Job Description

It is an exciting time for WIG's evolution as we look to establish a strong footprint in Greater Manchester and the wider UK. The Regions & Nations Lead (initially as a FTC with potential to extend) will play a key role in developing a new WIG offer to support place-based cross-sector collaboration across the UK.


The Regions & Nations Lead will be responsible for launching the brand new WIG Greater Manchester offer (details below), along with new initiatives across the UK. The aim is to support leaders develop the skillset, mindset and capabilities to enable collaboration across national and local government, along with private and not-for-profit sectors, to support growth and prosperity in within place.


We are looked for a seasoned leader, with credibility and acumen to work with senior public, private and not-for-profit leaders across the North West and beyond. With experience in delivering programmes/events and/or supporting strategic dialogue between sectors, the Nations & Regions Lead will be responsible for spearheading business development activities, building and maintaining senior stakeholder relationships specifically within Greater Manchester and more broadly across the UK. The lead will design and develop the WIG GM programme and broader events delivered through a cross-sector collaboration lens.

Key responsibilities will include:

Greater Manchester based strategic dialogue for Leader's of Today (Permanent Secretaries, Directors General, CEOs, Vice Chancellors) - Establish ongoing dinners/roundtables picking up on core regional and national ambitions. Greater Manchester focused development programme for Leader's of Tomorrow (Directors & Deputy Directors)- develop and deliver a 12-month programme that provides experiential visits which include a mixture of facilitated sessions to support cross-sector leadership capabilities, alongside engagement with strategic dialogue sessions, including workshops and roundtables. UK wide events/programmes- based on demand and interest, deliver a range of wider events across the UK focused on enabling Cross-sector collaboration in place.

Programme Creation and Delivery, Stakeholder management and Strategy

Working closely with the Director of Strategy and Programmes and CEO, develop and deliver the WIG GM programme, enabling Director and Deputy Directors to collaborate across the sectors to support growth and prosperity within place. Create and oversee the Greater Manchester WIG advisory group to develop a compelling proposition for the leaders of today and tomorrow allowing better collaboration across sectors. Deliver a compelling year-long experiential programme for leaders tomorrow, including bi-monthly full days sessions with peer learning, facilitated sessions and workshops. Work across Central Government and Manchester based local/regional government, private sector and higher/further educations institutions to recruit cohort of Future leaders (Directors and Deputy Directors). Lead the development of ongoing Permanent Secretary-CEO Dinners to take place alongside the Future Leaders programme. Working with the Director of Strategy and Programmes, develop impact measurement metrics which align to WIG's mission and purpose demonstrating the key role of WIG's talent and leadership offerings. Develop a sustainable business model for the WIG GM pilot, to develop for future years/across the UK. Build and deliver additional events around cross-sector collaboration to take place across the UK, dependent on demand and need for Cross-sector collaboration. Stay abreast of market trends and political context to evolve the strategy in line with demand and new thinking around cross-sector collaboration. Build and maintain key stakeholder relationships across the Public, Private and NFP sector across Greater Manchester and with key Central Government Departments and Senior Leaders across the UK. Ensure all programmes/interventions are delivered on time, within budget and in line with WIG's mission and quality process. Partner with the Head of Membership and Marketing to build high-impact Marketing collateral and communication for the leadership product including website content, programme brochures, mailing list comms, campaigns and more, ensuring that all marketing comms reflect WIG's purpose and USP. Embed the WIG GM offering as a core element of the WIG membership offering

Team leadership and people management:

Create meaningful link into WIG's wider offering and embed the GM offering into WIG's core offer Provide leadership, direction, and operational line management to one Event and Content manager/exec including resourcing, documenting process, embedding tech/systems and budgeting, liaising with department heads where appropriate. Develop interdepartmental relationships across WIG. Performance management and development of your direct report, conducting appraisals, annual performance reviews and any other review meetings in line with company policy and supporting in the development of WIG future leaders. Stay abreast of all company policies and ensure that your direct reports are well-informed and communicated any updates

Educated to degree level or equivalent and above



10+ years of experience in working with senior leaders from across the public, private, higher education or not-for-profit sector Proven experience of establishing products/offerings from conception through to completion. A demonstrable interest in policy, current affairs and a passion for the role of cross-sector collaboration to support growth and prosperity within place. Strong networks, with proven knowledge of central, local/regional government, or/and private sector. Financial management experience in programme/product design and delivery. Ability to communicate clearly with a wide range of stakeholders across sectors. Commercial acumen; demonstrable history of developing new opportunities and establishing self-sustainable financial models Clearly ability to demonstrate strong understanding, knowledge and experience of what makes professional development in a cross-sector environment effective related to collaboration. * Attention to detail and exemplary record keeping including working to defined processes and conditions.