Job Title: Partnerships and Engagement Officer

Responsible to: Head of Programmes & Impact

Location: Regular presence at our offices in Bath plus some remote working

Hours: Full time i.e. 37.5 hours (substantial part time considered, i.e. minimum 30 hours per week)

Contract Type: Fixed term – 18 months

Salary: £30,000 FTE

About us

Designability is an independent, national charity that enables disabled people to live with greater independence. Our expertise is in user-centred design, creating products with and for disabled people to improve and enrich their lives.

The common thread through all of our work is in the design, creation and provision of a product to increase independence for disabled people. This is not just about products people need, but products they want to use.

We deliver choice by involving disabled people across our organisation and throughout the design process to create innovative product solutions not available elsewhere. We create great looking, easy-to-use products that go beyond basic functionality and we partner with industry to help as many people as we can – we’ve transformed over 300,000 lives to date.

As a charity, our mission is to get the right products into the hands of those who need them. We build prototypes and develop products in response to specific needs, in the hope that our products will inspire new markets to blossom.

Purpose of the Role

This newly created role will lead on the creation and delivery of a Partnerships and Engagement plan, helping Designability grow the Wizzybug Loan Scheme and ultimately to ensure that our beneficiaries receive the help and support they need to live with greater independence.

Designability has seen the positive impact of our partnerships, and we want to increase and expand our engagement work on a national scale. The Partnerships & Engagement Officer will build a range of partnerships across the UK in order to help grow the services that Designability offers, engaging with different organisations from condition-specific charities to local authorities.

The primary purpose of the role is to increase enquiries and applications to Designability’s flagship service, the Wizzybug Loan Scheme, by creating new partnerships with organisations to promote the scheme and meet our ambitious targets – in turn ensuring that disabled children across the UK get the help they need to be more independent.

Responsibilities:

To identify and create partnerships with charities and organisations who help children with the specific conditions and challenges we know the Wizzybug Loan Scheme can help, to generate interest in and enquiries to the Wizzybug Loan Scheme
To proactively work with a wide range of local, regional and national public, private and third sector organisations to increase the reach and awareness of the scheme, to increase enquiries and referrals
To work with the Head of Programmes and Impact to identify new regional centres for the delivery of Wizzybug handover appointments, developing partnerships prior to onboarding of the new centres
To engage with key organisations, acting as a conduit for other teams and individuals within Designability to increase partnership work
To raise the profile of Designability and its services among professionals and relevant bodies
Attend exhibitions and events to seek out new partners, and support Designability’s presence there to promote the Wizzybug Loan Scheme
To be willing to undertake regular travel nationally as part of achieving set objectives
To proactively identify and develop opportunities that enable Designability to reach more families and beneficiaries