KTP Associate - Marketing and Business Development Executive

Job Category: Administration and Operations

Locations: Business, Law and Social Sciences (On-site)

Marketing and Business Development Executive KTP Associate

Fixed term for 24 months

The Jericho Foundation and the College of Graduate School of Management (GoSM) along with Business Digital Technology and Entpreneurship (BDTE) within the Faculty of Business Law and Social Science (BLSS) at Birmingham City University are looking to appoint a high calibre graduate (graduated within the last five years) as a Marketing & Business Development Executive KTP Associate.

This position forms part of the Knowledge Transfer programme (KTP), co-funded by a grant from Innovate UK and The Jericho Foundation. It is essential you understand the fundamentals of how a KTP works between a business and the University and the vital role you will play if you successfully secure this position. The Marketing & Business Development Executive (KTP Associate) will have access to a wider range of benefits including a personal development budget of £4,000 to upskill during the project. For more information, please go to: http://bcuadvantage.co.uk/funding/knowledge-transfer-partnerships.

The successful candidate will be employed by Birmingham City University, working full time delivering a 24-month KTP project in partnership with The Jericho Foundation.

The Jericho Foundation is a charity that provides employment and training to help people into work. Its Woodshack operation is a member of the National Community Wood Recycling Project (NCWRP) network of social enterprises that prevent wood going to landfill or incineration. For more information, please go to https://www.jerichowoodshack.uk.

The successful candidate recruited for this position will be employed as a Marketing & Business Development Executive (KTP Associate). This role presents an exciting opportunity to work in collaboration with leading academics at Birmingham City University (BCU) to apply knowledge and technical innovation, delivered on site at the company. The Marketing & Business Development Executive (KTP Associate) should have a minimum 2.1 University qualification in a relevant subject area and should be graduated within the last five years.

Location and Reporting:

This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate position will be based at The Jericho Foundation, The Woodshack, Norris Way, Sutton Coldfield, B75 7BB.

The successful candidate will have full access to Birmingham City University's resources such as offices, labs, and library to complete the KTP project (a workplan has been written with KPIs and outcome deliverables).

The Marketing & Business Development Executive (KTP Associate) will be supervised and mentored by both a lead academic and academic supervisor from BCU's College of GoSM and BTDE within the Faculty of BLSS as well as a company supervisor located at The Jericho Foundation whose aim is to assist the Marketing & Business Development Executive (KTP Associate) to deliver the knowledge into the company and successfully deliver the 24 month KTP project on behalf of The Jericho Foundation and Birmingham City University.

The candidate will be expected to lead and deliver the KTP project plan managing the expectations of the various stakeholders, under the guidance and support of both academic and a company supervisor throughout the project. A project plan is written for the candidate to follow and/or adapt in line with business requirements.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

The Associate will work on:

• Developing and integrating sustainable business practices within Jericho Foundation’s operations. This will involve critically evaluating existing processes, identifying inefficiencies, and proposing innovative solutions that not only align with the foundation's social impact goals but also enhance environmental sustainability.
• Establishing routes to market, focusing on both traditional and innovative channels to maximise product reach and impact.
• Implementing robust e-commerce facilities and CRM systems to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and improve sales strategies.
• Driving technological advancements and strategic marketing to increase both commercial success and social impact significantly.
• Interacting with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including team members, management, community partners, and possibly donors, to gather insights, build collaboration, and ensure that project outcomes align with stakeholder expectations.
• Identifying opportunities for wood product business by researching and working with designers for the development of new product ranges that are both marketable and sustainable.
• Setting up and optimising production processes to ensure efficient operations that align with Jericho’s commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility.
• Applying their knowledge to commercial projects to drive value and make a tangible impact, solving problems and creating innovative solutions that advance Jericho's mission.

The role requires the successful candidate to:

• Develop comprehensive strategies that enhance operational efficiency and promote scalability of the wood product business. This includes drafting detailed action plans incorporating industry trends, sustainability practices, and technological advancements.
• Expertly manage and cultivate relationships with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, from internal team members to external partners and possibly donors.
• Demonstrate key attributes such as strong analytical skills, creative problem-solving, effective communication, and a proactive leadership style to ensure the project's successful completion.

Person Specification:

The Associate will hold a relevant degree. This might be a first degree (equivalent to a first-class or 2:1 honours) in business management or engineering. Alternatively, a Master's degree in a similar discipline is acceptable, especially if supplementing a creative industry-focused undergraduate degree. 

Essential:

• Practical working experience in working with businesses to solve complex real-world problems.
• Completion of a substantial business research project, demonstrating quantitative skills in either University or industry.
• Understanding of the complex relationship between people, information, processes and technology.
• Experience in developing and implementing digital marketing strategies and managing e-commerce platforms is essential.
• Understanding of CRM systems and being adept at using data analytics to inform product development, marketing strategies, and operational improvements.
• Keen interest in developing enabling strategies to facilitate business growth through aligning organisational change with market opportunities.
• Analysing and redesigning business processes to improve performance and productivity.
• Effective interpersonal skills will be essential to establish good working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and industrial partners.
• Excellent verbal, written and analytical communication skills.
• Project and time management skills commensurate with the role of KTP Associate.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and an understanding of cultural diversity to support and engage with individuals facing various employment barriers effectively.

Desirable:

• Ability to integrate new technologies and approaches to optimise processes and expand operations effectively.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and an understanding of cultural diversity to support and engage with individuals facing various employment barriers effectively.
• Strategic foresight to align market and technological trends with the foundation’s mission, ensuring sustainable growth and impactful community benefits.
• Understanding of product design and manufacturing processes. Familiar with using design software and knowledge of CNC machine operations will be excellent for effectively leading the development of new product ranges and setting up efficient production processes.

Personal Skills:

• Enthusiastic, self-motivated and able to take a proactive role in delivering the proposal's work plan successfully.
• Practical interpersonal skills to establish good working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and industrial partners.
• Excellent communication skills to express ideas adequately and articulate complicated matters between the academics and the company project team members either orally or in writing.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and computational skills, along with being adept at applying knowledge to commercial projects, driving value and making an impact where possible.
• Strong leadership and project management skills.

On a personal note, the Associate should be enthusiastic, motivated, punctual, conscientious, trustworthy and a good team worker.

For further information please contact Krish Saha at krish.saha@bcu.ac.uk or Colin Akehurst at colin.akehurst@bcu.ac.uk

Interviews are planned to take place the week commencing 27^th January 2025.

Please click the below link to download the Job Description:

Job Description

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so, and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly

Apply Before: 05/01/2025, 23:59