Head of Strategic Relationships and Consultancies

Job Description

NatureMetrics is on a mission to turn nature into data. We are a rapid-growth scientific technology company that uses environmental DNA to deliver essential data on biodiversity to decision-makers across a range of sectors including infrastructure, extractives, fresh water, conservation and marine & energy. We are also expanding into nature-based solutions, food and consumer goods supply chains, agriculture and financial services.

We have grown rapidly since our creation in 2016. NatureMetrics has delivered projects in over 70 different countries, servicing them from our HQ and main lab in Guildford, our new lab in Canada, and via our business development team in the UK, continental Europe, South Africa and North America. We have successfully raised money through a series of investment rounds to position the organisation for rapid growth, and are seeing our project revenues grow rapidly too. We aim to be the premier provider of nature data to companies globally by 2025.

We are a team of bright, high-energy individuals who are excited to be breaking new ground and disrupting the world of nature monitoring. We take great pride in our work and are seeking new team members who will do the same.

The Role

Working closely with our business development team, you will lead our work to strengthen, elevate and expand our relationships with consultancies and other strategic customers. Building on our existing networks and customer relationships, you will drive the shift from tactical, reactive project work to proactive, strategic relationship-building. You will help us identify our most important customers, elevate and broaden our relationships with them, and ultimately cement long-term revenue growth. The role reports to the Chief Commercial Officer, based in our head office in Guildford, Surrey.

The Candidate

You will have experience of either commissioning consultants, working within environmental consultancy, or in a related commercial field. You will be a natural communicator, quick relationship-builder and highly-organised project manager. You will have the commercial acumen to negotiate contracts that secure profitable long-term relationships. You will be passionate about nature and ideally have a background in biological sciences.

Main responsibilities

• Develop and implement a framework to identify strategic customers that are poised for rapid growth with NatureMetrics
• Collaborate with the rest of the business development team to elevate our existing relationships and identify new organisations to target. For those customers that sit within a specific sector, you will support the Sector Head in growing that relationship. For customers and consultancies that sit across multiple sectors, you will take the lead on growing those relationships and liaise with each sector team so see the growth potential realised
• Negotiate framework contracts and other long-term agreements with strategic customers, working with the Sector Heads and other senior team members
• Develop a strategic account management framework and approach, and work with the business development team to implement this across the whole organisation
• Working with the Sector Heads, develop new business opportunities in each of our key sectors. This could include running workshops, coordinating training, presenting to key decision-makers and representing NatureMetrics at industry events and conferences
• Work collaboratively with our business development team and products team to identify gaps in the NatureMetrics offer and new opportunities for product development
• Work with our marketing team to identify key events and communication channels to raise our profile, present at events and assist with the production of online content
• Work with the Learning and Development team to produce appropriate training materials, and jointly define the strategy for accreditation of consultancies
• Define KPIs for the role and drive performance of the business development team against those, including e.g. number of strategic customers, growth in project volumes, revenue growth, repeat and recurring revenue, customer satisfaction. Manage against those

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in a scientific, commercial or numerical discipline and/or a qualification in ecology, conservation, environmental management would be a bonus

Specialist knowledge, skills & experience

• Significant professional experience and a proven track record in a relevant role
• Experience working with commercial organisations and consultancies in the UK and internationally, ideally on environmental topics
• Commercial acumen and experience in negotiating commercial contracts
• An existing network that NatureMetrics can benefit from
• Experience working on environmental impact assessment or other topics relevant to NatureMetrics

Behavioral Compentencies

• Passion for biodiversity protection and restoration
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Excellent project management and multitasking skills
• Strong teamworking and experience of delivering impact across matrix-based organisations
• An ability and enthusiasm for developing new expertise and skills
• Strong interpersonal and listening skills including an ability to cultivate strong and lasting relationships based on an understanding of client needs
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Takes responsibility for developing within their area of expertise, and shares knowledge with others to improve outcomes across the organisation
• Responsive to issues, acting with urgency when needed, and invests high levels of energy, drive and commitment to the team’s objectives
• Ability to work to a high standard with teams based in remote locations, and flexibility to work across diverse projects and stakeholders
• Willingness to travel

All applicants are legally required to demonstrate the right to work/permission to work in the UK.

To Apply

We’re seeking new team members who will reflect our values, commitment to quality and passion. To apply, click the apply button and you will be redirected to our online application portal to complete your application and upload your resume. Help us to track our advertising and please do mention Ethical Jobseeker as your application source.

There is no fixed deadline for applications, and the position will be held open until we find the right candidate.

Company Description

NatureMetrics is a high-growth SME leading the revolution in molecular biodiversity monitoring, enabling environmental managers to measure and monitor biodiversity with DNA-based tools. NatureMetrics has grown rapidly over the last five years and validated our technology in multiple industry sectors and regions of the world. We now have an exciting scale-up plan backed by ambitious and supportive investors. We are a team of bright, enthusiastic individuals who are excited to be breaking new ground and disrupting the world of biodiversity monitoring. We take great pride in our work and are seeking new team members who will do the same.