National Security Innovation Consultant

Government of The United Kingdom; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary range and bonus

Pension and health benefits

Volunteering day

Job summary

Plexal is seeking a National Security Innovation Consultant to join a fast-growing team focused on innovation consulting, hypotheses testing and research. You will engage startups, government, investors and academia to deliver evidence-based strategies and tangible outcomes.

The role involves designing models, leading on client deliverables, and supporting business development across national security projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required.
• Experience in innovation, research or technology with a policy or security emphasis.
• Ability to design robust experiments and present findings clearly.
• Willingness to travel nationally for project delivery.
• Eligibility for SC clearance (pre-existing clearance welcomed).

Responsibilities

• Develop innovation hypotheses and experiments to test them.
• Deliver experiments and interventions yielding evidence-based client outcomes.
• Design practical models and frameworks to support client transformation.
• Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis and market research on emerging tech.
• Identify insights across AI, data, space, telecoms, engineering biology.
• Create high-impact deliverables (reports, presentations) for clients.
• Engage with National Security clients to understand needs and challenges.
• Manage regular communication with National Security clients and stakeholders.
• Support business development with tailored proposals and opportunities.
• Summarise complex concepts clearly for senior audiences.
• Demonstrate awareness of technology markets and emerging needs/trends.
• Bring passion for emerging technology and policy implications.
• Travel as required for delivery across Plexal sites.

Skills

Project management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Hypothesis testing

Research

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

The National Security Innovation Consultant will play a key role in delivering Plexal-led innovation projects and working with our consulting team to deliver cross-competency work, focusing on innovation consulting, hypotheses testing and research activity. You'll engage with a diverse array of stakeholders, including startups, scaleups, corporations, government, non-profit organisations, investors and academia. We are a rapidly growing team and are actively looking to recruit exceptional individuals who want to work in an adaptive, fast moving, collaborative environment focused on National Security.

What You'll Do

• Development of innovation hypotheses and the associated experiments and interventions which will test them
• Delivery of above experiments and interventions to yield evidence based outcomes and guidance for clients
• Design of practical models, frameworks, and approaches that help clients deliver change and transformation
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis and market research to on emerging technology, startups and innovation themes
• Forming insights into emerging technology areas, e.g. AI and data, space and telecoms, engineering biology
• Contribute towards and lead on the creation of high-impact deliverables, such as reports and presentations, for clients to inform their emerging technology strategies
• Engaging with National Security clients to understand their needs, challenges and the interventions that will support their growth
• Proactively manage regular interaction, communication, and collaboration with National Security clients and external stakeholders
• Supporting on and leading specific areas of business development by responding to client request and creating bespoke proposals
• Highly organised with a good understanding of innovation, collaboration and hypothesis testing tools and methodologies
• Analytical, with the ability to think critically and to understand, interpret and articulate complex concepts
• A structured, concise communicator who can confidently use key tools including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as project management and brainstorming tools
• Competent at taking responsibility for producing high-quality deliverables and presentations for senior audiences
• Qualitative and quantitative research skills, Able to demonstrate awareness across technology markets and National Security and provide an outside-in perspective to clients when it comes to emerging needs, trends, opportunities, and technologies
• Innovation, startup, research or technology background, with a passion about emerging technology and some domain expertise or interest in technology policy
• Experience with a range of hypotheses testing approaches and an ability to critically design robust experiments for clients and present findings in an accessible and compelling narrative
• Experience in one or more of following tech areas are a plus: space, telecoms, AI, data, quantum, semiconductors, Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), Educated to a Bachelor-degree level or equivalent
• Personally resilient, with the ability to stay focused on the overall objective, responding to challenges in a calm and measured way
• Energised by the challenges and opportunities presented by working for a high-growth company
• Passionate about the development of emerging technology
• This role may require some national travel for delivery of projects and travel to all Plexal sites.

Due to the nature of this position, our work, and our client engagements, you must be willing and eligible to achieve a minimum of SC clearance. Pre-existing SC welcome. For more information about clearance eligibility, please see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/united-kingdom-security-vetting

As a start-up, we thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced work environment dedicated to empowering innovators. We embrace individuals who leverage technology and creativity to tackle our greatest challenges head-on. We strongly advocate for maintaining a harmonious work-life balance, our goal is to ensure every member of our team can authentically be themselves and live their best lives. We firmly believe that innovation and creativity flourish when we cultivate a diverse workforce, comprising highly skilled individuals with a wide range of perspectives to contribute.

In return we will offer you:

• Salary: £45,000 - £60,000 depending on skills and experience
• Annual bonus scheme
• A generous pension scheme (with a company contribution of up to 10%)
• Private healthcare, life assurance and critical illness cover
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Volunteering day

Plexal is an equal opportunities employer and we actively encourage applicants from individuals from all backgrounds. We are a Disability Committed employer and are willing to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.