The Role

Richmond and Wandsworth Council is currently recruiting for a Business Growth Manager, focused on workspaces, to be based in the Enterprise and Business Growth Team of the Economic Development Office.  

The Role

The primary purpose of this position is to lead the development and management of the affordable and flexible workspace policies and strategies of both Councils, working with internal teams and external stakeholders to support the development and delivery of workspace projects and initiatives sponsored by the respective Councils.

The role of the Business Growth Manager is to develop and refine the workspace policies and strategies of each borough to ensure that businesses and entrepreneurs have access to a healthy supply of workspace, including contributing to the development of planning policies, identifying workspace project opportunities and overseeing the delivery of council funded workspace projects.

The post holder will also work closely with other members of the Enterprise and Business Growth Team. This role will be a fixed term contract until September 2023.

About you

You will be an ambitious self-starter, ready to take on the challenge of joining a successful Enterprise and Business Growth team.   The ideal candidate will have good knowledge of the flexible /open/affordable workspace sector in London, including the commercial and operational considerations; experience of managing capital workspace projects; and a strong awareness of issues affecting economic development and the role of local authorities in supporting this.  They will also have experience of managing, funding, or supporting flexible/open/affordable workspace projects; working with small businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly early stage and growth businesses; and managing projects using public or commercial funding.

This is an exciting time to join the Enterprise and Business Growth Team as we gradually move out of lockdown, following the Covid 19 restrictions, when support for local businesses has never been greater.

Richmond and Wandsworth councils

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home  and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 39 paid days including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts at many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline (dates subject to change):

Closing Date: 25th July 2021

Shortlisting Date: 26th to 28th July 2021

Interview Date(s): 12th13th August 2021

For an informal conversation, please contact Susan Shaw - Head of Enterprise and Business Growth via Susan.shaw@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

Useful Information:

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Your health and wellbeing is our top priority. Should you become unwell due to Covid-19 during the recruitment process we would very much appreciate receiving an update from you as soon as possible.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams.

Important Information:

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils