Reframing Portfolio: Strategic Partnerships Manager

About the role

Role Title: Reframing Portfolio – Strategic Partnerships Manager (embedded within the childhood obesity programme team)

Time commitment:  3 days per week

Contract type: Consultancy contract for minimum 12 months, with potential for extension

This role will lead on aspects of stakeholder management and delivery of the Reframing Children’s Health portfolio as part of the team working on Impact on Urban Health’s ten-year Childhood Obesity Programme. The programme is in its 5^th year and aims to break the link between low income and poor nutrition, through improving the quality of food options in lower-income neighbourhoods. Our research with FrameWorks UK has demonstrated that we need to change the way we, and our partners, communicate about childhood health and obesity. This role will support us and our partners to apply this research in practice and change the way children’s health is communicated about and understood across the UK.

Overview of the Reframing portfolio

We need to reframe the narrative on childhood health and obesity so that policy and solutions are targeted at changing the environments where children and families purchase and consume food, rather than promoting individual behaviour change. Our research tells us how influential voices and organisations could adopt a new story about child health and obesity to improve public understanding of the issue and galvanise action. This role is all about connecting with, and supporting others to use this new story and further shape it with us to ensure that together we have maximum impact. We’re investing in this work to create more favourable conditions for impact across the programme in our Schools, Streets, Ventures, and Homes and Early Years portfolios.

The delivery of this project requires Impact on Urban Health to drive a long-term strategic approach, working closely with partners who hold the expertise and/or levers to mobilise this new story and transform public understanding of the issue. We plan to do this by:

• Facilitating a training outreach and support programme for key stakeholders to embed the new story in their work and communications
• Amplifying partners voices and identifying pivotal opportunities to increase the new narrative in public discourse
• Identifying opportunities to influence policy and decision-makers to improve children’s health
• Ongoing review and adjustment of our strategy based on regular evaluation insights and learning

We are clear about our goal and flexible in how we get there. This project presents an exciting opportunity to shape the strategy and approach with the childhood obesity team and our partners, particularly as we expect to increase our work in this area in the second half of the programme.

We expect the successful Consultant/s to be embedded within the IoUH team and to work at least the equivalent of one day per week from our offices in Southwark.

Responsibilities

The Strategic Partnerships Manager will:

• Design and deliver a long-term stakeholder strategy for the Reframing Children’s Health portfolio
• Lead on the development of relationships and networks with national stakeholders, to broaden the reach and impact of the reframing work and build Impact on Urban Health’s credibility nationally. This includes bringing in senior Impact on Urban Health colleagues where needed, to build and strengthen relationships at different levels of partner organisations
• Identify, build and sustain Director/ Senior level relationships across organisations such as Cancer Research UK, Diabetes UK, the World Obesity Federation. Support and influence all stakeholders to apply framing principles to their work and communications.
• Manage the reframing advisory group (steering group), acting as its main contact and providing support so that members are strong advocates and ambassadors of the project’s recommendations
• Act as a senior project leader working closely with colleagues at FrameWorks UK to implement and further develop the joint engagement and dissemination plan, to ensure sector-wide attention around the insights, and targeting of the most influential messengers, advocates and spokespeople
• Work closely with internal colleagues across the Programmes, Policy and Influencing and Communications teams to identify opportunities and partnerships to advance the new narrative on children’s health, and lead on cross-team collaboration to ensure the reframe is adopted and embedded across Impact on Urban Health’s work.
• Design and implement training programmes, events, activities, and materials both for internal colleagues and external partners, to support the sector to embed the reframe
• Support an evaluation approach that will effectively monitor the project’s outcomes and impact, collecting and sharing feedback from project collaborators and training participants
• Act as a champion for the reframing evidence and approach, both internally and with stakeholders across the sectors relevant to children’s health and impact across the programme

Person Specification

Specialist knowledge, skills and expertise

Essential

• Significant experience in a senior stakeholder relations, project management or strategic communications role
• Expertise of identifying, securing and managing trusted partnerships with national reach and influence
• Brings confidence and credibility to relationship building at a senior level with stakeholders
• Excellent relationship management skills and interpersonal skills, able to build relationships internally and externally, collaborate and work both within a team and across teams
• Strategic thinker and strong entrepreneurial approach – being able to spot and distil areas of common strategic objectives amongst existing and potential partners
• Developed communications skills including in negotiation and diplomacy, with the ability to influence and persuade at all levels
• Self-motivated, with excellent organisational and problem-solving skills, and the confidence and ability to employ sound judgement

Desirable

• Understanding of how to frame an issue to influence attitudes, behaviour or policy change
• Experience of designing and delivering training and coaching in communications strategies and techniques
• Experience of working with core stakeholder groups such as campaigning organisations, policy audiences, the media and an understanding of their needs

About us

Impact on Urban Health is part of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation. Our collective mission is to build the foundations of a healthier society.

At Impact on Urban Health, we’re committed to achieving health equity by helping urban areas become healthier places for everyone to live. We take a place-based approach to improving urban health. This helps us understand how the local environment affects people’s health and to find solutions that work in practice.

The south London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark have been our home for over five centuries. It is here that we work with organisations, groups and individuals – local, national and international – who are committed to achieving health equity in inner-city areas.

To drive better health in cities, we pay particular attention to the context in which people live and the wider determinants of their health, from finance and employment, to access to nutritious food and air quality.

We have four programmes that each focus on one of the following health issues:

• childhood obesity
• multiple long-term conditions
• the health effects of air pollution
• adolescent mental health

We also have a research and development team that works across our programmes.

About the childhood obesity programme

All children should have the opportunity to be healthy, no matter where they live. This includes access to a nutritious diet. Yet children’s chances of accessing healthy food – or being flooded with unhealthy food – depend strongly on where they grow up. As a result, children living in areas of lower average income are more likely to be both malnourished and obese. Our programme is working to change the food environments in places where children and families spend their time, so that eating well is the easiest – not hardest – thing to do.

How to apply

• Please send an expression of interest to Rebecca Sunter, Programme Director (Childhood Obesity) rebecca.sunter@urbanhealth.org.uk by 5:30pm on Tuesday 31 May.
• Expressions of interest should be maximum two A4 pages, and include:
  • Your motivation for applying for the Strategic Partnerships Manager role
  • Why your experience, skills and knowledge would make you a good fit for this role
  • An indicative day rate, plus availability to start
•  Please note that this role is open to individual consultants, as well as consultancy firms.
• If you require more information, or have questions please contact Rebecca Sunter, Childhood Obesity Programme Director on: rebecca.sunter@urbanhealth.org.uk
• Interviews are likely to be scheduled for w/c 6 June. Please indicate if there are any days you are unlikely to be available for interview during that week.