Conference and events coordinator jobs in Manchester
Key information
Location: Manchester, Bristol, Newcastle, Nottingham, or London
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (full time)
Start date: ASAP (we are happy to work with notice periods)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £36,340 - £41,065 per annum if based in London. £33,690 - £38,410 per annum if based in Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle or Nottingham, plus a £312 yearly tax-free work from home allowance.
Application deadline: Wednesday 18th March, 12pm
This application process will consist of 3 stages: Application, 1st interview and Assessment Centre (presentation task & interview).
About upReach
Do you think that your socio-economic background should determine your career prospects?
upReach’s vision is of a society in which everybody has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential. Our work is important because right now a student from disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2.
We are an award-winning charity employer working to address this issue in partnership with employers and universities. We help undergraduates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their career potential by providing an intensive programme of support that addresses socio-economic barriers to graduate employment.
To find out more about how we support our students, visit our website and read our Annual Report, and Impact Report.
Role Summary
As a University Partnership Manager at upReach, you will play a vital role in securing and growing high-impact partnerships with universities committed to social mobility.
Reporting to the Head of Partnerships within the Income Generation and External Engagement team, you will be responsible for developing new strategic relationships, championing our partners' voices across upReach, and working closely with our Programmes Team to oversee a portfolio of university partners. You’ll lead stakeholder engagement, take ownership of partnership outcomes and work collaboratively across upReach with our marketing, impact and programme teams.
Core Responsibilities
You will play a critical role in advancing upReach’s mission by generating income and leading upReach’s University Partnerships strategy. Creating life-changing opportunities for our Associates through high-impact university partnerships. You will be directly supporting the organisation's strategic priorities: driving sustainable income growth, enhancing programme impact and expanding our reach as a national charity.
Given the expansive and dynamic nature of this role, the list of responsibilities is not exhaustive, but provides a clear overview of your primary areas of responsibility, ownership and impact.
The core responsibilities include:
Develop and Secure New Strategic University Partnerships
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Proactively identify, cultivate, and convert a pipeline of four and five-figure prospective university partners aligned with upReach’s mission and strategic goals.
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Lead high-quality prospecting and relationship-building activity, targeting income-generating partnerships that also deliver high-impact opportunities for Associates.
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Build strong relationships with key contacts at potential partners, including senior stakeholders within widening participation, employability, and careers teams, through regular in-person and virtual meetings.
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Deliver compelling, insight-driven proposals and presentations tailored to organisational priorities and demonstrating mutual value.
Stakeholder Representation and Engagement
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Act as a visible representative of upReach at key partner events, conferences, and roundtables, building relationships, showcasing our impact, and raising our external profile.
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Leverage social media strategically to spotlight partnership activity, amplify success stories and demonstrate the value of our partnerships in real time.
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Respond swiftly and professionally to partner and prospective partner requests, ensuring timely, accurate information and follow-up.
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Capture, report and disseminate key themes and insights from partner feedback, helping to inform decision-making and continuously improve the partnership experience.
Monitor and Grow Existing University Partnerships
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Responsibility for a portfolio of upReach’s existing university partners, ensuring effective stewardship of the day-to-day relationship with high satisfaction, sustainable renewal and growth.
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Set and monitor partnership goals and OKRs, leading regular reviews and performance reporting.
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Identify opportunities to deepen and broaden engagement with existing partners, including expanding partnership activities.
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Collaborate with the Student Attraction and Programme teams to engage the university in identifying & promoting the programme.
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Working closely with upReach’s Programme teams to ensure partnerships and programmes are delivered to a high standard.
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Lead on university partnership health reviews and mid-year partner reviews to ensure any issues are dealt with effectively, promptly and collaboratively.
Partnership Visibility and Impact
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Collaborate closely with Marketing & Communications to co-create high-quality content and campaigns that showcase our strategic partnerships through university guides, case studies, thought leadership, social media, and joint events.
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Lead on impact reporting for your partnership portfolio, using both data and compelling stories to evidence the outcomes of the partnership and drive continued engagement.
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Proactively identify and deliver opportunities for partners to amplify the voice of upReach; through our external events, fundraising opportunities and sharing social-media collateral that promotes our work.
Cross-Functional Collaboration and Innovation
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Collaborate with the Finance team to ensure timely and accurate invoicing and contracting for all University partnerships, supporting effective financial management.
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Maintain up-to-date and accurate records of partnership activity using upReach’s internal CRM and systems, enabling effective reporting, forecasting and stewardship.
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Uphold the organisation’s legal and ethical obligations, including data protection, charity law, and compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements.
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Manage and support a rotation of the Future Charity Leaders Programme, providing guidance, feedback, and development opportunities.
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Meet monthly with University Leads (the Programme Coordinator responsible for day-to-day university activities) to set partnership priorities, monitor stakeholder KPIs (onboarding, engagement), and deliver updates to universities.
