Partnership Coordinator

Job title: Partnership Coordinator

Reports to: ENA Programmes Director

Contract: Permanent, full-time role (40 hours per week)

Location: UK (remote), with regular travel to customer sites, sector events and conferences

Annual salary: £29,500 per annum

Line managing: None at present (may grow as the UK sales team expands)

Homeworking and travel requirements: Candidates should have access to a suitable homeworking space, a functional laptop, reliable internet and phone connectivity, and an environment that supports focused work and confidential meetings. Equipment needs can be discussed with the successful candidate. The role requires travel to nurseries and schools; a driving licence is desirable, but suitable alternative travel arrangements will be considered.

Introduction

THINK EQUAL is a global education initiative with a mission to ensure that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) becomes a mandatory subject for all children in early years settings globally. SEL is the process through which knowledge, attitudes, values and skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making are developed. 

SEL helps young people to:

• build and maintain psychological resources;

• know themselves and their emotions and to engage in positive relationships;

• make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly;

• learn self-regulation and avoid negative behaviours;

• undo gender stereotypes and be gender equal;

• have self-worth, confidence and the right to voice and agency; and

• transition into ambitious and empowered young adults.

To support educators and governments to achieve this mission, THINK EQUAL has developed a global SEL Programme for 3-6 years-olds. The Programme is constructed around narrative children’s books, lesson plans and teaching resources which provide the concrete tools educators need to teach SEL in a low-cost and adaptable format.

The THINK EQUAL Programme has a global presence across six continents and has undergone three RCT trials in contexts as varied as Colombia, Botswana and Australia. There is a growing demand from other countries for the THINK EQUAL Programme and the organisation is now strengthening its team to be able to respond to this demand.

Purpose of the role:

This is a target-driven sales and partnerships role that grows Think Equal's reach across UK early years and primary education. You will sell Think Equal programmes directly to independent nurseries, nursery chains, schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), converting interest into signed contracts and recurring revenue.

You will own the full sales cycle: prospecting, discovery, presentations, proposals, negotiation and close. You will then build long-term partnerships with each customer so they renew, expand across sites and refer others.

The role works closely with the Programmes Coordinator to hand over new customers smoothly and keep delivery quality high. Every child reached through a new partnership is a step towards a world where empathy, equality and inclusion are taught from the very start.

Roles and Responsibilities 

Direct sales and new business – 60%

• Build and manage a pipeline of nurseries, nursery chains, primary schools and MATs across the UK, meeting agreed monthly and quarterly targets.

• Prospect proactively through calls, email, sector networks, social media platforms and referrals, booking discovery meetings with owners, headteachers, early years leads, MAT CEOs and trust leadership teams.

• Work collaboratively with the UK team to turn opportunities created through Think Equal's co-design strategy with local authorities into new business, following up with the settings and schools engaged through local authority partnerships.

• Run the full sales cycle: discovery, tailored presentations and demonstrations, proposals, pricing, negotiation, contracts and invoicing.

• Position Think Equal against customer priorities such as the EYFS Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) goals, PSHE and RSHE requirements, wellbeing, behaviour and Ofsted inspection frameworks.

• Target multi-site deals with nursery groups and MATs, securing trust-wide or group-wide rollouts.

• Represent Think Equal at education events, early years and MAT conferences, webinars and networking events to generate leads.

• Work with Communications and Business Development on campaigns, case studies and sales collateral that drive enquiries.

• Maintain accurate records of every lead, activity and deal in the CRM.

Partnerships and account management – 30%

• Act as the main relationship holder for new partners - schools and nurseries, building .

• Hand over new customers to the Programmes team with clear onboarding plans, training dates and resource needs.

• Work with the UK team to drive sales for additional year groups, sites or organisations, and secure referrals and testimonials.

• Build strategic relationships with sector bodies, nursery associations, MAT networks, local authorities and funders that open doors to new customers.

• Work collaboratively with the UK team to support and build on the co-design strategy with local authorities, strengthening those partnerships so they lead to wider area-based rollouts and long-term commissioning.

• Gather customer feedback and impact evidence to strengthen proposals and support Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL).

Forecasting and reporting – 10%

• Produce weekly pipeline reports and monthly and quarterly sales forecasts for the Programmes Director and CEO, contributing to board reports where required.

• Track revenue, pricing and discounts in line with the Think Equal finance policy.

• Flag risks to targets early and propose actions to close gaps.

• Share market insight on competitors, pricing and customer needs to shape the UK offer.

Other

• Undertake any other reasonable support, initiative or activity as required (for example, supporting specific projects as directed by the Senior Management Team).

• Provide line management to future UK sales or partnerships staff if and when the team expands.

KPI’s and Targets

Performance will be measured against the three below streams. They will be set at the outset of the role and reviewed monthly with the Line Manager and reset each year. 

• New partners: the number of nurseries and schools signed.

• Multi-site deals: nursery chains or multi-academy trusts (MATs) signed.

• Children reached: the number of children in newly contracted settings.

Knowledge, experience and skills

Essential

• A proven track record in income generation, partnership development or account management within the charity, education or social impact sector, with a strong record of meeting or exceeding income and engagement targets.

• Experience selling into, or working within, early years, schools or MATs, with an understanding of how buying decisions and budgets work in the sector.

• Confidence running the full sales cycle, from cold outreach to negotiation and close.

• Strong presentation, persuasion and relationship-building skills with senior decision-makers.

• Highly organised, able to manage a busy pipeline and multiple deadlines.

• Comfortable using a CRM and reporting on pipeline and performance data.

• Resilient and self-motivated, performing steadily under pressure and adapting quickly to changing priorities.

• Passion for Think Equal's mission and a can-do attitude, delivering with integrity and honesty.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the EYFS framework, PSHE and RSHE, and the Ofsted inspection framework.

• An existing network among nursery groups, headteachers or MAT leaders.

• Experience selling social-impact, education or subscription-based programmes.

• Experience of tendering or framework procurement in education.

• Highly developed cultural awareness and experience working in an international, diverse team.