Job Details:
Access to Finance Network Manager

Job Description

The Growth Company’s (GC) Business Growth Hub’s Access to Finance team have an exciting new opportunity for an Access to Finance Network Manager who will lead on the establishment and development of long-term strategic operational relationships with key stakeholders, including ten Local Authorities, Business partners, national programmes and sponsors, HEIs, SMEs, and LEs to build mutually beneficial collaborative relationships facilitating the coordination of the GM funding and finance ecosystem and the identification of future opportunities for GMBGH  and longer-term Growth Company (GC) vision, which complements the GC business plan and portfolio of services. 

GC Business Growth Hub is a community of specialists with a passion to help businesses across Greater Manchester to realise their ambitions. Since 2011, the Hub has supported more than 15,000 businesses including start-ups, scale-ups and established businesses, providing finance guidance, creating international links, and paving the way for innovation and people development across the region. We work with the best of public and private partners, offering expert one-to-one and peer-to-peer business support, events, specialist programmes, funding and much more. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• To lead the development of an active funding and finance ecosystem network of key stakeholders including Banks, Angel networks, Venture Capitalists, GMCA Core Investment team, GC Finance, local innovation hubs, sponsors, partners, and suppliers drawn from professional service providers, key sector trade bodies, private businesses, other lenders, fund holders, other financial organisations., and public sector organisations to obtain long term collaboration and referrals.  
• Provide effective, timely, and expert support by developing long-term partner strategies, enabling current and future collaborations aligned to the development of Growth Company and Growth Hub business plans to support economic and business objectives. 
• Stimulate all networks and hyperlocal networks, including working with business, professional, local, and sector networks to unearth innovative and growth-focused startups and companies.
• Identify and evaluate influential contacts in new or existing partners to motivate potential sponsors, secure collaboration against agreed ecosystem objectives and facilitate working closely together to generate referrals.
• Review, research, and map data to identify key market and sector-relevant intelligence to support and better inform the facilitation of the GM funding and finance ecosystem.  

About you: 

• Operating as a credible ambassador on a regional platform to promote business support services objectives to a range of audiences. 
• Practical delivery of relationship building and management. 
• Stakeholder communication.
• Understanding of the Business Support environment. 
• Knowledge of national and local economic development strategy.
• Passionate about innovation, funding, and growth support & keen to share best practices with partners.
• Strong people focus and ability to influence decision-makers, accountable, responsible, with enthusiasm for the subject & ability to, present confidently to a variety of audiences either, private or public, internal, or external at events, workshops, or other key meetings.  

Skills Required: 

• Able to establish, develop, and maintain relationships with relevant private or public sector organisations, including financial and funding organisations and institutions, commercial, government / public bodies, HEIs. 
• Ability to work effectively with senior private or public sector contacts. 
• Able to influence others and secure buy-in.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, both verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to develop productive working relationships both internally and externally. 
• Confidence and ability to deal effectively with people at all levels of the organisation. 
• Committed to continuing own development & keeping up to date with latest developments in the business support field. 
• Able to plan and manage own workload, as well as achieving agreed targets and objectives.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of everyone including vulnerable adults and young people, we expect all staff to share this commitment. All Education and Skills appointments will be subject to Safer Recruitment Procedures which include a DBS check and a professional social media check. These checks will be conducted by Due Diligence Limited (DDC Ltd) on behalf of GC. Please note that the successful candidate will not be required to pay for this.

If you are on the Barred List, it is against the law to apply and to be hired for a role that includes regulated activity with the concerned group.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, we provide a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential requirements for a role. This commitment applies to candidates who have a disability or are from a diverse ethnic community.

As part of our application process, you can ask to be considered under this scheme if you are from an ethnic community or have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Providing that you meet the essential criteria for the role, you will then be invited for an interview. Your guaranteed interview application will only be shared with the Hiring Manager and our Internal Recruitment Team.

We are a member of the national campaign Ban the Box; this campaign aims to open opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs. We’re supporting the campaign by removing conviction questions at the applications stage.

GC aims to promote a culture of flexibility and agile working. Going forward we will be transitioning to a culture where full agile working will be a feature of many of our roles. We also recognise that there may be a need for more permanent flexibility in your working arrangements and in such cases, we encourage you to have these discussions at the interview stage, to enable your flexible working request to be considered as early as possible.

If you require support with the recruitment process, please contact or Internal Recruitment Team at [email protected] or call us on 0161 237 4447.

All GC colleagues will work inline with the Health & Safety at work act and the GC Health & Safety Policy.

Our annual leave entitlement starts at 25 days, plus bank holidays which increases with length of service with the opportunity to purchase up to 10 additional days leave each year.

Access to counselling via our Employee Assistance Programme.

We have 8 EDI steering group to make sure we value our differences and enable an environment of fairness, dignity and respect.

We offer up to two days’ paid leave to volunteer at a charity of choice through our Volunteer2Day scheme.

We offer travel loans, discounted seasonal travel tickets for public transport and a great cycle to work scheme promoting opportunities to reduce environmental pollution and a healthier lifestyle.

We have an enhanced learning and development offer for all staff and managers with opportunities for mentoring, undertaking apprenticeships and continuous professional development.

Paid for eye test and contributions towards glasses for VDU users, helping improve overall health and wellbeing in the workplace.