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Contribute to the achievement of income targets aligned with upReach’s strategic goals, identifying and progressing opportunities to drive revenue growth.
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Engage fully in the annual appraisal process, setting ambitious, SMART objectives that align with organisational priorities and your personal development.
Skills and Experience
The ideal candidate for the University Partnerships Manager should display these behavioural skills:
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Strong track record of relationship-building, influencing, and delivering high-quality engagement with a range of stakeholders, ideally including senior university professionals.
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Excellent organisational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines autonomously.
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Confident and pragmatic decision maker in a fast-paced environment, with an understanding of when to escalate situations and seek input appropriately.
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Proven ability to develop and implement partnership or engagement strategies that strengthen collaboration and deliver shared goals.
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Collaborative team player with experience supporting and working across diverse teams to deliver shared objectives.
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including confidence in preparing and delivering presentations and reports.
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Proficient in using CRM or data management systems to track engagement, manage pipelines, and generate actionable insights.
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Experience measuring and reporting on partnership impact, engagement, or value creation.
Desirable:
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Experience in university partnerships, fundraising, account management, or stakeholder engagement.
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Understanding of widening participation, employability, or student success strategies within a higher education setting.
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Experience collaborating with marketing or communications teams to create joint campaigns, content, or case studies that drive engagement.
Team Culture & Benefits:
We offer:
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Flexible and hybrid working.
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Statutory Holiday Entitlement of 25 days and bank holidays. This increases to 2 additional days after 2.5 years and then to 3 additional days after 5 years of working with us.
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Birthday leave and Volunteering leave
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Enhanced Parental Leave beyond statutory requirements for all team members.
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3% Pension Contribution, which increased to 5% after 5 years of working with us.
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Cycle-to-work scheme.
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Monthly socials and annual wellbeing days
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Dedication to Staff Wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aid Training.
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Personal Development Budget, activated after 6 months in the role.
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The opportunity to participate in our fantastic staff networks:
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Disability and Inclusion Network
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Diverse Roots Network
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Green Network
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LGBTQ+ Network
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Mindfulness Network
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Parents and Carers Network
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(Im)Migrants Network
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Ready to apply?
We are committed to making our recruitment process inclusive. All applications will be blind screened, and our job packs are available in Braille, large text or another format upon request. We can provide reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment application process and on the job, and we'll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible.
Applications close on Wednesday 18th March at 12pm..
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
At upReach, we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate in employment matters on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability, social background or any other protected class. We celebrate and value the diverse perspectives that people from all backgrounds bring to our team. We are passionate about creating a workplace that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of communities across the UK. Diversity in the workplace creates dynamic and effective organisations and we are actively working to build a more inclusive workforce by continuously improving our recruitment, retention, and development practices. We encourage applications from individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities , those who are care-experienced, those from low socio-economic backgrounds, and those who are LGBTQIA+.
Registered Charity 
21 - 50
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
One in 20 adults in the UK has never learnt to read at all. This can have a serious impact on their confidence and wellbeing, limiting access to training, employment, and everyday opportunities that many take for granted. Being unable to read as an adult can be isolating and dangerous, reinforces social inequality, restricts economic growth, and worsens intergenerational disadvantage - but it is never too late to learn.
Read Easy helps adults transform their lives by learning to read. It does this by supporting its growing network of locally run, volunteer-led affiliated groups that offer free, confidential, one-to-one reading coaching—both in person and online to adults - aged from 18-88.
With its free, flexible, confidential approach, Read Easy encourages people who are too embarrassed to join a class to come forward for one-to-one support. Each new reader is provided with their own personal Reading Coach, so that they can learn in private and at their own pace. Learning to read transforms their lives in many other ways as well, including enabling them to support their children’s and grandchildren’s reading, and so transfers the benefits to the next generation.
There are currently 80 affiliated Read Easy groups across England, together involving more than a thousand volunteers. Read Easy UK is the registered charity and umbrella organisation which supports this network of affiliated volunteer groups and provides the structure, training and support to enable volunteers to establish groups in new areas.
As our Central Regional Adviser, your role would be to provide strategic leadership, guidance, and oversight to ensure that all volunteer groups consistently deliver high-quality services aligned with Read Easy UK’s strategy.
You will support local volunteer leaders to strengthen group performance, and foster collaboration across affiliated groups, so that that they deliver coaching to Readers with consistent quality, and a positive and worthwhile experience is had by all.
You will also find volunteers to ‘pioneer’ three new groups in the counties where there is no Read Easy presence in the East and West Midlands and East of England and provide them and our 29 existing groups and pioneers in the region, with high-quality support. Your quality support will ensure that they provide the same for their volunteers and new Readers. From meeting (mostly online) with Team Leaders to provide one to one support, and hosting online and annual in-person volunteer forums, to delivering presentations and occasional training for small groups of volunteers, this is a dynamic and rewarding role.
