Head of Commissioned Partnerships

With the current physical health pandemic affecting the whole world, looking after mental health has never been more important.  Over the past few years public awareness of mental health has grown exponentially and more people than ever before are now discussing their mental health. It has become apparent that mental ill health is one of the predominant health challenges of our time. The advent of new technologies present challenges to mental health but also, crucially, they present new solutions to help promote and ensure positive mental health.

Shout 85258 is the UK’s first, free, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Since launch in May 2019, we’ve had nearly 300,000 conversations with people who are anxious, stressed, depressed or overwhelmed and who need immediate support. As a digital service, Shout 85258 has become increasingly critical since Covid-19, being one of the few mental health support services able to operate as normal at this time.

The most common presenting issues which emerge during a conversation are: suicide (34%), depression (34%), anxiety (32%), relationship (27%), loneliness (18%) and self-harm (15%).

Shout 85258 is the first service from Mental Health Innovations. The service was researched and developed with The Royal Foundation as a legacy of the Heads Together campaign and was set up with a £3m grant from The Royal Foundation. The service provides anonymised data giving unique insights into trends in mental health in the UK. Mental Health Innovations has grown rapidly since its inception, becoming a significant player in the mental health field.

The Head of Commissioned Partnerships is a new and an extremely pivotal role for the organisation, with the successful applicant responsible for unlocking further growth potential and delivering sustainability. Current commissioned partners include the higher education and health sectors, and whilst we continue to develop track record we can see that the potential to provide substantial benefit in these areas and beyond is broad and very considerable.

We are eager to speak to individuals who are experienced, ambitious and commercially astute professionals, with strong, relationship based business development experience, used to working with a broad range of senior stakeholders,  who can build a strong portfolio of commissioned contracts and deliver significant income growth for our organisation.

The successful candidate will ideally be able to demonstrate a significant track record of initiating, managing and developing high-level commissioned partnerships and securing contracts across a broad range of sectors. You will also bring evidence of managing complex stakeholder relationships with the requisite gravitas and credibility to engage at the highest level. Critically you will be dynamic and entrepreneurial with the ability to identify opportunities, have a keen eye for detail and strategic outlook. You will be a self-starter with high levels of motivation, and the ability to operationalise strategy.

Reporting to the Director of Income, this role plays a vital part as the organisation looks towards the future, being responsible for identifying new opportunities for commissioned partnerships, developing a qualified prospect pipeline and delivering new income, as well as managing and developing existing commissioned partnerships.

The Head of Commissioned Partnerships will meet agreed income targets, as well as develop long-term funding strategies to underpin the planning, delivery and growth of the Shout service; transitioning the service from being reliant upon philanthropic funding to sustainable footing based on long-term commissioned partnerships. Additionally, the Head of Commissioned Partnerships will work with the Director of Income and Senior Leadership Team to create a strategy to market for each of the new digital tools within MHI’s development pipeline. This process will be dynamic and fluid as the tools are tested, trialled and eventually launched.

The deadline for this position is rolling and we are accepting applications as soon as we receive them. For further information, to answer any questions you may have or to apply for the role with a CV and covering letter, please do not hesitate to contact Charlotte Wilmot, Director, Eardley Wilmot, charlotte@eardleywilmot.co.uk who is supporting us in this appointment.