Head Of Partnerships

Who we are:

Our mission is to shape a fairer future through better work. Our goal is a good society in which everyone can flourish through this new technological revolution. Our belief is that creating and sustaining good work is the best way to achieve this goal and ensure that innovation and social good advance together.

Through delivering and convening research which informs the development of practical, policy, and regulatory solutions, we seek to address three core challenges:

• Changing Work: The risks and rewards of transition are not evenly spread meaning that structural inequalities are increasing.
• Shifting Power: New technologies are driving big shifts in power and challenging traditional mechanisms of governance and accountability at work.
• Prioritising People: People’s lived experience, values and agency are being neglected in shaping futures of work.

We believe good work can be an outcome of technological change, if and when: government prioritises and creates; regulators steer and intervene; industry develops and models; civil society is engaged and informs; academia researches; and industry prioritises and requires.

Role Overview:

As IFOW grows its network of partners, we have created a new role for someone who excels in relationship building. We are looking for a strategic thinker and communicator, who can build meaningful professional relationships, translate theoretical and practical ideas, and balance different needs in real time. This role will build and operationalise strategic partnerships to ensure we achieve our mission.

As the UK’s leading multidisciplinary future of work hub, IFOW has strong relationships with policy makers, universities, and businesses. This role will be responsible for developing these networks and relationships to advance our mission to shape a fairer future through better work, with a particular focus on academic and corporate partnerships. This is a multi-purpose role, with primary objectives being: the consolidation and development of the UK’s future of work network; expansion of IFOW’s sphere of influence (in particular with building forums and memberships to help share research and ideas); the securing of Partnerships which create pathways to income generation.

The role will be tasked with identifying, securing, and developing partnerships which serve our newly updated strategy. We have three newly developed infrastructures (OES), through which we will engage in partnership and structure development activity:

• Observatory: the Observatory meets our strategic ways of working to reframe and build an evidence base. Here this role will build out our academic and industry networks and establish different partnership models with both cohorts responding to shared values, interests, and funding requirements. This includes driving membership of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Future of Work, for which IFOW is the Secretariat and Research Partner.
• Exploratory: the Exploratory meets our strategic ways of working to build capacity and connecting people. Here this role will establish relationships with professional bodies representing workers who hold responsibility for AI and develop partnerships with local government relationships and partnership models to build capacity and connections to respond to knowledge generated in the Observatory. Work will involve establishing routes-to-market for IFOW ‘knowledge products’ to better achieve our public education objectives, while also developing a sustainable business model.
• Sandbox: The Sandbox is an environment through which IFOW evaluates its framework for responsible adoption of AI at work, feeding insights back to UK regulators. Here this role will support recruitment of industry partners who share our mission and objectives, establish strong contractual relationships to govern action research processes, and support new academic research partnerships as appropriate.

Our small team is made up of determined individuals who are resolutely mission focused. We are looking for a colleague to have fun with and learn with. If you’re passionate about a fairer future of better work and want to engage in the practical work of making it happen, please get in touch.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and refine the partnerships strategy for all infrastructures (OES) with the Head of Development and Co-Directors, to ensure IFOW can grow in the service of its mission
• Proactively identify, prioritise, create, and approach new opportunities for collaboration, funding, academic research and/or exploratory offerings with a view to creating long-lasting partnerships that further establish IFOW’s role in the future of work ecosystem.
• Draft proposals and prepare accurate budgets for these, in collaboration with Co-Directors and Head of Development Identifying complementary opportunities that help both IFOW and its partners achieve their strategic goals in mutually supportive ways
• Maintain relationships with dedicated partners to ensure we are delivering against our agreements and impact is monitored and reported
• Create an engagement framework to ensure that all partners and networks are served purposively and in bespoke ways
• Use project management skills to keep on top of project deliverables, deadlines and reporting.
• Identify income opportunities from grants and foundations, and support with relevant applications
• Work with the Comms team to ensure there is an engagement strategy for existing and potential partners via IFOW’s channels, content, and events

Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes     

• Experience in networking and relationship building with senior executives and academics, supported by a demonstrated understanding of stakeholder management
• Ability to think critically about models and forms of partnership with different types of organisations, and the implications from a business development perspective
• A track record bringing in, and engaging with, corporates and members, with experience of raising money through corporate engagement
• Very comfortable in creating and executing an end-to-end partnership strategy
• Experience working in the technology, policy or social justice environment is a plus, though not a prerequisite
• Adept at quickly understanding organisational challenges and opportunities, and mapping this to the landscape
• Strong communication skills and the ability to be at ease with people from a wide range of backgrounds
• A strategic mindset and the ability to offer and receive constructively critical feedback
• The ability to work both collaboratively and independently, comfortable with making decisions at pace and sometimes in a changing and uncertain environment
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to stay on top of many large and small tasks simultaneously, as well as a commitment to quality and attention to detail
• A strong commitment to the goals and ethos of IFOW

Location: Our offices are in London, with the ability to work from home for part of the week

Salary: £52,500 per annum

Closing date: 23.59 on 12^th April - applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and so we advise applying as soon as possible

Contract: 1 year with a view to renew

Hours:  Full time but flexible requests (0.5-1.0 FTE) will be considered

Start date: ASAP

Leave: 28 days + 3 days shutdown over the Christmas period

To apply, please send a CV and a cover letter - please ensure your cover letter is It is easier to spot applications created via ChatGPT than you think - we strongly encourage you not to do this as we are using the application process to assess your experience, ability and skills. We will be asking probing questions at interview stage to follow up on your responses.

We are an equal opportunities employer and warmly welcome a broad range of perspectives, approaches and backgrounds in applicants. To help us fulfil our commitment to encouraging diversity and promoting equal opportunities: please complete our anonymous Equality & Diversity Monitoring Information survey alongside your application.

• You must have the right to work in the UK - as a small charity, unfortunately we are not able to sponsor visa applications.
• IFOW is an accredited UK Living Wage Employer.
• Should you need to make an application in a different format or require any adjustments as part of the application process, please do not hesitate to email team@ifow.org