JOB DESCRIPTION: Partnerships Manager
ROLE SUMMARY
WTC is recruiting a full time Partnerships Manager to join our dynamic and creative team in an office-based role in Cheltenham. WTC is an interdenominational, charismatic theological college, with a vision to make deep theology accessible to all in the Church. We are a rapidly developing college and place a strong value on making our programmes of study accessible.
The Partnerships Manager role will advance WTC’s strategic growth with specific priority given to the Prison Programme, Fundraising, the Foundations Course Church Edition, and WTC Consulting. This role includes some office management and executive team support. The successful candidate is someone who can engage a variety of stakeholders, thrive in entrepreneurial environments, manage budgets, and work closely in teams. The Partnerships Manager will report to the Chief Operating Officer.
Prison Programme. The Prison Programme was initiated in 2024 and is set to deliver our Foundations Course in the coming academic year (26-27) as preparation for a pilot programme of our degree-level Certificate in Higher Education after that (27-29). The Partnerships Manager will oversee the delivery of programmes, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement. This will be about 60% of the job duties.
External Engagement via Fundraising and Foundations Course. As a registered charity, WTC depends on donations from individuals and trusts to support its current and ongoing provision of theological education. The Partnerships Manager will help design and implement fundraising plans in coordination with the Senior Executive Team and the Trustees. The Foundations Course Church Edition was produced by WTC as a 24-week video training course to allow churches and ministries to bring theology to the local church in a group setting. In its first year of release, over 100 students from a variety of churches and groups have started the programme. There is opportunity to bring this material to a much greater number of churches and ministries across the UK and internationally. The Partnerships Manager will oversee the marketing of the FC to further its adoption and liaise with other WTC teams for its continued development. This will be about 20% of the job duties.
WTC Consulting. WTC Consulting is a wholly owned subsidiary of WTC which was designed to diversify our funding streams while supporting the provision of theological education across the UK through effective service delivery. The sole product of WTCC (currently) is the College Data Management System which a number of colleges license to facilitate the student journey from recruitment to ongoing alumni engagement. The Partnerships Manager will serve as the client relationship manager, in coordination with the Chief Technology Officer. This will be about 20% of the job duties.
This composite role demands self-directed project leadership skills in conjunction with team working. Each area of work has distinct timelines and seasons of intensity which are complementary and thus allow the Partnerships Manager to focus on specific areas as needed. In particular, these are other possible areas of responsibility:
Office Management. WTC’s office in Cheltenham supports about a dozen staff, who work in a variety of flexible patterns. The Partnerships Manager will support the Director of Operations in overseeing the management of the office space and events hosted in the office.
Executive Support. WTC’s senior leadership includes the President, the Principal, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Chief Technology Officer. The Partnerships Manager will support this team through
KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES
| Key Areas and Activities | ||
| Prison Programme | Work in collaboration with the President and Dean of Studies to oversee the pilot project at HMP The Mount. | |
| Oversee the offering of the non-validated Foundations Course (26-27) and the degree-level Certificate of Higher Education (27-29), as well as other | ||
| supplementary teaching. | ||
| Recruit and manage a local Hub Director that will facilitate delivery of programmes at The Mount. | ||
| Engage external stakeholders such as the steering commitee, other prison | ||
| chaplains and ministries, churches, trusts, and donors. | ||
| Engage leaders at HMP The Mount, including the Managing Chaplain at The Mount | ||
| and the Head of Education, Work and Skills. Liaise with internal stakeholders such as the Registry, Academic, and Faculty teams | ||
| to deliver the theological programmes. | ||
| Lead in fundraising for delivery of the programme. | ||
| Manage the programme budget in coordination with the Financial Controller. | ||
| Review and analyse progress towards the goals and coordinate with | ||
| stakeholders towards continual improvement. | ||
| Fundraising | Help the SET develop and implement annual fundraising plans. | |
| Engage stakeholders-patrons, trusts, and alumni-to increase giving to strategic priorities. | ||
| Coordinate efforts with WTC staff and trustees. | ||
| Foundations | Promote the adoption of the FC to churches and ministries in the UK and | |
| Course: Church | internationally. | |
| Edition | Coordinate with WTC teams for development and improvement of the FC materials, including Non-Validated Offerings, Academic, IT, and Communication | |
| teams. | ||
| Manage the project budget. | ||
| WTC | Assist in any efforts required around marketing efforts and prospective clients. | |
| Consulting | Assist in any engagement with client teams to ensure strong ongoing relationships. | |
| Facilitate product development discussions and liaise with the CTO and Development Team for planning, development, and implementation. | ||
| Partner with the WTCC team to ensure efficient budgeting and income | ||
| generation. | ||
| Office Management | Oversee the general functioning of the office space, including engagement with the | |
| management agent, utilities, and security services. Oversee purchasing and ordering of office supplies (stationery etc). | ||
| Coordinate with the Director of Operations on office-related matters. | ||
| Facilitate catering for office-based events. | ||
| Executive | Support the executive team and the board with travel, expenses, and email. | |
| Support | ||
| WTC Team | Attend and support the wider team at the two Residentials. | |
| Support the wider team, as needed, for issues and matters that arise. | ||
| Participate in the staf team proactively. | ||
| Other duties as agreed. | ||
WTC Context
Financial Annual Turnover: Approx. £1.4m Students:
Reports to
Chief Operating Officer
Salary
36K + dependent on experience
Internal and external relationships
Internal WTC Board, Senior Exec Team of WTC, Dean of Studies
External Birmingham Newman University, Prison Authorities and Chaplaincy Staff, Funders, Other Prison Ministries in the UK
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION
Essential
● Necessary for the role that the successful candidate is a Christian
Theological education at degree level
Spiritual maturity
Agreement with WTC values
Familiarity with prison ministry and education programmes into prisons
● Proven networking and communication skills (written and spoken)
● Excellent organisational, leadership, relational and management skills
Experience of fundraising
Team player
Adaptable: comfortable working in a quickly-evolving context
Creative and entrepreneurial abilities
Excellent communication skills: written and inter-personal
Impact monitoring, evaluation and reporting experience
Office based in Cheltenham - there will be flexibility on these arrangements
Desirable
Established network with UK prison ministries
Established network of UK church and ministry leaders