Senior Strategic Partnerships Officer  (Mental Health Accessible) 

The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute is working for a world in which the vicious cycle of money and mental health problems is broken, so that we all have an equal chance of financial security, regardless of our mental health; and everyone’s mental health can flourish, regardless of their financial circumstances. We aim to be a world-class centre of expertise, but we don’t produce research to just sit on shelves. We develop practical policy and solutions, working in partnership with those providing services, those who shape them, and those using them, to find out what really works. We campaign, build, test and innovate until our research leads to real change. 

In 2018 our research uncovered how challenging it can be for people with mental health problems to engage with essential services like banks, energy, water and telecoms providers.  Engaging with these firms can be frustrating and difficult for all of us, but if you’re struggling with your mental health, making phone calls, opening post or navigating complex online forms can be an almost impossible task. As a result, many people with mental health problems are left unable to effectively use these services and this can lead to worse financial outcomes. Many firms already rightly make adjustments for people with physical or sensory conditions — now it’s time they do the same for people with mental health problems.

We are looking for a Senior Strategic Partnerships Officer to join our Mental Health Accessible team to help us secure and deliver more partnerships with essential service providers to improve their accessibility for people with mental health problems.  

The role

Our Mental Health Accessible programme piloted in 2019 with a major high street bank, and in 2020 we recruited a Head of Strategic Partnerships to drive this programme forward. Covid meant we had to reshape our 2020 plans, but it allowed us to tweak the programme into a better suite of consultancy products we can offer firms. We now have a number of partners we’re working with and we’re recruiting a Senior Strategic Partnerships Officer to support both project delivery and new business. The successful candidate will be:

• Driven to create meaningful change through partnerships

• An excellent relationship builder

• Commercially minded, understanding business drivers for companies

• Exceptional at managing complex projects

• Able to manage competing priorities

• Willing to get stuck in - we’re a small team and that means doing everything from leading on pitches to booking train tickets.

Job description

• Manage the new business pipeline, ensuring we are strengthening relationships and we know when to make the next approach 

• Report on the pipeline so we can demonstrate our new business progress and make financial projections

• Develop new relationships with key prospects and supporting the Head of Strategic Partnerships to secure new partnerships in the Mental Health Accessible programme

• Support the Head of Finance and Operations to create new client contracts ensuring that the terms of partnership are well represented contractually

• Work closely with our policy researchers to build an understanding of the Mental Health Accessible assessment process, so that you can articulate the methodology to firms in new business discussions

• Maintain a basic understanding of key regulatory guidance and seek out greater detail from our research and policy team so you and the Head of Strategic Partnerships can competently engage with compliance counterparts at firms

• Manage the delivery of key partnerships, ensuring that assessment processes are well planned and all those involved are clear on their actions and deadlines

• Be comfortable working in cross-organisational project teams, working with contractors and delegating work both up and down. 

• Support the Head of Strategic Partnerships to manage freelance contractors

• Maintain excellent file management for both clients and prospects, ensuring meeting notes are stored and relationship history is clear

• Support the Head of Strategic Partnerships and the External Affairs Team to communicate about Mental Health Accessible and our partnerships externally

• Manage relationships with key stakeholders at our partner firms

• Support the Head of Strategic Partnerships in product development 

• Support the team with other tasks where needed.

Person specification, Experience, qualifications, skills and abilities

Essential

• Demonstrable track record of establishing or growing new partnerships

• Excellent communication and presentational skills

• The ability to influence others through writing, in meetings and through formal pitches

• Extremely organised, with a proven ability to successfully plan and manage complex projects within deadlines

• Experience of managing external relationships with partners and prospects and building strong personal networks

• A willingness to learn about mental health problems and empathy and the ability to work effectively with people who may be vulnerable

• Passion for tackling the link between money and mental health problems.

Desirable

• Experience of commercial negotiations

• Experience in operating in matrix teams or working cross organisationally

• Experience of managing and developing a new business pipeline

• Experience of securing partnerships that generate six figure income. 

• Knowledge of mental health problems and how they can affect how people interact with services

• Knowledge of the regulatory and policy environment in essential services markets

• An understanding of financial inclusion and financial vulnerability 

• An understanding of the operations of essential services firms and existing networks within these markets

Ultimately, we’re looking for a quick learner who is ambitious and motivated by changing lives.

Terms and Conditions

• Reporting to: Head of Strategic Partnerships

• Staff supervised: none

• Annual Gross Salary: £35k FTE 

• Location: Money and Mental Health’s central London office OR suitable for a home-worker who is able to travel to London on a regular basis

• The role will require travelling in the UK from time to time for potential client visits

• Hours: Both full time and part-time applicants considered, at a minimum of four days per week. Please indicate your preferred working hours on application

• Contract type: Permanent

• Holidays: 28 days p.a. (including 3 days of annual leave between Christmas and New Year when the office is closed) plus bank holidays 

• Pension: Opportunity to be enrolled in the work pension scheme (subject to meeting standard auto-enrollment qualifying criteria). After auto-enrollment the charity will make a monthly contribution to the scheme equivalent to 5.5% of the monthly gross salary you receive, subject to you making a minimum contribution of 2.5% of the monthly gross salary you receive.

• Other benefits: 

  • The charity provides enhanced maternity/paternity/parental leave terms at an equal rate. All employees eligible for Statutory Maternity/Paternity/Shared Parental Pay receive 90% of their earnings for up to 12 weeks. 

  • We operate a flexible working culture. Within reason, and upon agreement from management, employees are free to distribute their working hours across the week as they see fit and to work from home. The Money and Mental Health team has been working remotely since March 2020. Hybrid working combining home and office working is likely to be implemented from July 2021 in line with government guidelines and the Charity’s new flexible working policy currently being developed. We would be happy to update you with our thoughts on this matter at interview stage. 

We are an equal opportunities employer and Mindful Employer, and welcome applications from all, including those with lived experience of mental health problems and other under-represented groups. Job shares will be considered, and we are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments individuals may require in the recruitment process or once in post.

Closing date: Tuesday 18th May at 8am

Interviews: week commencing 24th May (we expect these to be online unless government guidance changes)

If you require any reasonable adjustments to be able to access any part of this process please do let us know by emailing contact@moneyandmentalhealth.org.