Investment Manager (Key Account Management)

Help Sheffield's leading businesses grow, invest and succeed

Sheffield is one of the UK's leading cities for innovation, advanced manufacturing, technology and business growth. As part of Invest Sheffield, you will play a key role in supporting some of the city's most important employers, helping them overcome barriers to growth, secure investment, expand operations and create jobs.

Working as part of a highly regarded team within Sheffield City Council's Business Sheffield and Invest Sheffield service, you will develop trusted relationships with strategic businesses, major employers, foreign-owned companies and high-growth firms across Sheffield's priority sectors.

You will act as a proactive Key Account Manager, gaining a detailed understanding of business needs, identifying opportunities for growth and investment, coordinating support from across the Council and partner organisations and ensuring businesses can access the people, skills, property, funding and infrastructure they need to succeed.

The role will also support investment retention and reinvestment activity, helping embed existing investment within Sheffield whilst contributing to wider economic growth, employment and investment ambitions. You will work closely with colleagues across planning, regeneration, transport, skills, universities, SYMCA and other partners to deliver practical solutions to businesses and support long-term growth.

Key Responsibilities

Manage a portfolio of Sheffield's strategic businesses and major employers, developing long-term trusted relationships.
Identify opportunities for business expansion, investment, innovation and job creation.
Support foreign-owned businesses and investors to retain and expand their operations within Sheffield.
Provide a coordinated single point of contact and broker support from across the Council and partner organisations.
Undertake contact with key account companies and hold meetings with senior decision makers, maintaining close relationships with key account businesses
Source, write and edit relevant material for the weekly Key Business Update ensuring that key businesses are kept up to date with what’s happening in Sheffield
Help businesses navigate issues relating to property, skills, recruitment, funding, infrastructure and regulation.
Undertake business diagnostics and develop action plans to support growth and investment ambitions.
Capture business intelligence and use this to inform economic development priorities, investment propositions and service improvements.
Prepare clear briefings, updates and reports for senior officers, Members/Councillors, boards and partner organisations, using business intelligence to inform decision-making, policy priorities and practical interventions.
Support wider Invest Sheffield activity including inward investment, Innovation Spine, Investment Zone and strategic growth opportunities where appropriate.

About Invest Sheffield

Invest Sheffield is Sheffield City Council's inward investment and business growth service, supporting investors, managing relationships with key businesses already based in Sheffield and helping technology and innovation-led companies grow. The service supports more than 100 key account businesses, works with inward investors from the UK and overseas and delivers activity aligned to Sheffield's Growth Plan, Innovation Spine and Investment Zone ambitions.

Invest Sheffield is also a partner in the Landing Pad initiative, working alongside Sheffield Property Association, Sheffield Chamber, Sheffield BID, Sheffield Technology Parks, SYMCA and Innovation Spine partners to promote Sheffield's investment opportunities, strengthen the city's proposition and support business growth and investor engagement.

What we're looking for

You'll have experience of working directly with businesses, investors and economic development partners and be comfortable engaging with senior leaders and business owners. You'll be a strong relationship builder with commercial awareness, an understanding of business growth challenges and the ability to coordinate support across multiple organisations.

You will also bring sound political awareness, good judgement and the ability to communicate clearly within a public-sector environment, including preparing briefings and updates for senior officers, Members/Councillors and partners. You will be comfortable handling sensitive business intelligence with discretion and using it to support practical problem-solving, service improvement and wider economic development priorities

Most importantly, you'll be passionate about helping Sheffield's businesses thrive and playing a part in the city's future economic success.

If you have any questions about this role then please contact Invest Service Manager dean.hughes@sheffield.gov.uk

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.