Community & Industry Engagement Manager

Community & Industry Engagement Manager

Salary: £39,906 - £43,482

Location: Liverpool, hybrid (minimum of 3 days on site per week)

Contract: Fixed term contract until 31st December 2027

We are recruiting a Community & Industry Engagement Manager to support delivery of the LEAF (Liverpool Economic Activity Framework) project across the Liverpool City Region. This role will support work across two departments within LSTM, contributing to community-led approaches to reducing economic inactivity linked to ill health (including mental health), disability, informal caring responsibilities and place-based social and economic disadvantage. The role will establish and support Community Innovation Teams (CITs), working with community organisations, small and medium enterprises, housing associations, industry partners and individuals with lived experience of health-related and caring-related economic inactivity. You will co-facilitate training in quality improvement skills, coach CIT members throughout the innovation process and support delivery of hyper-localised intervention activities. Working closely with housing associations, community organisations, academic and industry partners, you will also contribute to developing insight, supporting knowledge exchange and producing outputs that inform future programmes and policy decisions aimed at improving economic participation, health and wellbeing across the region.

Key Responsibilities Include

• Act as a bridge between community/local organisations and industry to ensure all voices are heard
• Cultivate and maintain effective relationships with academic, industry, SME, health, government and funding stakeholders
• Represent the LEAF project in meetings, workshops and conferences, advocating for the project’s goals
• Identify and secure new partnerships with academic and commercial entities, supporting the Work Package Lead in building collaborations that advance the objectives of the LEAF project.
• Facilitate Community Innovation Team (CIT) meetings and workshops
• Coach the CITs through phased training in the development and implementation of quality improvement change plans
• Support people with lived experience of worklessness to develop personal development plans and provide skills-building sessions
• Co-facilitate and organise theory of change workshops and local research agenda setting
• Work directly with individuals and community members who may be experiencing vulnerability, including mental ill health, disability, caring responsibilities, financial hardship or social exclusion, ensuring a trauma-informed approach
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of local and statutory support services and signpost participants appropriately
• Ensure the effective delivery of the LEAF community innovation teams and the industry exchange programme by managing day-to-day operations, tracking progress, and coordinating project activities
• Support the implementation of specific workstreams within the LEAF project in close collaboration with the LSTM Work Package lead and CDI
• Work with project managers in the allocation of resources and project budgets within agreed parameters
• Lead the preparation of progress reports for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that key performance indicators and milestones are met

Person specification

• Educated to degree level in a relevant field (e.g. life sciences, social sciences, innovation, business, or health-related discipline)
• Knowledge of the UK research and innovation landscape, including Higher Education and life sciences sectors
• Aware of enterprise, innovation, and knowledge exchange strategies in both a university context and community settings
• Experience working with academic, industry partners and community organisations to deliver collaborative innovation activities
• Track record of delivering to targets, KPIs, and reporting requirements
• Experience supporting or leading capacity building and skills development initiatives using quality improvement methodologies in underserved communities
• Experience of working directly with vulnerable individuals or communities, including people experiencing mental ill health, disability, caring responsibilities and/or financial hardship, using inclusive and trauma-informed approaches
• Experience of working with or alongside statutory and voluntary sector services to support individuals facing barriers to employment, including appropriate referral and signposting

Additional Information

• Willingness to travel nationally as required to meet the duties of the role (For a full list of essential and desirable criteria please refer to the job description and person specification)

Additional Benefits Of Joining LSTM

• 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, plus Christmas closure days
• Generous occupational pension schemes
• Government backed “cycle to work” scheme.
• Affiliated, discounted staff membership to the University of Liverpool Sports Centre
• A range of additional family friendly policies

Application Process: To apply for the position please follow the apply link and upload your CV and covering letter. Due to the volume of applications, we receive, we may close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for a role.

Inclusion is central to our values at LSTM. We seek to attract and recruit people who reflect the diversity across our communities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, faith or belief, social background, age and disability. LSTM selects candidates based on skills, qualifications, and experience. We welcome conversations about flexible working; and applications from those returning to employment after a break from their careers. LSTM is committed to upholding freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law for all its members. Candidates will not be disadvantaged or adversely impacted for exercising their free speech within the law during our recruitment processes. For more information, see our Freedom of Speech Code of practice.

About LSTM

Founded in 1898 and the oldest of its kind in the world, the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for teaching and research in tropical diseases. Through the creation of effective links with governments, NGOs, private organisations and global institutions and by responding to the health needs of communities, LSTM aims to promote improved health, particularly for people of the less developed/resource poorest countries in the tropics and sub-tropics. Look at some of the great work we have achieved over the past year by viewing our annual report.

LSTM actively promotes Equal Opportunities and Safeguarding Policies