Scaleup Business Advisor - Growth Specialist

Scaleup Business Advisor - Growth Specialist

Location: Preston

Company: The Growth Company

Contract type: Fixed term/ Part- time

Salary: £45,500 per annum (pro rata as a pert-time role)

Closing Date: 22/09/2024

Ref No: 4304

The Growth Company (GC) is looking to recruit a part time Scaleup Business Advisor, who have led and managed rapidly growing businesses and handled the challenges this presents. We are looking for an individual from an entrepreneurial, or senior management background who want to share their experience, lessons learnt and passion for business growth with an exclusive group of ambitious leaders experiencing these same challenges.

This is a part time role for four days per week (flexible on working days) working 28 hrs and is based on a fixed term contract until 31 March 2025.

The role will assess the growth potential of eligible businesses selected through a competitive application process, to diagnose any barriers to innovation or advancement which may be holding back their business growth. Advisors will work with each business to develop a suitable strategy and scaleup action plans to address these barriers and release growth. The Scaleup Business Advisor will work with businesses leaders from enquiry through to the implementation of agreed strategies and scale up plans.

In this role, Scaleup Business Advisor primary responsibility is to support the business leader throughout their Scale to Thrive service journey enabling the client company to reach their full growth potential, and delivery improved performance, for example improved productivity, identify and enter new markets and create and safeguarded jobs.

The Scaleup Business Advisor will manage a portfolio of approximately 50 clients on an annual basis. They will work with customer groups and strategic partners as well to raise the profile of the service. Our Advisors can be deployed flexibly to support different projects/programme opportunities as they arise in the future, where appropriate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Handling client enquiries via phone and email, initially assessing the growth potential and business needs using appropriate tools, processes and systems where required and establishing and maintaining effective relationships and key client contacts.
• Work with, account manage and mentor the relevant businesses closely to monitor any outputs including new jobs created/safeguarded, any GVA increase and other service specific outputs and outcomes that result from activities undertaken.
• Undertake detailed diagnostics on a business or a detailed diagnostic on a particular functional or business area using various tools and methods to capture baseline data from clients and identify needs.
• Undertake detailed discussions with client around complex business issues to understand their business challenges.
• Deliver bespoke growth support directly to enable them to fully meet their growth potential which typically has needed a more complex intervention; this will also include a multi-disciplinary approach to support provision.
• Develop and maintain a high-level network of business/professional contacts that generate personal referrals.
• Ensure that potential clients comply with the project eligibility/suitability criteria by ensuring that initial eligibility checks prior to formal assessment and Scaleup growth strategy and Growth action planning are carried out.
• Making sure clients are personally introduced to those services identified as appropriate (internal and external) and monitor that the delivery of these services.
• Ensure that the monitoring and collection of output and impacts data is undertaken throughout the project and at the conclusion of each individual project in-line with funders’ requirements.
• Ensure client enquiries and partner referrals are correctly recorded on GC’s, and or LCCs CRM and associated service specific data capturing systems.

About You:

• Team player, but also a self-starter.
• Proven critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify opportunities and to be innovative.
• Sales and account management skills.
• Presentation skills, both written and oral.
• Excellent communication and networking skills.

Skills and experience required:

• Significant sector/business experience at a senior management level.
• At least degree level business education, or degree level qualification with a management body or the relevant business experience to match these.
• Excellent planning, organisational, administrative, and project management skills.
• Well-developed IT skills, including an understanding of computerised management information systems, spreadsheets, diary management, email, and CRM databases.
• Proven track record in managing the range of business issues associated with periods of business growth.
• Has technical knowledge in the key areas of strategy, growth enabling, sales & marketing, resources & operations, and financial planning.
• Knowledge and understanding of the key national, sub-regional, and local organisations and their role in supporting economic development and specifically business growth.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, we provide a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential requirements for a role. This commitment applies to candidates who have a disability or are from a diverse ethnic community.

As part of our application process, you can ask to be considered under this scheme if you are from an ethnic community or have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. Providing that you meet the essential criteria for the role, you will then be invited for an interview. Your guaranteed interview application will only be shared with the Hiring Manager and our Internal Recruitment Team.

We are a member of the national campaign Ban the Box; this campaign aims to open opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs. We’re supporting the campaign by removing conviction questions at the applications stage.

GC aims to promote a culture of flexibility and agile working. Going forward we will be transitioning to a culture where full agile working will be a feature of many of our roles. We also recognise that there may be a need for more permanent flexibility in your working arrangements and in such cases, we encourage you to have these discussions at the interview stage, to enable your flexible working request to be considered as early as possible.

If you require support with the recruitment process, please contact or Internal Recruitment Team at careers@growthco.uk or call us on 0161 237 4447.

All GC colleagues will work inline with the Health & Safety at work act and the GC Health & Safety Policy.