This is a home-based post requiring flexibility, some early evening working and occasional travel to visit groups. The role is available on either a full or part time basis (min 32 hours p/w, 85% of 37.5 hours p/w FTE).
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Live within one of the following areas: West Midlands (Defined as the 7 metropolitan boroughs of Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton), Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire or Rutland;
- have been employed to work with volunteers for at least two years;
- have strong people management and interpersonal skills; excellent communication skills; and the confidence to run meetings and deliver presentations.
Salary & Benefits
- Annual Salary £25,973 (85% FTE) - £30,385 (100% FTE)
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and Christmas closing and 2 days volunteering leave – pro-rata for part time roles
- Company sick pay to financially support you when you are unwell (above statutory upon completion of probationary period)
- Support when extending your family – company parental and adoption pay (above statutory after 12 months service)
- Access to RewardHub – which gives retail discounts and has a ‘Wellbeing Centre’ with tools, tips, recipes, workout videos and guides which will help you to reach your own wellbeing goals
- Training and Development opportunities and resources – we are developing personal plans in this area to enhance employee experience and opportunity
- A collaborative, creative and inspiring working environment full of committed and passionate employees and inspirational volunteers
We strive to ensure our recruitment practices are fair, open, easy to access and as inclusive as possible. We aim to recruit a team which broadly reflect the local communities which we serve; to work with and learn from each other to continually improve the service we deliver to our Readers. Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group is actively promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion, ensuring a culture where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We welcome you to apply and be your authentic self.
When applying for a job with us, if an applicant has a disability covered by the definition outlined within the Equality Act 2010 and can show that they meet the ‘essential criteria’ described in the person specification for the role being applied for, they are guaranteed an interview for the job for which they are applying through our Disability Confident scheme.
If you need any support with your application, please contact us,
The closing date for this post is 10:00 Tuesday 3rd March 2026. Should you be shortlisted, the first round of interviews will take place online on Tuesday 10th March, with in-person interviews, being held in Birmingham, on Tuesday 17th March 2026.
The successful candidate will be invited to meet the team on 15th April in Birmingham, should they be able to do so.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Chief Executive - Help & Care
Location: Home-based within easy reach of Dorset (regular travel across the region)
Salary: circa £85,000 per annum
Contract: permanent, either full-time basis (37 hours per week) or part-time (30 hours per week). We are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements for part-time hours, including how these are worked across the working week.
Are you an innovative leader who will put communities and social justice at the heart of transforming how health and social care is delivered in Dorset and the south of England?
Help & Care has been supporting communities across Dorset and the south coast since 1985. We deliver person-centred services that promote dignity, independence and connection - from dementia coordination and health coaching to our award-winning Roots gardening programme and social prescribing partnerships. Working with over 25 partners across health, housing and the voluntary sector, we co-produce services that make a real difference to older people, those with long-term conditions, carers and people at risk of isolation.
As our new Chief Executive, you will collaborate with a dedicated Board and a strong, highly motivated team focusing on the following key areas of responsibility:
- Strategic leadership: Define an ambitious, values-led strategy and deliver it, securing long-term impact alongside sustainable financial growth.
- Values leadership: Place Help & Care’s values - social justice, innovation, personal and collaborative - at the heart of decision-making and model them through visible leadership.
- Growth & income diversification: Lead business development to diversify income streams, winning commissioned contracts and developing social-enterprise opportunities to reduce reliance on public commissioning.
- Partnerships & advocacy: Strengthen and sustain senior-level relationships across the NHS, local authorities, commissioners and the voluntary sector; represent Help & Care across systems, media and stakeholder networks.
- Service quality & impact: Embed rigorous monitoring and evaluation so outcome evidence drives commissioning decisions, improves financial performance and enhances the organisation’s reputation.
- People leadership: Inspire, retain and develop a high-performing, compassionate leadership team and workforce, focused on talent development, wellbeing and accountability.
- Governance & financial stewardship: Provide the Board with timely, high-quality reporting, oversee financial recovery or sustainability plans as required, and ensure robust risk, compliance and governance arrangements.
Who you are:
- An experienced CEO or senior director from complex, multi-service health, social care or community organisations, with experience of developing and delivering multi-agency contracts.
- Proven track record of securing commissioned contracts, leading tendering and contract oversight, and developing income diversification, including social-enterprise opportunities.
- Comfortable driving strategic transformation and financial sustainability, with demonstrable expertise in strategic financial management.
- A values-led, collaborative and visible leader with high emotional intelligence and resilience, committed to social justice, person-centred practice and co-production; an effective public representative and mentor.
Why Help & Care?
- Lead a highly respected regional provider with an outstanding track record of co-production and innovation.
- Shape an organisation poised for growth and greater regional influence.
- Hybrid, home-based working, regular travel across Dorset, and the chance to safeguard vital services for local communities.
For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence
Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 23rd February 2026. Interviews and assessments on 3rd, 4th and 5th March.
As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.
