Job Summary

Job Purpose:

To lead the Innovate UK EDGE Internationalisation and Investment Readiness team, within the wider Business Growth team, in delivering the service offer and ensuring it remains dynamic and relevant to UK growth-focused innovators and delivery partners within the wider innovation and growth ecosystem. Working with the Head of Innovation Management and Scaleup to ensure the continuous development and improvement of the Innovate UK EDGE core service offer, supporting partner and Innovation Growth Specialist and Ecosystem Innovation and Growth Specialist delivery. Managing and developing effective partnerships with the Innovate UK Investor Partnerships and Loans team, the Global, International Partnerships team and relevant teams within Innovate UK KTN. In addition, ensuring close coordination and coherence between the activities of the regional investment community, Enterprise Europe Network and DBT. Ensuring that current Innovate UK EDGE activities and new services as they emerge, are closely aligned with overall Innovate UK strategy and objectives.

As such, they will have a key role in the leadership team responsible for innovating Innovate UK EDGE, to better serve the wider organisation and ultimately the UK’s R&D-focused growth businesses.

Key relationships:

The post holder will directly line manage the IUK EDGE Innovation Lead International Ecosystem, IUK EDGE International Ecosystems Manager and IUK EDGE Innovation Lead Investment Readiness, and work closely with the Head of Innovation Management and Scaleup for a joined-up approach across the team and their reports. The post holder will be expected to work closely with the other Heads of Function across the team and wider organisation, particularly within Products and Services, Domains and Global teams.

We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Coordinate closely with Business Growth senior leadership colleagues to inform development of the Innovate UK EDGE portfolio, identifying areas of strategic need and opportunity
Ensuring relevant risk management process and practice is developed and adhered to.
Steer the evolution of Innovate UK EDGE’s service portfolio. Driving Innovate UK EDGE’s international and investment readiness offers, ensuring fit with core support. In turn informing the shape of the Innovation and Growth Specialists’ professional development.
Developing and integrating new and enhanced service components aligned to Innovate UK EDGE’s value proposition and Innovate UK’s Products and Services Directorate’s priorities
Direct the Innovate UK EDGE Innovation Leads to implement the delivery strategy and optimise the Innovate UK Service offer
With the Head of Service Design and Engagement, oversee Business Growth’s interface with the Global International Partnerships and Investor Partnership teams: build strong relationships, raising awareness of the service and encourage them to harness it, thereby delivering Innovate UK’s growth at scale agenda
Contribute to Innovate UK’s efforts towards a joined-up approach to supporting innovation-focused business across the innovation spectrum and UK regions through relationships with relevant bodies and networks
Line management of the Innovate UK EDGE Innovation Leads International Ecosystem and Investment Readiness, providing leadership and guidance
Set objectives for the team, manage their development and direct and enable them to deliver to a high standard
Contribute to the development of Innovate UK / DSIT strategies for growth at scale
Be a strong advocate of the core values of UKRI and Innovate UK, representing the team and organisation at meetings, workshops and conferences including giving presentations
Deputising for Deputy Director Business Growth as directed, including briefings for the EMT, as necessary
Manage budgets for service delivery, working with the Head of Operations and Deputy Director Business Growth; including having personal authority to determine grant funding limits and changes for delivery partners appropriate to and for implementation of service delivery

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Person specification

Person Specification:

Qualifications:

Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline or relevant equivalent experience

Experience:

Essential –

Experience in a senior management role in a business support environment, professional, business services organisation, or of running own business
Familiar with the UK & international innovation growth ecosystem(s), barriers, drivers and opportunities and roles of key public sector players
Experience in creating, leading and maintaining productive relationships between organisations where there is a high degree of ambiguity in the boundaries between them including being robust when required
Experience of achieving results through influencing skills rather than direct control
Utilisation of economic evidence to inform strategy, policy and planning
Experience of developing new approaches to solving business problems or exploiting new opportunities.
Experience of developing and implementing strategies to deliver the benefits of such opportunities.
Experience of managing a central team and / or regionally distributed workforce
Experience of developing and implementing new processes and organisational change, delivering business critical changes into active environments

Desirable –

Experience of or interest in science, technology and innovation and its role in society and economic performance
Facilitation / training for development
Understanding of the investment environment
Understanding of national and global factors impacting the management and growth of small / medium sized businesses

Skills:

Strategic thinking underpinned by proven analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to propose solutions
Clarity of thought and the ability to ‘think on one’s feet’, delivering effective project management
Ability to work creatively and collaboratively within a team environment, and also capable of working independently to deliver results
Persuasive and effective communicator, with experience of public speaking and exceptional influencing and interpersonal skills
Demonstrable credibility and impact with senior business people
The ability to effect culture change in a variety of organisational settings

Competencies:

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:

Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management

Travel Requirements:

Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Communicating and Influencing
Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Seeing the Big Picture

Technical Skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

Experience of or interest in science, technology and innovation and its role in society and economic performance

Alongside your salary of £65,262, Innovate UK contributes £18,906 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

1st interview incl presentation

Interviews will either take place remotely via Zoom/Teams or n person face to face

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window) . See our vetting charter (opens in a new window) .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality Requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window) .

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : Recruitment Team
Email : recruitment@ukri.org

Recruitment team

Email : recruitment@ukri.org

Innovate UK

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