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United Nations CSO, Centre for Big Synergy, seeks a Partnerships Advisor/Lead to lead strategic partnerships for various educational and creative programs including the World's biggest sustainability film festival and awards.

What will you be doing?

This is an opportunity to build a very high profile network for furthering your career and also to gain professional esteem and presence.

Big Syn Institute (BSI) is a part of the Centre for Big Synergy and has been organising the Big Syn International Film Festival (BSIFF) since 2019.

The partnerships lead will work closely with senior leadership to identify and engage in commercial and strategic relationships with key partners, both online and offline, for the activities of BSI, London for various creative projects it runs including the World's Biggest sustainability film fest & awards.

Since 2019, the Big Syn Institute has hosted the festival has reached over 50M people and in over 120 countries. Through relevant shorts, features, animations, documentaries, CSR videos and Public Service Videos, Charity films, the festival advocates the United Nations 17 Global Goals and also celebrates the work of UK's marginalised filmmakers. 

OSCAR, BAFTA and EMMY award-winners, as well as other luminaries from film and media, sustainability, and policy have been part of the festival and have supported it since inception. Winners from the festival have eventually won OSCARS and EMMY awards

We are looking for a motivated networker with a can-do attitude who enjoys networking and establishing relationships. The partnerships manager, working closely with our team must be able to:

• Identify, cultivate, and secure high‑value funders, corporate patrons, and philanthropic partners.
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of investors, donors, and strategic collaborators.
• Develop compelling partnership propositions, sponsorship decks, and investment narratives tailored to each stakeholder.
• Lead negotiations and close partnership agreements that advance the institute’s creative, cultural, and educational objectives.
• Work closely with executive leadership to align partnership strategy with the institute’s mission and long‑term vision.
  • Collaborate with programming, marketing, legal, and finance teams to deliver high‑impact partnerships.
  • Monitor industry trends, funding landscapes, and corporate CSR priorities to anticipate new opportunities.
• Take ownership as one of most important people associated with the BSI's activities, festivals and awards
• Think strategically to identify and establish new partnerships whilst exploring new engagements with the existing partner network
• Communicate with a very high professional standard with the leadership of partner organisations, some being the biggest corporations in their sector
• Maintain a database with existing and new partnerships and updates on progress made
• Explore ideas, both in house, and with potential and new partners, to come up with creative ideas of collaboration to further common goals

What are we looking for?

A committed and meticulous person, passionate about making the world a more sustainable, safer and peaceful place

• Proven experience: 3 or more years of communicating and working with senior leadership across organisations and identifying potential partners and stakeholders
• Strategic Relationship Builder: able to cultivate trust with senior executives, philanthropists, brand leaders, and industry stakeholders.
• Commercially Astute: understands how funding, sponsorship, and co‑financing models work across film, culture, and corporate CSR.
• Compelling Communicator: exceptional written and verbal communication, able to craft persuasive pitches, proposals, and partnership narratives.
• Diplomatic and Credible: carries themselves with the gravitas needed to represent an institute in high‑level settings.
• Creative Thinker: able to design partnership concepts that feel fresh, mutually beneficial, and aligned with the institute’s mission.
• Resilient and Proactive: comfortable navigating long sales cycles, complex stakeholders, and shifting industry landscapes.
• Highly Organised: manages pipelines, reporting, and stewardship with precision.
• Mission‑Driven: genuinely committed to the cultural, educational, or social purpose of the institute.

What difference will you make?

Billions of people globally, are unaware of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) let alone take any steps to create a more sustainable world for themselves and in the process for others in this complexly interconnected world.

This highlights the need for such initiatives to educate the British as well as global societies about the UN SDGs. Your contributions can educate and inspire millions to act on the SDGs and bring positive changes that will impact all of us in this complexly interconnected world.

Most importantly your efforts will  ensure that the film festival and the UK's marginalised filmmakers (LGBTQI+, women, disabled and ethnic minorities) get even more visibility, thus furthering the motto of the festival to celebrate inclusion and diversity whilst inspiring the civic society to act on the Global Goals. It will also help partner organisations join forces and work in synergy to amplify the impact of the initiative through communal as well as individual efforts. Thus, benefitting more lives that we would have helped acting alone.

