Director of Partnerships

Working for: Higher Education Policy Institute (www.hepi.ac.uk) 

Location: Oxford / London, with some flexibility

Hours: 40 hours / five days a week – while we are expecting to recruit a full-time person, we may consider a part-time contract for the right person 

Job Details 

HEPI is the UK’s only think tank devoted to higher education and a registered charity. We are looking for a new Director of Partnerships, following the current postholder securing a new role. 

The successful candidate’s primary responsibility will be managing relationships with those that fund HEPI’s work, including 130+ higher education institutions and 20+ corporations. 

The main goals of this role are: 

1. To strengthen HEPI’s existing University Partnership and Partnership programmes;
2. To ensure HEPI has a strong events programme; and
3. To secure sponsorship for HEPI’s reports and events, within HEPI’s charitable objectives. 

Responsibilities 

• To ensure positive relationships between HEPI and its (a) University Partners and (b) corporate Partners;
• To increase the recognition of the HEPI University Partnership within institutions;
• To oversee HEPI’s lively events programme – some UK-wide travel and out-of-hours work will be expected;
• To find new opportunities, including building links with potential new University Partners and corporate Partners;
• To support HEPI’s schedule of publications, including sourcing sponsorship for individual projects; and
• For the right candidate, there will be an opportunity to be involved in HEPI’s policy work. 

Attributes 

• Experience of successful fundraising, maintaining positive relationships and managing events;
• A proven ability to work as a personable member of a team, to propose new ideas and to take ownership of individual projects;
• Experience of increasing the reach and impact of an organisation;
• Strong organisational and communication skills, including a high standard of written English, with attention to detail and initiative;
• Committed to respecting in full the rules that govern educational charities (eg acting in a non-partisan way);
• Knowledge of the UK higher education sector would be helpful but this not essential for someone who is willing to learn quickly; and
• HEPI uses cloud-based services, such as Microsoft365, Zoom and events booking systems, so familiarity with modern IT is essential. 

Interview Dates 

Successful candidates will be invited for interview in Oxford on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. 

Application Details 

Please send a letter of application (maximum 750 words) and a CV (no more than two A4 pages) via the 'Apply' button above (E: admin@hepi.ac.uk). 

On the day of the interview, candidates will be asked to make a short presentation on a topic that will be communicated in advance. 

A minimum of two references will be taken up before any appointment is made. 

Website: https://www.hepi.ac.uk