We are looking for a Sector Development Manager to join Business Durham, the business support service for Durham County Council. This is maternity cover for up to 12 months or upon the return of the substantive postholder. Secondments from other organisations will be considered.
Further Information
We are looking for a Sector Development Manager to join Business Durham, the business support service for Durham County Council. This is maternity cover for up to 12 months or upon the return of the substantive postholder. Secondments from other organisations will be considered.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
The County Durham Inclusive Economic Strategy highlights the key opportunity sectors, where there is potential to build upon existing strengths and develop clusters to create high-quality jobs and opportunities for innovation and inward investment.
You will work with partners to develop and deliver a programme of business support activities to encourage and enable businesses in target sectors to connect with opportunities and to develop an ecosystem to support their continued growth within County Durham. The key opportunity sectors currently identified include Advanced Manufacturing, Advanced Materials Electronics and Life Sciences.
You will work with businesses from within these sectors to identify need and barriers to growth; creating ecosystems to attract businesses including the development of appropriate packages of support; and liaising with key stakeholders, partners, and departments to ensure appropriate infrastructure is in place.
Other key elements of the role will also involve identifying key innovation trends in the identified sectors, managing events and attending trade shows as appropriate.
We encourage you to contact Rebecca Hall, Team Manager – Inward Investment and Sector Development via email at rebecca.hall@durham.gov.uk to arrange an informal discussion about the role.
WHAT WILL I NEED?
You will be educated to degree level or equivalent and/or be able to demonstrate extensive relevant experience.
Recent experience of engaging with businesses and delivering business support or business development services is essential. You will have knowledge of business operations and have the ability to recognise key issues.
Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria.
INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2026.
We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.
OUR OFFER TO YOU
We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website (https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits-if-you-work-for-us)
Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.
HOW TO APPLY
Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website (https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2083/How-to-apply-for-a-job-with-us)
If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email RecruitmentREG@durham.gov.uk
We welcome applications from disabled people and those who are or consider themselves to be neurodivergent.
All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.