Strategic Business Development Lead

Reporting to the Head of HR Shared and Traded Services, you will lead a small team developing and strengthening relationships with clients, partners and suppliers; identifying new business opportunities and expanding our reach as a HR and Payroll provider. You will work with our wider HR & OD team to develop and improve our offer, leading to increased income generation. As the Strategic Business Development Lead, you will manage all Service Level Agreements with our partners, proactively monitoring our performance, ensuring value for money, and working with HR & OD colleagues to address issues and improve service delivery. You will work with our commissioning teams to procure services and effectively manage key HR contracts, and liaise with finance colleagues to ensure accurate forecasting and income collection, and carry out annual pricing reviews. This role is pivotal in shaping the future of our commercial offer by identifying and capitalising on new opportunities, building strategic partnerships, and driving long-term growth. About Us This is an exciting opportunity to join a progressive, award winning HR and Organisational Development (OD) Shared Service. Our Business Development Team focuses on our customers' needs, providing HR & OD services to the Royal Borough of Kingston, the London Borough of Sutton, and a range of neighbouring partners and over 200 schools across four Boroughs. About You We are looking for someone who is committed to providing good customer service to a range of internal and external clients. Your excellent interpersonal skills will enable you to develop strong working relationships with colleagues, your team, senior leaders and our partners, whilst your commercial acumen will help you develop and implement comprehensive business development strategies that align with our long-term objectives. While your primary focus will be on strategic leadership, you must be adaptable and willing to engage in operational tasks when necessary to ensure seamless service delivery. You will bring extensive experience in managing commercially driven contracts and service level agreements with both internal and external clients, combined with a proven track record in areas such as pricing, benchmarking, keeping abreast of industry trends and what our competitors are doing, and finding new opportunities to maximise income. Your experience of working with key suppliers and stakeholders to enhance service delivery will be pivotal to success. If you are passionate about providing excellent customer services, are results oriented, and thrive in a challenging yet highly rewarding environment, then we would welcome an application from you. Our Offer To You As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team. In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation., We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda. We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government's minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living. The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Anticipated Interview Date(s) Week commencing 18th or 25th November 2024 About the Borough Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies. We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver. There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact. You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do. Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan "Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together", that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London. Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan "Ambitious for Sutton", that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston or Sutton
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership