Lead our Partnerships & Business Development team and become a senior leader in our nonprofit co-op
**Please note we will be speaking to the right candidates on an ongoing basis, so please fill out the short form below as soon as you can if you are interested in the position.**
WARNING: this is not an ordinary job. You will have the chance to make a big, positive dent in the universe while working with smart, passionate colleagues in a calm way (i.e. we work hard to ensure everyone has a great work/life balance and we'll expect you to lead on this culture too). We're looking for someone who wants to use all of their business acumen to help change lives. If that sounds like you, read on...
We are The Developer Society, a fully not for profit co-op digital agency based in the UK, working exclusively with charities, NGOs and mission driven organisations. We exist to bring our expertise and experience across development, design, project management, and strategy to the groups making the biggest impact in the world. This includes some of the biggest and most innovative changemakers in the UK and around the world such as: Samaritans, Macmillan Cancer Care, Oxfam International, War Child, Choose Love/Help Refugees, Mercy Corps, 38 Degrees, and many more.
Partnerships and Business Development Director
To help more people, we have to bring in more projects. It's as simple as that. We exist to deliver tech for good projects and help great orgs use technology to change lives. We believe the tools we develop can help charities and NGOs do good in more effective and efficient ways.
To make this change, we need to bring in projects to work on. And to have greater impact, we want to work on more projects at a bigger scale. We've grown in a steady, responsible way in the last 5 years from 5 people to 25. Where can we go from here? The only limits are our ambition and what's going to be best for our team and our partners. You can be a central part of shaping that.
You'll have twin responsibilities to start with. Firstly, you will be responsible for leading our Partnerships and Business Development work, ensuring your team takes DEV's marketing, promotions, pitching, and relationship building work to the next level. You'll ensure we have a healthy pipeline of leads and a schedule packed with impact generating projects. Secondly, you will have a seat at the table for shaping the future of DEV. You will be a senior leader across the organisation and expected to play a role as part of our equivalent of a Senior Management Team.
This role might be right for you if...
- Value impact above personal gain. We believe in paying the best salaries we can but, realistically, if you're the right fit for this role then we all know you have the talent to make more money elsewhere. To succeed in this role, that can't be your priority.
- Are interested in making changes across the co-op. Do you care about how our maternity policies are structured? Do you want to help shape how we do annual leave?
- Can use all your experience and knowledge of sales practices in the service of nonprofit change. Can you close deals that are win-win for us and our partners?
- You are not afraid of the hard-nosed sales work but can make it feel appropriate to our sector (we don't have clients or customers, we have partners and it's crucial that language and the thinking behind it really resonates with you)
We are looking for someone who is...
- Passionate about the opportunity to work with charities and nonprofits
- Coming to us with interesting life experience
- Aware that diversity in teams is a strength. Particularly people with lived experience of this.
- Upbeat, friendly, and a positive addition to the team all round
- Interested in technology and how it can be used to make the world a better place
- Organised and self-motivated
- A great communicator
- Committed to our unique shape
- You don't need to be an expert in cooperatives but you need to believe in the ethos behind our structure
- You need to be committed to an 'inverted pyramid', where team leaders serve the needs of others
- You need to believe in our non-profit ethos
- Committed to working in a calm way
- This doesn't mean high performing or working under pressure, it means lowering the drama and stress
- It means focusing on the priority actions and doing them first
- It means creating systems to manage workflows so work doesn't spill over into the weekend
- It means setting expectations within the team and living up to them: our great work/life balance comes from specific and focused habits
- And in your role, it will mean leading the team to deliver at a high-level while working in a calm, balanced way
- An expert in their field...
- Perhaps you're a sales and marketing expert with great know how in terms of pitches and selling
- Perhaps you're a nonprofit leader with a great contact book across grantmakers, charities and and other influential players in our sector
- Perhaps you're a charity fundraiser with knowledge of the sector and a detailed understanding of digital and a conversion focused mindset
- Or perhaps you're coming from an entirely different background but you're a leader in your field and can show us how your skills and experience will help you excel in this role
If that sounds like you, then we’d love to hear from you!
You might be coming from...
- Another nonprofit agency
- A for profit agency background
- From a charity or NGO
- From a funder or grantmaking body
- From the world of impact investing
- From somewhere else entirely and looking for a career change
...we don't have a fixed template for this position. The most important thing is that we find someone who is a good fit for our team, there's no one single route into this position.
In return you'll get...
- The chance to make a huge difference in the world
- The opportunity to work with world-leading charities to change the world
- Every day your work will help create change for our partners
- You will be able to use your business skills to create more than profit
- An incredible opportunity to help reshape a successful nonprofit digital agency and bring your ideas to fruition
- A salary of £55,000 - £60,000 per annum in line with your experience and responsibilities. You can read more about the thinking that shapes our salary structure in our Pay Principles and see the specific details on how a salary is determined in How We Do Salaries.
- A great learning environment where you can rapidly test and prototype new ideas
- Flexible paid leave of 30 days per year (+ public holidays)
- A workplace that is both fun and supportive
- Beautiful studio space at Digbeth’s Custard Factory to work from post-pandemic or fully remote working, or a mix of both
- Or access to a co-working space in your area if you prefer that to home-working
- Optional membership of the Developer Society co-op, giving you democratic input into the running of our organisation, including electing representatives and voting rights. This is something that sets us apart.
- A MacBook to match the needs of your position and any other equipment needed to do your role
- An enhanced parental leave package which include 3 months fully paid leave for anyone accessing maternity and shared parental leave and full pay top up for statutory paternity leave
- A tailored budget to support professional development
- Mental health support through collaboration with NHS Devon Partnership as part of our Mindful Employer Commitment: https://www.mindfulemployer.dpt.nhs.uk/
Applications & deadline (please read carefully)
We’ve kept the process nice and simple. Just fill out this short form and we will be in touch with you: https://devsociety.typeform.com/to/YqwVQ4F9
In order to complete the form you will need to have:
- A CV
- An answer to the following question:
- Please tell us about why you'd like to join the team at DEV and why you'd be a great fit? (1,000 characters or less)
We will reach out to candidates on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.* If you’re interested please complete the form above (it really is short!) as soon as possible.*
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in our team. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status and we actively encourage and welcome applications from under-represented groups. Diversity is a strength in teams.
We have no involvement with emailing or cold calling agencies, so if that’s you, please don’t reach out as we won't be able to respond.