Organisational and Business
Development Team Overview
Information Pack
This information pack contains:
• An introduction to Lifeline Project
• A brief outline of the North Directorate within Lifeline • An overview of the Business Development Officer role
About Lifeline Project
Founded in 1971, Lifeline Project Ltd is a well-established national provider of high quality, innovative substance misuse and recovery services with over 40 years’ experience delivering person-centred services for people affected by drugs and alcohol, their families and carers. With over 50 community recovery-focused substance misuse services across the UK and over 20 additional services based within prison establishments, Lifeline employ over 750 staff members nationally.
We are exceptionally proud of Lifeline’s track record of supporting recovery for all and our organisational mission, vision and values statement reflects this:
Lifeline’s comprehensive and ground-breaking service provision includes:
• Recovery services
• Fully integrated treatment services and whole treatment systems • Peer Mentoring and Volunteering Programme
• Young Peoples and Family Services • Service User/Carer/Family Services • Harm reduction services
• Needle exchange
• Psychosocial interventions
• Clinical treatment (healthcare, prescribing and community detox) • Day programmes
• Outreach • Shared Care
• Advice and information
“Thank you for all
the help you
gave me when I
was struggling,
you really were
brilliant. I am
now 12 months
in Recovery and
I am still so
grateful.”
Lifeline - Northern Directorate
With our first service based in Manchester in the 1970s, Lifeline’s North Directorate is the longest-serving directorate within the organisation.
We have highly regarded, successful services established in Manchester, Tameside, Salford, Kirklees, York, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Sunderland and Newcastle. We have also recently been awarded contracts to deliver a Recovery and Mentoring Service across North Yorkshire (England’s biggest county) and a Non-Criminal Justice and Long-Term in Treatment Service worth over £4m per annum in Hull.
Our directorate’s extensive experience and forward-thinking approach has led to a number of innovative recovery initiatives being developed, including our Employability and Personal Development Training in York, our York Dragon Boat Race and our Community Health and Wellbeing Gym in Middlesbrough.
For more information about Lifeline Project Ltd, our ethos and our services, please visit our website: www.lifeline.org.uk/.
Lifeline’s Annual Review 2013 website is also packed full of information about our current service delivery and our aims for the future: http://www.lifelinereview13.co.uk.
What does the Business Development Officer role involve?
The role of Business Development Officer within the North Directorate involves the following key tasks and duties:
• Responding to all commissioning and tendering opportunities put forward by local
authorities and public health bodies for the delivery of substance misuse and recovery services and related support contracts
• Undertaking extensive research of local areas, needs and priorities, as well as analysing all
key documents relating to tendered contracts, to ensure our bids and tenders meet all specification requirements
• Supporting and/or leading on the submission of comprehensive, high-quality and
professional written bids, tenders and other grant applications
• Developing bespoke, high-quality and eye-catching presentations illustrating why Lifeline is
the right provider to deliver these contracts - you will also often be expected to be on the presentation panel for some tenders
• Attending various bidding and networking events to collate information about upcoming
tenders and funding opportunities, positively representing Lifeline Project at all times
• Analysing internal and external feedback (both positive and constructive) from all bid and
tender submissions to identify areas for potential improvement
• Working as a key team player with other members of the Business Development Team and
our Director, contributing to discussions around the strategy and short-, medium- and long-term aims of our Directorate
As a Graduate Trainee Business Development Officer, you will embark on an intensive, challenging and well-supported 6-month training programme, with successful trainees becoming fully-trained Business Development Officers on completion of the programme. Your training will include:
• A Personal Development Plan tailored to your individual skills and improvement areas, as
well as taking into account your own personal ambitions and development goals
• Comprehensive on-the-job training tailored to the role, delivered by your own personal
experienced development mentor
• The opportunity to achieve accreditation in bids and tenders from the Institute of
Leadership and Management
• An unrivalled level of support and development as part of a friendly, close-knit team • Regular feedback around your progress and how you can reach your full potential
• Various opportunities to experience all areas of the organisation through multiple service
visits and a structured orientation to develop your knowledge and understanding of our clients and the issues they face
Please note: Although this is a trainee role, we expect candidates to be able to demonstrate their motivation for applying for this role within this sector and would highly recommend that prior to your interview, you do further research into bidding and tendering in the public sector and/or current substance misuse (drug and/or alcohol) policy and guidance where necessary.
Introducing the Business Development Team
The Business Development Team within the North Directorate has gone from strength to strength since its inception just three years ago. Starting with just one Business Development Officer in 2011, three years on we are now a strong team of seven full-time staff, led by our Business Development Manager Evan Chiswell and overseen by our North Director, Paul Townsley.
Our team benefits from hard-working and committed staff members with a wide range of skills, strengths and expertise. Over the past two years alone, we have utilised these combined skills and dedication to win over £12m worth of contracts and implemented 12 substance misuse and recovery services which provide key evidence-based support to thousands of people affected by substance misuse issues every year.
Here is what some of our current team members have to say about their experience with Lifeline:
“I’m coming to the end of my second year on the team and I can’t believe how far
I’ve come since I started. Although I had some bidding experience, I had little
knowledge of substance misuse at the start. Through my own dedication and the
excellent support of my manager, I have been given the opportunity to try new
things, gain new skills and develop professionally which has allowed me to progress
quickly within this rewarding role. The key is to be willing to learn and work hard.”
Please ensure all applications are sent to the Business Development Team at [email protected]
by 9am on Monday 13th October 2014. Any applications received after this deadline will not be
considered.
For an informal chat about the role and/or the recruitment process, please contact: Sophie Fox
Business and Service Development Lead Mobile: 07714 288380
Email: [email protected]
