The role

Location: Flexible, with some UK travel required

Contract type: Permanent, full-time

Salary: Competitive, based on experience

Reporting line: Managing Director

Purpose

Delivering better outcomes is at the heart of what we do. It is our fundamental belief that better outcomes cost less and this is the key to financial sustainability. At IMPOWER, we aim to put humanity at the heart of public service.

IMPOWER Directors are pivotal to the successful running of our business. This role encompasses both commercial and leadership responsibilities. Our Directors are accountable for key areas of our business plan which include: the generation and conversion of sales opportunities, supporting our clients with large and complex delivery projects, providing market leadership and insight to support the development of our value propositions, and inspiring people leadership to stretch and grow the capabilities of our team. 

Responsibilities

Sales & relationship leadership

• Responsibility for the strategic management of complex relationships with clients and prospective clients, at the most senior levels, working in partnership with the Managing Directors, other Directors and the wider Leadership Team.
• Individually responsible at a project level and jointly accountable at a business level, for the overall revenue and profit targets to ensure we hit the business plan and internal targets, delivering sustainable profit growth.
• Personally accountable for sales opportunities, developing and closing these and building key relationships.
• To act and be seen as a role model for sales and commercial standards across the business, ensuring commercial skills and operational excellence to achieve strong impact.

Client & Account delivery

• As the Account Director to a set of current accounts, to provide support in problem solving, account growth and relationship management to project delivery colleagues.
• To review and quality check the progress of project teams, feeding back from the client and other stakeholders to ensure projects are delivered on time, to budget and with the agreed client impact and financial savings.
• Client delivery on complex and / or strategic accounts.
• To demonstrate a strong understanding of the needs of the clients and how best IMPOWER can support these.

Company growth

• As a member of the Senior Sales Team, to jointly set the vision, ambition and direction of the IMPOWER business plan, developing and owning actions to ensure success and contributing as part of a high performing leadership team.
• To provide market leadership and insight through the creation of successful value propositions and go-to-market strategies.
• To be a thought leader within the public sector, using experience and evidence-based practice to develop and expand your voice as a subject matter expert, both to the wider market and within the business.
• To support our company profile, marketing and sales activity through social media work, articles, networking, speaking events and conference attendance.
• To support, champion and energise Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), employee engagement and Social Value initiatives.

People leadership

• To be a visible leader of the business, representing the Leadership Team, using your communication skills and passion to encourage and enhance performance from the team.
• To use your commercial acumen to develop the skills and behaviours required to enable sustainable business growth and increased impact in your team.
• To provide direct management of consulting staff as part of your Managing Director’s team; grades and number of direct reports to be determined by business need.
• To provide pastoral support to consultants in IMPOWER, ensuring staff have clear development plans and opportunities to achieve them.
• To provide additional coaching and development to other consulting staff, including new recruits and staff who have been internally promoted, ensuring a smooth transition into the business or new roles.
• To take active responsibility for their own development, showing a clear view on personal strengths and areas for development and how to meet them.

Skills and experience

• A demonstrable track record of initiating, growing and leading large accounts (£1m p.a.+), delivering impact and trusted advisor relationships.
• Experience of relational selling and relationship building with senior stakeholders (e.g. CEOs, CFOs and COOs).
• Proven account planning, growth and complex delivery experience.
• Experience of public sector consulting, with deep knowledge of Adult Social Care in the context of local government, social care, health, housing, place, or regeneration.
• Demonstrable senior experience of leadership of people and teams in a consultancy / transformation setting.
• Demonstrable experience of innovation and product / proposition development and implementation.
• Evidence of strong emotional intelligence, with a clear understanding of how to work in values-based organisations and environments, including focus on DEI, social value and employee engagement and development.
• Demonstrable ability in developing and managing high performing teams, achieving effective results within diverse teams, with the ability to flex management style according to individual need.
• Commercial mindset with a clear understanding of the commercial requirements of running a consulting business, their contributions in supporting these and in ensuring consulting staff are delivering against their commercial responsibilities.
• Must be comfortable with nationwide travel and be prepared in some cases to stay overnight local to client site.

Key skills

• Stakeholder management and relationship building
• Very strong sales and commercial acumen
• Strategic thinking as well as practical problem solving
• Empathetic and values-driven leadership style
• Personal credibility, resilience and networking
• Excellent presentation skills, in all formats & styles – written, verbal, online, face to face, as a conference speaker

Scope of the role

• Member of the IMPOWER Senior Sales Team and Leadership Team
• Leadership of a performance team (2 – 3 direct reports, plus dotted line to their teams)
• Leadership of internal project teams
• Ownership of investment budgets, as required for your role / value proposition development
• New sales and organic growth delivery targets for your own accounts (£2-3m p.a.)