Strategic Lead for Technology & Services

SF Recruitment are working with a business based in Birmingham (B4) who are looking for a Strategic Lead for Technology and Services
£75,000
Hybrid

Role:
- Lead a team of sector specialists to translate the strengths of, and opportunities within, the West Midlands, into compelling (and where appropriate, highly tailored) value propositions to attract job creating investment within the Technology & Services spectrum, from key global and domestic investment markets.
- Lead, develop and implement an effective business development strategy, focused heavily on intermediary relationships and direct business engagement, to build and progress a pipeline of regional investment prospects, with the objective of securing successful new investment and the expansion of existing employers in line with the key service level agreements.
- Generate and manage a pipeline of inward investment enquiries involving new and expansion projects with key measures around investment projects influenced/ generated and secured, and associated new direct jobs created.
- Take a lead role in account management of strategic businesses specific to the sector across the geography in collaboration with local partners, with the aim of generating business growth and securing expansion projects.
- Provide consultative support and sector expertise to the Head of Inward Investment, Leadership Team and other functions within the business, when required and in accordance with the wider strategic objectives.
- Identify commercial and revenue generating opportunities for commercial partners of the business, within the Technology & Services sector and engage them, where appropriate, to play a supporting (and mutually beneficial) role in attracting inward investment into the region.
- Work closely with and influence key stakeholders located within and externally to the region (including Local Authorities, Universities, property developers, industry bodies and other stakeholder groups to raise the profile of and enhance the perceived attractiveness of the region's offer to potential investors and to stimulate incremental investment by local firms within the sector.
- Work closely with the senior management team to ensure consistent and effective achievement of contract objectives, providing flexible support to ensure the team targets are achieved.
- Forge and develop effective relationships across and between the public and private sectors within the business and neighbouring geographies. Build influence to become the natural 'go to'/consultative investment lead, when initiating or carrying out strategic initiatives.
- Undertake planned marketing and lead generation activities both nationally and internationally, where there is a strong strategic rationale to do so.
- Make efficient use of CRM systems and processes to record, monitor, review and refine business development strategies, together with marketing and communications programmes to fully exploit business opportunities both for the business and for the wider benefit of the region.
- Take line management responsibility for a team of business developers to include; recruitment, communication and engagement, performance management, development and coaching activities.
- Mentor and support other team members across the business to ensure key investment opportunities and nuances of the sectors are understood and can be communicated to external stakeholders in a manner that supports delivery of the strategic objectives.

Skills:
- Excellent relationship management skills
- Excellent inter-personal and team working skills, and a proven ability to form strategic partnerships.
- Demonstrable leadership skills, including the ability to motivate, enthuse, coach and drive individuals to high performance.
- Excellent communication and presentational skills, with the ability to communicate ideas, issues, systems and procedures successfully at all levels to a variety of audiences.
- Strong negotiating skills with the ability to influence investment decisions at the highest level.
- Demonstrable self-starter, capable of thriving in a fluid, results-driven environment.
- Excellent strategic thinking and business development skills - a proven ability to achieve successful commercial outcomes by leveraging intermediary relationships and undertaking direct business development, with large corporate companies.
- Formal sales or pipeline management skills training.
- Evidence of success in motivating people and brokering collaborative working relationships with a range of key stakeholders, including engagement with local communities, building partnerships across traditional organisational and sector boundaries.
- A highly developed understanding of how inward investment drives economic development outcomes and the roles, responsibilities and drivers of organisations and intermediaries that can enhance/impede outcomes.