Cluster Executive (temporary)

Cluster Executive (temporary)

This is a fantastic opportunity to work within the vibrant food and drink industry in Wales, which plays a vital role in the growth of the Welsh economy.

Due to career progression within the project, Cywain is looking for a Cluster Executive to join the team to cover maternity.

Please Note:  The ability to speak Welsh is essential for this job role

Cywain, delivered by Menter a Busnes is a model providing targeted support to micro and SME businesses operating in the Welsh food and drink sector. We are now entering a new stage and have received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities - Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020 to provide a revised service. Project funding has been confirmed until October 2022.

The service supports businesses to increase their capacity and capability, facilitate knowledge transfer and industry intelligence as well as strengthening supply chain integration. Delivery is pan Wales with an emphasis on collaboration through clustering, adding value, market development for growth and job creation. Cywain has developed a wide network of stakeholders and integral to the client development is a coherent approach with other delivery partners.

There are three strands to the project:

• Support for start-up and micro businesses
• Diagnostic support available to all businesses
• Clustering and collaboration between businesses to promote business growth and efficiency

A cluster is essentially business led where a group of firms operating in the same sector and in a close geographical proximity identify common issues and opportunities. The focus is on increasing competitiveness of Welsh food and drink companies to help them develop and grow, and members of a cluster group will come together to collaborate on a specific project. The projects they work on are varied from addressing existing business issues affecting competitiveness or growth, to accessing new markets and growing existing markets.

The clustering methodology has been piloted by Menter a Busnes since 2015, in partnership with Welsh Government Food Division. We are currently supporting the Fine Food Cluster and Seafood cluster.

Aim of the Role

The aim of this role is to support the Cluster Manager to: 

• ensure cluster projects are executed on time and to budget 
• plan events and workshops, ensuring they are promoted effectively and well attended by the intended target audience
• undertake basic market research and respond to general business enquiries
• ensure compliance with relevant project policies and systems
• be interactive and work independently without supervision

Main Responsibilities

• Ensure that all enquiries are dealt with on the basis of a clear understanding of the needs of businesses
• Deal with enquiries from a number of sources including from existing and new beneficiaries, stakeholders including Welsh Government, buyers and other business support organisations/programmes   
• Work closely with the Cluster Manager to identify, establish, review/realign individual Cluster project delivery timescales, keeping support deliverers focused on the outcomes of the intervention. These can include support that has been procured externally, public and private sector support   
• Support the growth ambitions of food and drink companies by developing an understanding of the key elements of business growth plan in particular in  trade and business development
• Provide excellent knowledge of the local/regional business support landscape - including support from WG, the public, third/private sectors
• Arrange workshops and events as and when required including attendance where required and follow up
• Work closely with the Marketing Officer to provide updated content for the project website and social media channels  
• Gather client satisfaction evidence in accordance with our Quality Management System
• Accurately monitor progress against qualitative and quantitative outputs, providing progress report to the Cluster Manager    
• Ensure compliance with the appropriate data protection legislation
• Maintain records efficiently in an agreed framework to satisfy Welsh Government/European funding requirements and validity of output
• Attend meetings and represent the project as required

Research and Monitoring 

• Support the Cluster Manager to record, collect and analyse client feedback
• Input data accurately
• Accurately monitor, review and report on project activities, and ensure any work procured with third party contractors are completed and invoiced on time
• Analyse the project’s attainment of its targets by ensuring that data is current
• Support the Cluster Manager by attending meetings with clients as required to collect any relevant paperwork and monitoring data
• Ensure that the project’s CRM and management systems are maintained and are current, efficient and compliant with the relevant Audit requirements
• Contact clients, external providers and partners to coordinate activities/events
• Gather and provide regional business support and related relevant information to include Local intelligence that includes both private and public funding availability

Other

• Ensure standards for quality, customer service, equality and diversity, health and safety and biosecurity are met
• Accept other reasonable duties and responsibilities as required
• Represent Menter a Busnes as required

Skills and Experience Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject, and/or demonstrable work experience in a similar field
• Demonstrable experience of client management and engaging with clients / businesses either face to face, email or via telephone
• Excellent organisational and co-ordinating skills
• A good understanding or experience of agriculture/rural/food sector in Wales
• Experience of arranging exhibitions and events
• Able to assess and clearly understand the needs of businesses, their support and mentoring requirements
• Understanding of company accounts and business plans
• Skills and experience of developing excellent networks on different levels (e.g. formal and informal contacts) of prospective beneficiaries to professional people in partner organisations
• A proactive self-motivator, accepting responsibility for setting and reviewing priorities for achieving own work and objectives, taking account of customer needs
• Able to work independently or as a member of a team
• Able to analyse and use evidence; think laterally, expressing the pros, cons and risks of options
• Experience of working towards targets, with a clear focus on quality
• Excellent bilingual oral and written (Welsh/English) communication and interactive skills, including presentation skills
• IT skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Databases, Email and the Web
• Full driving license and the use of a car (please note: if based at any other Menter a Busnes office, the successful applicant will be expected to travel to the Meifod office at least one day per week during the first six months)
• Available to work during the evening and weekends occasionally

Desirable

• Experience of undertaking marketing communications campaigns
• Experience of project management

Interviews

Interviews will be held for this post at Menter a Busnes’ office in Aberystwyth on Wednesday, 28 November 2018. If this date is inconvenient, please note on your application form.

The closing date for applications is: 23 November 2018 at 10:00

Equality and Diversity Policy

Our Equality and Diversity Policy can be found in the document below.