Higher Education Consultant - Fixed Term

About Us

Higher education institutions have extraordinary capabilities – world-leading academics, professional services staff who are the envy of many other organisations, and students invested in the success of their university. Our offer is to give them the space, structures, and support to solve their own problems.

Our work is varied and our expertise is broad. We’ve worked on UK-China security partnerships, governance reviews, risk management, training, portfolio development, R&D Policy, international development issues of all kinds, and much else in between.

The one common theme in our practice is that we work with people who love education as much as we do. We want to be known as a firm that is thorough, expert, and above all utterly dedicated to a thriving higher education sector in the UK and abroad.

Recently, in conjunction with Wonkhe, we have launched a new advisory service called Policy.Partners. Policy.Partners isn't a standalone consultancy. It's an advisory service developed in partnership aimed at continuous understanding of the sector, deep delivery experience, and long-form research and evidence about what comes next.

Delivering the business plan of Policy.Partners will be a focus of this role. 

Role Context

The focus of this role is growing our portfolio of university work. We are looking for someone that can work with the teams at Counterculture and Wonkhe to grow Policy.Partners. This means we are looking for a candidate that can work in both developing new business, and delivering on projects.

This role will be expected to work commercially to bring in income for the firm. We work in a high trust environment and hope our staff feel able to work independently within a supportive environment. We are not clock-watchers or micromanagers. We have high standards which we maintain through mutual accountability. 

Roles and Responsibilities: 

• The primary purpose of the Higher Education Consultant to help develop and support opportunities, clients and projects in our higher education service area.
• Delivering the business plan for Policy.Partners.
• Winning new clients, building relationships, and bringing income into Policy.Partners.
• Drafting documents, presentations, blogs, and other forms of written communications.
• Undertaking desk-based review, research and analysis.
• Undertaking local and regional market research and mapping work.
• Preparing or helping to prepare documents including (but not limited to) research reports, policy proposals, business cases, economic impact assessments, mapping studies, presentations and evaluations.
• Attending meetings with the relevant team members, taking notes, and pursuing actions. 

Accountability

The role will be line managed by James Coe, Senior Partner.

Essential

• Confidence in building partnerships and projects with universities and other higher education institutions.
• A strong record of business development
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills – comfortable working with colleagues, clients and stakeholders from a wide variety of backgrounds.
• Excellent research and analysis skills - comfortable working both with numerical data and complex narrative information.
• Good understanding of higher education
• Good understanding of the national and international strategic context for higher education
• A love of people, policy, and the difference that good consultancy can make to our clients
• The ability to work flexibly and autonomously where required.
• We do not require that an applicant is educated to degree level and we are comfortable if an applicant can demonstrate expertise in other ways.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a university or similar institution
• Good networks and practical experience in higher education
• Experience of delivering project work independently. 

Role details and benefits 

• Salary: £30,000 to £35,000 per annum, contingent on experience.
• Location: Home
• Hours: 36.25 hours. Working pattern to be discussed with the line manager.
• 22 days plus 8 public holidays. Increasing to 24 days after one year of service and subsequently to 27 after a further three years.
• Pension scheme (employers’ contribution 3%, employees’ contribution 5%)
• Training and professional development opportunities. 

How to apply

Please send a one page covering letter and one page CV to Gillian Glover via the 'Apply' button above (e: jobs@counterculturellp.com) by Friday 16^th October.

Interviews will take place on 27^th October. 

This is a fixed term post until September 2027