Head of Alliances

As Head of Alliances, you will lead the development of ambitious, multi-year relationships with organisations across government, industry, academia, technology and the third sector.

You will be accountable for creating and converting a strong pipeline of alliance opportunities, securing substantial financial and non-financial commitments, and building trusted relationships with senior partners. Working across the Institute, you will turn shared priorities into compelling propositions, investable programmes and alliances that deliver measurable impact.

Reporting to the Director of Partnerships, you will lead a team of five Partnership Development Leads and work closely with executive leaders, research and innovation teams, delivery colleagues and senior external stakeholders

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

• Generate substantial and sustainable revenue by originating, developing and securing high-value, multi-year alliances.
• Build and manage a qualified, forecastable pipeline, with clear income targets, priorities and routes to conversion.
• Develop compelling propositions and investment cases that secure financial and in-kind commitments from partners.
• Build trusted relationships with senior executives, funders, sponsors, researchers, government and public-sector leaders.
• Lead complex negotiations, balancing commercial opportunity with contractual, financial, data, intellectual property and reputational risks.
• Provide strategic oversight of priority alliances, maintaining senior-level commitment and resolving issues as relationships develop.
• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing team, setting clear priorities, strengthening capability and creating a collaborative culture.
• Improve alliance development practices, including account planning, opportunity qualification, CRM discipline, pipeline forecasting and performance reporting.

ABOUT YOU

You will bring:

• A strong track record of generating significant revenue and securing substantial financial and in-kind commitments.
• Significant experience of building, negotiating and growing complex, high-value alliances or strategic partnerships.
• Excellent relationship management skills, with the credibility to influence and engage senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to turn complex opportunities into clear, compelling and fundable propositions.
• Experience of leading and developing a successful partnerships, alliances or business development team.
• Confidence managing complex negotiations, governance arrangements and commercial or delivery risks.
• The ability to combine strategic thinking with a clear focus on delivery, income generation and measurable results.

Experience within AI, data science, research, technology, innovation or national resilience would be valuable, although we also welcome candidates from adjacent sectors with strongly transferable experience.

WHY JOIN US?

This is an opportunity to build a distinctive alliances function with national visibility and substantial autonomy. You will help translate world-class research into practical capabilities, while creating the partnerships and investment needed to strengthen the resilience of the UK’s critical systems.

Terms and Conditions

This post is offered on a fixed term basis, at an annual salary of £82,500 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies,

Application procedure

Please see our jobs portal for full details on the Job Description and how to apply. 

Equality Diversity and Inclusion

We value diversity of background, experience, and perspective, and are proud to be an inclusive employer. We warmly encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from groups currently under-represented in our sector.  If you feel passionate about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, please apply – we recognise that great candidates may bring strengths beyond the criteria listed. 

£82,500 plus excellent benefits