Head of Client Engagement

Location: Home-based with UK travel required
Salary: Competitive salary plus excellent benefits incl company car, bonus scheme and private medical insurance
Schedule: 37.5 hours per week, hours will work around diary requirements and can be flexible for the successful candidate

Ready to impact a better future?

As the new Head of Client Engagement for the UK Resilience Academy (UKRA), you’ll lead high‑value client relationships and business development activity that helps strengthen national resilience across the UK. This is a senior, outward‑facing role with real influence – shaping partnerships, creating growth, and ensuring our work delivers positive impact where it matters most.

The UKRA plays a critical role in supporting government, industry, and communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major risks and emergencies. Reporting to the CEO of UKRA, your work will help build trusted partnerships, create impactful solutions, and translate strategic relationships into meaningful programmes that support a safer, more resilient future.

What you’ll do as a Head of Client Engagement

You’ll be entrusted to:

• Develop and deliver the UK Resilience Academy’s business development and client engagement strategy, identifying and securing new opportunities across public, private, and third sector organisations.
• Lead senior client engagement for high‑value and strategically important contracts, ensuring strong relationships built on trust, care, and credibility.
• Act as a senior ambassador for the UK Resilience Academy, representing the organisation at national forums, events, and strategic discussions.
• Build and sustain partnerships with government departments, private sector, industry leaders and civil society organisations.
• Oversee the delivery and implementation of the UK Resilience Academy Exercising Hub, working closely with internal teams to align client needs with high‑quality delivery.
• Track, report, and communicate growth, impact, and partnership outcomes against agreed objectives.

Does this sound like you?

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you have:

• Significant senior experience in business development, strategic partnerships, or external engagement within complex, multi‑stakeholder environments.
• A proven track record of securing and managing high‑value programmes, collaborations, or contracts.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to operate confidently across public, private, and third sector landscapes.
• Exceptional relationship‑building, influencing, and communication skills, with credibility at senior executive level.
• Experience shaping strategic propositions and translating vision into deliverable, scalable outcomes.

Desirable

• Experience in resilience, risk, security, infrastructure, emergency management, or national capability-building environments.
• Familiarity with government policy landscapes and cross-sector partnership models.
• Exposure to innovation, research collaboration, or thought leadership initiatives.

Vetting and checks:

This role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) clearance, which involves verifying your identity, employment history, nationality, and criminal record to meet government security standards. In addition, you will need to obtain formal Security Clearance (such as CTC or SC), which includes more detailed background checks on employment, criminal record, and financial history to ensure suitability for working in secure environments. Please note that UK residency requirements may apply for certain levels of clearance. You will also complete an Occupational Health Questionnaire so we can identify and provide any support you may need to undertake the role effectively.

Discover all you need to keep growing

We’re one of the top 1% of international employers, so you can have confidence you’ll be part of a highly supportive culture with leaders you can count on to help you achieve your goals. From mentoring and training to our focus on internal progression, we’re proud to offer clear development opportunities – and the support and tools to help you seize them.

What we offer

• Holidays: 25 days plus bank holidays (and the option to buy up to five additional leave days each year)
• Pension: Up to 6% contributory pension scheme
• Bonus: A performance‑based bonus scheme
• Company car
• Private medical insurance
• Training and development: Over 1,100 internal courses available, funding for qualifications and apprenticeships, mentoring opportunities, and a focus on internal progression
• Health and wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme, Bupa Anytime HealthLine, wellbeing app, 30% off at Serco‑managed leisure centres, and 24/7 access to a virtual GP service
• Discounts: Discounts across around 1,000 retailers, from food and clothing to days out, entertainment and travel
• Charity: Paid volunteering day, tax‑free charitable giving through Payroll Giving Scheme, donate your pennies from your monthly pay to the Serco People Fund Charity
• Employee networks: Our networks support inclusion and connection by providing spaces for collaboration, learning, and belonging. They represent and empower all our colleagues including LGBTQIA+ employees, women, parents and carers, people with disabilities, veterans, and people from all cultural backgrounds.

Let’s impact a better future, together. Apply today.

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Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens, we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. As a proud Disability Confident Leader and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard, disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview.

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