Contract: Self-employed contractor
Commitment: Part-time, approximately 5-6 days per week
Term: Initial 6-month contract, with potential extension
Location: Remote, with UK travel for partner meetings where required
Remuneration: £1,000 per day
About the College
We are hiring on behalf of a new widening participation education provider focused on creating accessible progression routes for adult and non-traditional learners. The yet to be formed college intends to secure a university validation or franchise partnership that will allow the College to deliver higher education programmes leading to a recognised UK university award.
We are now seeking an experienced, well-connected higher education partnerships consultant to lead this work.
Purpose of the Role
The consultant will identify, approach and help secure a suitable UK university validation or franchise partner for the College.
This is not a general business development or student recruitment role. We are looking for someone who understands how UK universities assess prospective delivery partners and who can help us prepare, position and present the College as a credible institutional partner.
The successful consultant will ideally have established relationships with senior university colleagues responsible for academic partnerships, collaborative provision, validation, franchise arrangements or transnational education.
You will advise us on which institutions are genuinely open to working with a new provider, facilitate appropriate introductions and support the partnership process from initial engagement through due diligence, institutional approval and heads of terms.
Key Responsibilities
Develop the University Partnership Strategy
- Assess the College’s proposed model, target students, academic offer and institutional readiness.
- Recommend the most appropriate partnership route, including franchise, validation, co-delivery or progression arrangements.
- Identify UK universities whose partnership strategies are compatible with a new widening participation provider.
- Produce a prioritised target list based on strategic fit, appetite, approval requirements, likely timescales and commercial terms.
- Advise on the programmes, student volumes and delivery model most likely to attract university interest.
Secure University Engagement
- Identify and approach relevant decision-makers within target universities.
- Facilitate credible introductions to directors of partnerships, collaborative provision teams, academic registries and senior institutional leaders.
- Prepare and support initial expressions of interest, partnership proposals and presentations.
- Attend introductory and commercial meetings on behalf of, or alongside, the College.
- Maintain a structured pipeline of university opportunities, contacts, meetings, actions and outcomes.
- Progress discussions with several suitable universities in parallel.
Prepare the College for Due Diligence
- Advise on the evidence universities will expect before approving a new partner.
- Review the College’s business plan, financial model, governance arrangements, quality framework, staffing model and student support infrastructure.
- Identify institutional readiness gaps and recommend practical corrective action.
- Support preparation of due diligence documentation, institutional approval submissions and partnership business cases.
- Coordinate with the College’s Head of Academic Quality and external advisers where specialist quality or regulatory input is required.
Support Commercial and Academic Negotiations
- Advise on realistic fee-sharing arrangements, minimum cohort expectations, approval costs and contractual commitments.
- Support discussions relating to student recruitment, admissions, academic delivery, quality assurance, staffing, data reporting and student support.
- Help the College evaluate proposed partnership terms and identify material operational or commercial risks.
- Support progression from initial discussions to formal due diligence, institutional approval, heads of terms and contract negotiation.
- Ensure expectations are clearly documented and that the proposed partnership is operationally deliverable.
Expected Deliverables
During the initial engagement, the consultant will be expected to:
- Produce a university partnership strategy and institutional readiness assessment.
- Develop a prioritised list of suitable UK university partners.
- Secure qualified meetings with relevant university decision-makers.
- Prepare the College’s partnership proposition and expression-of-interest materials.
- Establish an active pipeline of franchise or validation opportunities.
- Support at least one suitable opportunity through formal due diligence or institutional approval.
- Provide a clear roadmap towards a signed university partnership agreement.
The quality and suitability of opportunities will be more important than the number of introductions made.
Person Specification
Essential
- Significant experience within UK higher education partnerships, collaborative provision, validation, franchise delivery or institutional business development.
- A strong understanding of how UK universities approve and oversee external academic partners.
- Demonstrable experience developing, negotiating or managing university partnership agreements.
- An established professional network within UK universities, including relevant senior decision-makers.
- Experience preparing partnership proposals, institutional business cases or due diligence submissions.
- Good working knowledge of academic quality assurance, governance and regulatory expectations in UK higher education.
- Ability to assess whether a potential partner is genuinely suitable rather than simply generating introductions.
- Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of university partnership economics.
- Excellent written communication, presentation, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills.
- Ability to work independently and provide clear, candid advice to the College’s leadership.
Desirable
- Experience securing a university franchise or validation agreement for a new or independent provider.
- Previous employment within a university partnerships, collaborative provision or academic registry team.
- Experience working with widening participation providers, adult learners or flexible higher education models.
- Familiarity with NCC Education qualifications and progression routes.
- Experience supporting institutional approval panels or university partner due diligence.
- Knowledge of the Office for Students regulatory framework and the implications of subcontractual provision.
- Experience supporting a provider from initial delivery through to eventual OfS registration.
Why Work With Us?
This is an opportunity to shape the partnership strategy of a new education provider from its earliest stage.
The College has a clear widening participation mission, an initial accreditation route and a commitment to investing in quality, governance and institutional capacity.
The successful consultant will work directly with the Founder and senior leadership, with the opportunity to play a central role in securing the College’s first university partnership and building a platform for long-term growth.
Application Process
Please submit a CV and a short covering statement addressing:
- Your experience securing or managing UK university franchise, validation or collaborative provision partnerships.
- Examples of partnerships you have personally helped progress or secure.
- The types of UK universities with which you have relevant relationships.
- How you would approach securing a suitable partner for a newly established provider.
- Your availability and preferred commercial arrangement.
Applicants may be asked to provide anonymised examples of previous partnership work and professional references.
Work location: Remote, with occasional UK travel.
Pay: £1,000.00 per day
Experience:
- UK higher education partnerships or collaborative provision: 3 years (required)
- University franchise, validation or partnership development: 3 years (required)
Work Location: Remote
