Partnerships Lead Women's Professional Network

Partnerships Lead Maternity Cover 2026

Meat Business Women (MBW) is the global professional networking group for women working across the meat and food manufacturing industries, assuring the sustainability of the sector by attracting and retaining the best possible talent.

MBW was established in 2015 and now operates across UK, Ireland and Australia, with members in 22 countries globally. In addition, it is recognised by the United Nations as solution to one of their Sustainable Development Goals. In 2021 Meat Business Women transitioned into a membership organisation and launched a website from which individuals can become a Meat Business Women member.

Alongside individual memberships, corporate businesses can become a Partner with MBW, with 57 Partners to date.

Partnerships unlock a host of benefits for our Corporate Partners :
For their members this includes training, development, mentoring, networking and attendance at flagship events, all of which build confidence through experiences. For the Corporate Partners themselves, MBW provides a crucial support function for their ESG & L&D initiatives, We deliver a mixture of research and DEI leadership, as well as online and onsite delivery, aligning with the needs of the business in meeting their progression goals.

In 2026, MBW is proudly launching the third round of its Global Gender Representation Research, which is a globally recognised benchmark that tracks gender balance across the food and meat manufacturing industry. Data is independently analysed and submitted to the United Nations. This 2026 edition will provide the most comprehensive picture yet of gender representation across the full food supply chain and help identify opportunities to strengthen inclusion, leadership pipelines, and talent retention.

Alongside existing programs of delivery to our Partners, the outputs from this work will help to shape the future needs of our industry, our partners and its members in 2026, and beyond.

This is an initial 10-month maternity cover role, starting from February 2026 onwards. We may seek to extend the role beyond this timeline and are open to the possibility of either full time or part time contracts for this time period. For MBW, it’s about finding the right person with the right passion to deliver for our Partners!

The role will have accountability and responsibility for the delivery of the strategy. It will protect and develop a specific ring-fenced portion of our more Strategic relationships, whilst seeking new growth opportunities within the corporate space.

This is a role for an energetic and enthusiastic, commercially-driven professional who has a proven track record of onsite delivery and business development. They will understand the importance of delighting the customer and growing upon solid and strongly maintained partnerships. A commitment to empowering women in the industry is a must. The objective of the role is to promote and expand the company’s commercial activity that will generate revenues and lead to sustainable growth.

The role reports into the new Managing Director of Meat Business Women, working across the whole team (UK & elsewhere) to deliver into our success.

As Partnerships Lead at MBW, you’ll be the driving force behind building and nurturing our Strategic account relationships. This role is about influence, impact, and creating value for partners—combining commercial growth with relationship excellence, ensuring MBW is indispensable to partners.

• Commercial Acumen with Purpose You understand how to grow revenue while aligning with MBW’s mission. You see partnerships as strategic levers, not transactions, and can balance commercial goals with long-term relationship building.
• Relationship Builder & Connector You thrive on creating meaningful connections across diverse stakeholders—from HR leaders to senior executives. You know how to engage, listen, and tailor solutions that make MBW indispensable to our partners.
• Strategic yet Practical You can think strategically about growth and priorities, while also rolling up…