Business Development Manager

What we are looking for

We are seeking a motivated and strategic Business Development professional to make a significant impact on UKRIO's growth and success at a pivotal time in our charity’s evolution. As we deepen and expand our services, you will play a crucial role in driving our strategic initiatives forward through securing new income and forging strategic partnerships.

Your primary responsibility will be to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive business development strategy that enhances UKRIO’s reach and impact. Consequently, it is essential you share our vision for the growth and evolution of the charity and can operationalise this through business development, recognising how to harness UKRIO’s strengths and potential to realise new opportunities.

This newly created role is intended to drive forward our ambition to diversify our funding sources – ensuring they remain aligned with our ethical principles and practices – to enable the charity to evolve and grow. As well as growing existing income streams, the Business Development Manager will therefore be expected to identify and secure income from new revenue streams including brokering corporate partnerships, securing statutory funding for relevant projects, and securing restricted and unrestricted grants from Trusts and Foundations.

Our ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the research funding and higher education sectors, a successful history of securing five or six figure multi-year partnerships, excellent communication and negotiation skills, and the ability to build and maintain long-term relationships.

In your day to day role, you will be responsible for growing a pipeline of prospective partners, securing new business opportunities including brokering corporate partnerships, securing statutory funding for relevant projects, and securing restricted and unrestricted grants from Trusts and Foundations, and building and maintaining strong relationships with organisations across the research ecosystem.

You will work closely with our leadership team to align our business development efforts with our organisational goals and proactively monitor industry trends and opportunities, working to regularly horizon scan for new prospects to make informed decisions and recommendations.

Your ability to create compelling proposals and presentations will be key in securing new business deals and partnerships for our organisation. Additionally, you will be responsible for negotiating contracts and agreements, ensuring that they align with our mission and values.

Further details of the role including the job description, person specification, and how to apply can be found in the recruitment pack attached to this advert.

About us

UKRIO is a registered charity that provides independent support on research integrity to the UK research community and the public.

Research and innovation profoundly affects our daily lives, including by driving advances in healthcare, shaping policymaking, and informing investment funding. UKRIO’s mission is to support the rigour, transparency, honesty, accountability, and respectfulness of research performed in the UK –  from design to dissemination – to ensure it is of the highest integrity, quality and efficacy for the collective benefit of humanity.  

Since 2006, UKRIO has provided independent and expert support to help enhance good research practice, address mistakes, questionable practices and fraud, and improve the culture and systems of UK research. We do this by:

• Championing the good governance, management and conduct essential for high quality and ethical research.
• Strengthening the research community by improving trust in research.
• Creating and sharing knowledge of best practice and positive research cultures and conduct.
• Giving confidential, independent, and expert advice and guidance on all forms of research integrity challenges and opportunities as they arise.
• Leading and shaping conversations about research integrity in the UK and beyond.

UKRIO is a well-established and respected charity, supporting a network of over 135 research organisations who subscribe to our services. These subscribers gain access to tailored, long-term support and services that meet their unique needs. and a unique opportunity to signal their commitment to support integrity and high ethical standards in their research. 

Currently, the majority of UKRIO’s funding comes from subscription income, which is predominantly from higher education institutions. The charity also generates income from events, training, small grants, and commissioned projects. Recently, we have had success expanding our subscriber recruitment efforts to reach new audiences and sectors and plan to continue diversifying our subscription income.