Innovation Director (part time, 22.5 hours p/wk)

Oxford Innovation; Crawley; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking an innovative thinker as an Innovation Director at the Crawley Innovation Centre. In this part-time role, you will deliver strategic business coaching and support to local businesses, driving innovation and growth within the region. Excellent networking and communication skills will be essential to foster relationships and manage performance metrics effectively.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus Bank Holidays

Contributory pension scheme

Flexible benefits package

Private medical and dental insurance

Health screening

Bicycle purchase scheme

Charitable giving options

Access to discounts on various providers

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of contract delivery KPIs.
• Experience in managing business support services.
• Knowledge of the local business ecosystem and innovation principles.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for managing delivery of business support KPIs.
• Provide high-quality strategic coaching to local businesses.
• Coordinate workshops and link businesses with institutions.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Business acumen

Networking skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Job description

We are looking for a strategic and innovative thinker to join our team as Innovation Director at Crawley Innovation Centre. The Crawley Innovation Centre, is an initiative from Crawley Borough Council (CBC), located in the heart of the Manor Royal Business District. It will bring a further much-needed economic, innovation and technological boost to the town and provide vital “grow-on” space which will enable hi-tech small businesses to “scale up”, prototype and demonstrate new technologies in clean energy, quantum tech and transportation tech.

As Innovation Director, you will provide pragmatic, high quality strategic business coaching and innovation support to businesses based in the centre, with the objective of enabling business growth, innovation development and commercial success. Business support includes one-to-one coaching of business leaders, coordination of workshops, and connecting businesses with the Councils, Colleges, Local Universities and Gatwick Airport. They will also work with the wider Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to develop the region and bring expert support to the CIC.

This is a part-time role, working 22.5 hrs per week. We are happy to discuss suitable working patterns at interview, but flexibility will be required to meet the needs of the business.

Major objectives of the role:

• Accountable for the management and delivery of all business support Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as defined by the agreement between Crawley Borough Council and Oxford Innovation Space.
• Ensure that delivery of the business support service is within contractual budgets as defined by the contract and/or Oxford Innovation Space budget. Track, monitor and report on this regularly, as required.
• Attend regular client / team review meetings and provide written reports regarding activity, progress against KPIs and performance outputs as required by CBC and Oxford Innovation Space.
• Work with CBC faculties and those of other organisations such include: Uni of Sussex, BID, Uni of Chichester, Gatwick Diamond, to maximise the opportunity for collaborative engagement with the centre’s business customers.
• Actively support CBC innovation and enterprise agenda and work in partnership to promote the wider ecosystem, as the place for businesses to grow in Crawley and the local subregion.
  
  

Personal Competences:

• Data and ROI driven, with a strong understanding of contract delivery KPIs and ability to provide and interpret information in management reports
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and a detailed knowledge of the key functions within a business particularly sales & marketing, financial management and operations
• Ability to use own initiative and to be able to identify quickly and effectively how problems can be solved
• Strong networking and relationship building skills (existing network connections desirable)
• A passion for innovation and solving problems
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Ability to interact with and co-ordinate various stakeholders
  
  

What’s in it for you?

• Salary of up to £33,000 pro rata, depending on experience
• 25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays, pro rata
• Flexible benefits package comprising:
• Contributory pension
• Ability to increase or decrease amount of annual leave
• Ability to increase or decrease amount of life assurance cover
• Private medical and dental insurance
• Health screening
• Bicycle purchase
• Charitable Giving
• Friendly, informal and flexible working environment, so you can make the most of your home and your work life
  
  

We’ve also got access to a whole load of discounts so you can save money on high street favourites and holiday providers.

If you think you could be a great member of team and would like an exciting opportunity in return, then this is the role you have been looking for - click ‘apply’ today to become our new Innovation Director or to find out more information about the role. We would love to hear from you!

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we would advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.