Relationship Manager

Two Relationship Managers required

Contract: Fixed term 12 months

Hours: 0.1 FTE (1 day per week)

Location: Scotland and Northern Ireland

Flexible hybrid working: part remote online working; part frequent, regional travel

Salary: £200 daily rate, dependant on experience

Travel requirements: Regular regional travel required. Occasional Saturday events in England

National Saturday Club   
The National Saturday Club is a prominent education charity working across the UK. It provides a unique extracurricular education opportunity for young people aged 13-16, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds to study subjects they love on a Saturday at local universities, colleges and cultural institutions. With over 100 Saturday Clubs nationwide, currently offered across eight dynamic subjects, this year-long programme offers a transformational opportunity for young people to build skills, develop confidence and discover pathways to further study and future careers. 
 
Comprised of a committed and growing network of over 70 partners across HE, FE, creative industries and the cultural sector, the National Saturday Club is supported amongst others by Arts Council England, DfE, DCMS, British Fashion Council, British Film Institute, Clore Duffield Foundation and Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. We work with prominent industry partners including Pinewood Studios, Howdens, Adobe, Arup and Manolo Blahnik alongside major cultural institutions including Tate, V&A and the Science Museum. 
 
The National Saturday Club was initiated in 2009 by The Sorrell Foundation, co-founded by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady Sorrell OBE. The Saturday Club Trust is an independent charity set up in 2016 to manage and develop the National Saturday Club. 
saturday-club.org

Purpose of the Role  
 
The Relationship Manager (Scotland) and Relationship Manager (Northern Ireland) are pivotal new roles supporting the expansion of the National Saturday Club across all four nations. Reporting to the UK Network Director, these two roles will cultivate relationships with universities, FE colleges, cultural institutions and schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Partnership building is at the heart of the National Saturday Club programme and this role will play a key part in establishing new partnerships with universities, FE colleges, cultural institutions, and nurturing valuable relationships with existing National Saturday Club tutors. As such, we are looking for a confident, warm, and empathetic communicator, who is a highly motivated self-starter and a powerful advocate for the work of the National Saturday Club. 
 
You will have an exceptional understanding of the educational and cultural sectors and already be well-connected within your area. These relationships are crucial in supporting the ongoing delivery and growth of the National Saturday Club programme, to remove barriers to access and ensure an increasing number of young people from underrepresented backgrounds can engage with this transformative extracurricular educational opportunity.  
 
Fundamentally, you will be a superb communicator, verbally and in writing, able to nurture long-lasting, meaningful relationships with stakeholders at all levels within an organisation.  There will also be a need to build and maintain relationships with industry organisations, as well as schools and teacher networks to raise the profile of the National Saturday Club. 
 
To be successful in this role you will be able to engage on a broad range of educational issues, in particular widening participation and access to education for underrepresented young people.  
 
Responsibilities 
 
Reporting to the UK Network Director and working closely with your Relationship Manager colleagues in other parts of the country you will:   
 
•    Proactively identify and cultivate potential partners across universities, FE colleges, cultural institutions, to establish new Saturday Clubs. This will involve in-person visits across the region, as well as online meetings.  
•    Maintain effective relationships with existing partners and stakeholders at all levels of the organisation, with universities, FE colleges, cultural institutions, , to ensure effective, integrated and joined-up delivery of National Saturday Club goals. This will involve in person visits across the region, as well as online meetings. 
•    Proactively identify and cultivate partnerships within the cultural and industry sectors to support Saturday Clubs with programming and to provide opportunities for young people.
•    Maintain effective relationships with existing cultural and industry partners and stakeholders within the area who support the National Saturday Club programme whether through programming, advocacy or funding. 
•    Identify and attend key networking opportunities, conferences, and other events across the region to nurture existing relationships and establish new relationships within the education, cultural and industry sectors.
•    Work closely with the UK Network Director to support the onboarding and induction of both new National Saturday Clubs partners and new Club tutors. 
•    Work with the Programmes Team and wider National Saturday Club team to support the facilitation of events based in your region including but not limited to Cultural Visits, Masterclasses, Tutors’ Programme, as well as the Summer Show in London, in both remote and in-person capacities. 
•    You will be responsible for using the CRM system to ensure regional records and contact details are kept up-to-date, as well as occasional regional mailing related to your activities for recruiting new partners and running any regional events, such as Club tutor meet-ups. 
•    Effectively identify and escalate (as required) difficulties and challenges being experienced by existing or potential new network partners. 
•    Understand the National Saturday Club’s approach to equality, diversity, and inclusion and how it applies to the role and make time for learning and development relating to ED&I. 
•    Actively contribute to an inclusive organisational culture, being aware of own biases, and taking action to mitigate against these. Ensure people feel valued and are treated equitably, with support for people’s wellbeing and mental health. 
•    Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, and all employees are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and wellbeing of children. 
•    Familiarisation with, and adherence to, the Safeguarding Policy and associated guidance is an essential requirement of all employees as is participation in training in this area. 
 
Essential Skills and Experience Required 
 
•    Degree (or equivalent relevant experience) 
•    Experience of working within or with the education and/or cultural sector 
•    Confident at independently establishing, nurturing, and managing relationships with stakeholders across education, industry, and the cultural sector at all levels
•    Possessing an existing network within the education, cultural and industry sectors within the region 
•    Exceptional communication and relationship building skills  
•    Impeccable time management skills
•    Thrive managing workload independently and proactively
•    Strong attention to detail 
•    IT competency in Microsoft Office, Teams and other commonly used IT programmes 

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion   
The Saturday Club Trust strives to be an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are keen to look for people who reflect the diversity of the country today, to help us shape and change the arts, cultural and education sectors and make them more relevant to the young people, communities, and places with which we work. Disabled people, those from global majority ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQ+ colleagues are under-represented in our industry, and we are committed to addressing this under-representation and welcome applicants from these backgrounds, identities, and experiences. Selection criteria and procedures will be kept under review to ensure that individuals are selected, promoted, and treated based on their relevant merits and abilities.   
  
Environmental responsibility   
We take our role in trying to minimise our impact on the environment seriously and recognise the importance of championing and influencing change within our organisation, through partner collaboration and across all our activities.   
  
Data Protection   
All applications will be processed in accordance with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). All applications will be held for a period of six months for the purposes of consideration for future roles, after which point, they will be securely destroyed. If you do not wish for your application to be held for this duration, then please notify us by emailing: operations@saturday-club.org   
 
The Saturday Club Trust is a UK-registered charity (no 1165362) and company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (no 09559467) 
 
*This role is engaged on a freelance basis, providing services to the National Saturday Club Trust, as and when required. There is no entitlement to paid holiday, sick pay or any other employment benefits and freelancers will be responsible for their own tax and national insurance contributions.