R&D Technical Consultant

Focus Search and Selection; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Focus Search and Selection is seeking an R&D Technical Consultant for its Manchester office. You will lead technical discussions with clients, assess whether projects qualify for R&D relief, and translate complex activities into clear, high-quality reports.

You will communicate with senior technical and business stakeholders, manage multiple client engagements, and ensure accuracy, deadlines, and robust technical representations across deliverables.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and investigative ability.
• Genuine curiosity about technology, innovation and how things work.
• Ability to quickly understand unfamiliar technologies and technical projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confidence speaking with senior technical and business stakeholders.
• Strong questioning and listening skills.
• Excellent organisation and time management.
• High level of attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discussions with clients to understand their R&D projects and activities.
• Investigate technical challenges, uncertainties, experimentation and development work.
• Assess whether projects contain qualifying R&D activity.
• Produce high-quality technical reports based on your findings.
• Challenge and probe information to ensure claims are technically robust and accurately represented.
• Build strong relationships with clients and act as a trusted technical point of contact.
• Work alongside colleagues across the wider delivery function to ensure claims are completed to a high standard.
• Manage multiple client engagements while maintaining excellent attention to detail and deadlines.

Skills

Analytical ability

Investigative mindset

Curiosity about technology

Understanding new technologies

Written communication

Verbal communication

Stakeholder communication

Attention to detail

Organization and time management

Job description

R&D Technical Consultant

Manchester Office Based Full-time

An established specialist professional services business is looking to appoint an R&D Technical Consultant to join its growing team in Manchester.

This is an opportunity for someone with a strong technical, scientific, engineering or software background to move into a client-facing role focused on understanding innovative projects and identifying qualifying R&D activity.

You'll work directly with business owners, directors, engineers, developers and other technical professionals, getting to grips with complex projects and translating technical information into clear, accurate and well-structured reports.

The Role

• Lead technical discussions with clients to understand their R&D projects and activities.
• Investigate technical challenges, uncertainties, experimentation and development work.
• Assess whether projects contain qualifying R&D activity.
• Produce high-quality technical reports based on your findings.
• Challenge and probe information to ensure claims are technically robust and accurately represented.
• Build strong relationships with clients and act as a trusted technical point of contact.
• Work alongside colleagues across the wider delivery function to ensure claims are completed to a high standard.
• Manage multiple client engagements while maintaining excellent attention to detail and deadlines.

About You

We're interested in people who can demonstrate:

• Strong analytical and investigative ability.
• Genuine curiosity about technology, innovation and how things work.
• The ability to quickly understand unfamiliar technologies and technical projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Confidence speaking with senior technical and business stakeholders.
• Strong questioning and listening skills.
• Excellent organisation and time management.
• A high level of attention to detail.