Job Description: Business Programme Lead and Advisor
Location: Primary base at Legacy Centre of Excellence, Newtown, Birmingham (with local travel for business visits and strategic meetings). Hours: Full-time (100% FTE). Flexible working patterns to be agreed. Remuneration: £40,000 p.a. Contract Type: Initially a fixed-term contract (April 2026 – March 2029) aligned with project funding. Reporting to: Senior Leadership Team / CEO
About the Role
The Legacy Centre of Excellence is a community anchor organisation and a beacon of Black and Global Majority community leadership, dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through arts, culture, entrepreneurship, and placemaking.
We are seeking a dynamic, highly skilled Business Programme Lead and Advisor to manage and deliver our newly funded Community-Led Business Support Project (in partnership with the WMCA and Business Growth West Midlands), while also leading capacity-building initiatives under the Phoenix Community Trust programme.
You will manage the end-to-end delivery of the programme, providing hands-on, one-to-one support to local SMEs, start-ups, and not-for-profit organisations across multiple sectors. You will act as the bridge between grassroots entrepreneurs, community leaders, and mainstream commercial finance, ensuring that ethnic minority-led businesses and community groups receive the tailored strategies, workshops, and referrals they need to scale and thrive.
Key Responsibilities
1. One-to-One Business Support & Diagnostics
- Deliver intensive one-to-one advisory sessions with local entrepreneurs, managing their transition from "Light Touch" triage to "Medium Intensity" support.
- Utilise the Business Model Canvas to conduct deep-dive diagnostics into business strengths, weaknesses, and operational pinch points.
- Support business owners in developing robust long-term business plans, complex cash flow forecasts, project plans, budgets, and marketing strategies.
- Provide a regular, accessible drop-in service for local entrepreneurs at the Legacy Centre.
2. Phoenix Community Trust & Third Sector Support
- Lead the delivery of the Phoenix Community Trust programme, providing targeted capacity-building support to grassroots community organisations and not-for-profit businesses.
- Guide third sector and not-for-profit organisations through governance structures, operational resilience, and grant funding applications to ensure their long-term survival and sustainability.
- Support community leaders in transitioning from grant-dependency to more sustainable, revenue-generating social enterprise models.
3. Programme Management & Tracking
- Manage the day-to-day operations of the WMCA-funded business support programme, ensuring all key performance targets are met.
- Meticulously track progress, log interventions on the CRM system, and compile data for evaluation reports regarding productivity increases and new market engagement.
- Conduct regular check-ins and performance reviews with WMCA, Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), and local authority teams.
4. Cross-Sector Business Acumen
- Rapidly understand and adapt to the needs of different types of businesses from a wide variety of sectors (including retail, construction, creative, health, tech, and not-for-profits).
- Provide foundational business strategy for early-stage start-ups while simultaneously advising established, growth-ready businesses on scaling operations.
- Accompany the Community Engagement Lead on local visits to provide immediate, on-the-ground business advice to hard-to-reach traders.
5. Event & Workshop Organisation
- Organise, oversee, and occasionally co-deliver specialist business workshops covering topics such as marketing, raising finance, and improving credit.
- Play a lead role in the organisation and execution of the annual Birmingham Black Business Conference (managing 400+ attendees and a 50-business marketplace).
- Oversee the delivery of a specialist Business Leadership pilot programme for not-for-profit organisations, working in partnership with Aston University Business School and CRÈME.
6. Stakeholder & Funding Facilitation
- Identify "growth-ready" businesses and facilitate warm handovers to our partners at Business Growth West Midlands for high-intensity support.
- Connect businesses with high street lenders, the Start Up Loans Company, and other funders to access scale-up finance.
Skills & Experience Required
- Business Planning & Strategy: Minimum 3 years of experience writing, reviewing, and implementing business plans, cash flow forecasts, and development strategies for SMEs and third sector organisations.
- Sector Versatility: Demonstrated ability to understand and advise businesses across multiple commercial sectors, as well as grassroots not-for-profits.
- Event Management: Experience organising professional business events, workshops, or training programmes.
- Communication & Mentoring: Exceptional ability to conduct one-to-one coaching, simplifying complex financial and business concepts for diverse audiences.
- Data & Programme Tracking: Strong administrative skills with the ability to track programme KPIs, manage CRM data, and report to major public sector funders.
- Cultural Competence: A strong alignment with Legacy's core values and a deep understanding of the barriers faced by Black and Global Majority entrepreneurs and community leaders.
Personal Attributes
- Ability to seamlessly switch between community-focused empathy and sharp commercial business acumen.
- Highly organised and proactive, capable of managing a heavy caseload of businesses while simultaneously planning large-scale events.
- Motivated, collaborative, and inclusive, with a commitment to equality, diversity, and civic leadership.
Important Requirement
Persons should only apply if they have a confirmed right to work in the UK. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
Benefits
- Flexible working – This role involves internal and external engagement, so working arrangements and schedules are highly flexible.
- Free parking on-site.
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a covering letter detailing your relevant experience to Keith Shayaam-Smith at [email protected].
Application Deadline: 26th July 2026 Education: Degree-level education (required) or equivalent professional experience. Work Location: In person (Primary base: Legacy Centre of Excellence, Birmingham).
Pay: £40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee mentoring programme
- Free fitness classes
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