Registered in 1999, Daybreak is a charity whose foundations are in growing the practice of Family Group Conferences in the UK. From this, we have seen the positive impact that occurs when families and communities are empowered to take action when faced with challenging situations.

People and communities often feel disempowered - especially those whose lives are influenced by the systems around them. However, we know that people can take action to support each other and choose what action to take when given the right opportunity to have their voice heard.

This is why we believe in a world where families, people’s wider social networks, and communities work together to make decisions and proactively solve the problems affecting their lives.

Now, utilising a range of family led decision making approaches and working alongside partner organisations and within the community, we bring people together to create opportunities for them to communicate, work together, and choose what actions to take, in order to move forward, be safe, and thrive.

Throughout our various programs, our work centres around the principles of voluntary participation, transparency and openness for all, advocacy for those who need it, and for our contribution to be facilitative not prescriptive.

Who we’re looking for

We are looking to welcome two new members to our Board of Trustees.

To serve as one of Daybreak’s trustees is to play a fundamental role in enabling our charity to pursue its vision, mission, and values. Your contribution to discussions and decision-making at the highest level of our organisation will ensure that we can continue to provide our services to those in need of our support.

The role is more focused on strategy than detail. You will offer crucial guidance and support to management in developing a growth strategy that will allow Daybreak to reach more people and touch more lives.

There is no requirement for you to have experience as a Trustee. All we need is a willingness to use your skills and expertise to support Daybreak, a desire to make a difference for our service users, and a commitment to active participation in the role.

We would especially welcome applications from those with experience in Data, Digital and either Children or Adult Social Services.

The time commitment involved is around thirty hours per year, though a wide range of opportunities to get involved in the Board’s work will be provided. Board meetings are usually held quarterly in Hampshire or online.

What we offer

‍ As a trustee you will be given:

• Induction and ongoing support.

• Board-level experience in a friendly environment, with the opportunity to exercise your existing skills and develop new ones. Our Board contains a diverse range of individuals from various backgrounds, including business and family services, and you will be able to tap into and learn from the breadth of knowledge that they possess.

• Scope to drive a growth strategy designed to expand our services and allow us to give more families and communities the chance to take control of their circumstances. Your experience and insight will be vital in enabling us to channel the power of families and communities coming together to strengthen the bonds between them.

• A comprehensive insight into the charitable sector, the challenges it faces, and how these challenges can be overcome.

• The opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of children, young people, and their families. Your strategic input will help spur positive change and empower families and communities to overcome their unique challenges, and you will see the beneficial impact of your decision-making play out across our services.

• The knowledge that your contribution has helped secure the best possible results for service users and navigate the challenges our charity faces. By helping us, you will help families to find more workable solutions to their problems, while avoiding plans being imposed upon them.

Interested in supporting victims/survivors of domestic abuse?

We are currently recruiting Trustees to help us take the charity forward into the future.

Herts Domestic Abuse Helpline is a registered charity led by a Board of Trustees.

The Trustees (all unpaid volunteers) act individually and collectively, to provide overall stewardship of the charity, in accordance with our governing document and relevant legislation. In essence we look after the staff, volunteers and the organisation, so they can support the community.

You don’t need specific qualifications or experience to be a trustee and we welcome people of all ages, backgrounds and experience.

Prospective candidates will need to:

• Have empathy with the work of the Helpline

• Be able to devote the necessary time and effort

• Have well-developed communication and interpersonal skills

• Have good judgement

• Be able to work as a team

• Have the ability, commitment and drive to take the organisation forward

Trustee Opportunities

For any charity succession planning is important and with that in mind we are currently looking for people to join our Board as Trustees.

1. Chair: Our Chair will be stepping down soon after 15 years and we are looking for someone to learn the ropes beside her before taking on the role. 

2. Treasurer: After 10 years, our Treasurer is looking to retire in the next year. The Treasurer’s role description is on our website.  

3. General Trustees: Please see the role description on our website

If you would like to apply please complete the application form on our website.  You are welcome also to email Chris Roach, Chair, at that address to arrange an informal chat.