leadership: Demonstrated ability to represent an organisation at events and publish industry-leading insights.
• Strategic Vision: Capable of aligning sales and procurement activities with organisational objectives.
• Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Team work: Be a strong internal influencer, supporting and mentoring the development of your team, as well as working closely with delivery colleagues to ensure we not only match, but exceed client expectations.

Desirable:

• Experience working in the education sector or with local authorities, particularly in roles involving SEND or children’s services.
• Knowledge of safeguarding requirements and best practices for handling sensitive information.
• Experience in bid-writing, tender management, or grant applications.
• Understanding of working in a small organisation environment.
• Salesforce CRM experience.

General

The job is subject to having the right to work in the UK, two professional references and a basic DBS check.

Why Join Us? 

Equal Education is at the heart of transforming opportunities for under-resourced students. As our Partnerships Director, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping our impact, growing our reach, and positioning us as a trusted voice in education innovation. We also offer:

• A competitive salary
• Staff wellbeing benefits such as ClassPass membership, access to discounts via Perks at Work, counselling support services through our EAP, eyecare vouchers, regular wellbeing sessions and team social events.
• Investment in you - we believe in developing from within and offer our team training opportunities and personalised development plans, as well as the chance to get involved with lots of projects across the organisation.
• Flexible, hybrid work environment with regular opportunities for in-person client engagement.
• The chance to work alongside a passionate team working to make a positive impact in the lives of under-resourced children and young people across the UK.

Being you at Equal Education 

Every young person we support is unique and our team isn’t any different. Our differences are our strength when it comes to providing a tailored, human approach to education. We are proud of our people and provide an environment where everyone can bring their most authentic self to work. 

Our recruitment practices are carried out in line with equal opportunities and all candidates will be reviewed fairly regardless of age, gender reassignment, sex, race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic. 

Next steps

If you feel inspired and you think you have the right motivation and experience for the role, we would love to receive your application. Please submit a CV and cover letter.