Senior Relationship Manager, Global Entrepreneur Programme

at  Department for Business and Trade

JOB SUMMARY

The Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) sits within the Science & technology Directorate and its primary role is to attract internationally mobile, tech-based entrepreneurs and support them to scale and internationalise their innovative companies from a UK global headquarters.
The GEP provides tailored support and hands-on mentoring as the entrepreneurs establish a UK HQ, strategic/R&D presence. This activity is delivered by our HQ team, deploying a team of experienced entrepreneurs (the dealmakers), and leveraging support from wider DBT and stakeholders in the UK technology eco-system.
We are also able to support founders with the endorsement of the Innovator Founder Visa.
GEP has recently undergone a restructure to enable us to scale both in terms of the quality and quantity of businesses that we support and has moved to a sales/account management model, with a focused criteria aligned with the Innovator Founder visa (Viability, scalability and innovative).
GEP has a cohort of Dealmakers (entrepreneurs that work part time to GEP) who provide targeted interventions and support specific to the Dealmaker’s area of expertise. They also provide guidance on business support such as setting up a bank account alongside the GEP HQ team.
The team is focused on developing strong relationships with stakeholders and third-party organisations both in the UK and overseas who work with innovative, scale up businesses that would be a good fit for the Programme. The Programme also provides an alumnus offering which includes Welcome Workshops, a Newsletter, Female Founder Group and quarterly online events. A more bespoke offering is geared towards supporting the fast growth flagship companies. At the end of three years, we would expect that founders have built their own networks and will no longer need GEP services (except those wanting to apply for visa re-endorsement).
Following this period founders will continue to receive information about opportunities and events and signposted to suitable provision.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Senior Relationship Manager role will be essential to the delivery of GEP’s new operating model outlined above.

The key responsibilities will include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders working with innovative companies looking to scale including Post, Accelerators, Incubators and academic institutions or organisations. You will be responsible for raising awareness of the GEP offer and through those networks identify suitable companies for the programme.
• Key account management responsibility for several priority stakeholders that interact with GEP.
• Building and maintaining relationships with other relevant DBT sector teams and identify strategies to collaborate both in terms of pipeline development, opportunities and GEP awareness raising.
• Dealmaker account management – including managing pipeline, performance, and quality control.
• Founder account management:

Account manages new founders accepted on to GEP and responsible for ensuring they access all the relevant GEP resources offered throughout the Programme (Soft Landing workshops, Bank accounts, visa requirements, building your pitch etc).

With HEO support, provide visa endorsement service to the founder ensuring correct documentation is submitted, and visa conditionality is adhered to, as well as conducting mandatory reviews.

• Lead responsibility for creation and delivery of key engagement opportunities across the year. Working with the wider team you will identify key activities to both identify pipeline and address a skills gap within our founder network.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS

We are collaborative team with a wide remit. Whilst you will have a specific region to focus on, you may be asked to work outside of your remit should the demand be greater.
As this is a new structure, the responsibilities will evolve over time. This will be a great opportunity for the right candidate to help shape how the team develops and implements a new working model.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

The key responsibilities will include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders working with innovative companies looking to scale including Post, Accelerators, Incubators and academic institutions or organisations. You will be responsible for raising awareness of the GEP offer and through those networks identify suitable companies for the programme.
• Key account management responsibility for several priority stakeholders that interact with GEP.
• Building and maintaining relationships with other relevant DBT sector teams and identify strategies to collaborate both in terms of pipeline development, opportunities and GEP awareness raising.
• Dealmaker account management – including managing pipeline, performance, and quality control.
• Founder account management