Senior Manager, SCENE Commercialisation Programmes

Durham University; North East; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Durham University is seeking a Senior Manager for the SCENE Commercialisation Programmes. This full-time fixed-term role involves coordinating a complex programme aimed at enhancing regional research commercialization. The successful candidate will lead project management efforts, budget oversight, and collaboration across multiple universities to drive sustainable growth in strategic sectors.

Benefits

30 days annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Support for health and wellbeing

Professional development opportunities

Family friendly policies

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience of ensuring programme delivery within an accountability framework.
• Experience in developing and managing contracts for services.
• Experience of line managing teams.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and ensure compliant delivery of the SCENE programme.
• Manage the SCENE budget and claiming procedure.
• Design and ensure delivery of plans for key projects within the SCENE programme.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Project management

Financial management

Communication skills

Collaboration

Education

Degree level education

Job description

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on [e-mail]

Job Description - Senior Manager, SCENE Commercialisation Programmes (25000790)

Job Description

Job Number:

Senior Manager, SCENE Commercialisation Programmes (

Job Number:

25000790 )

Research and Innovation Services

Fixed Term - Full Time

Contract Duration : This contract has a fixed end date of 30th April 2030 with the possibility of extension subject to funding

Working Arrangements : Hybrid working arrangements available with a mix of on site (minimum 2 days) and home based working

Closing Date

Closing Date

: 15-Jul-2025, 3:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement : Not Applicable.

Background; Strategic Research Commercialisation in the North East

Since 2018, the five North East universities have worked increasingly closely to build a strong collaboration to commercialise our research through the creation of high-growth businesses. Since launching the Northern Accelerator programme, 54 spinouts have been created, catalysing new investment and jobs.

Supported by Research England’s CCF-RED fund with £8.9m in funding over a five year period, the Strategic Commercialisation Eco-system North East (SCENE) programme represents an exciting next phase in our regional collaboration with the aim of wrapping new activities around and into Northern Accelerator to strengthen our support for the spin out process, and building new services and activities to extend successful research commercialisation in new areas, such as licensing and commercial partnerships.

Underpinning these propositions is the creation and development of a structured and connected ecosystem around University research commercialisation, drawing together partnerships with business, investors and institutions to drive a sustainable step-change in our impact.

Through the delivery of seven workstreams over a five year programme, SCENE will:

• Strengthen and expand the region’s ecosystem, engaging businesses, sector bodies, Catapults and investors more actively in commercialising university research;
• Expand the pipeline of high-quality, investible new spinouts;
• Support growth for existing spinouts, helping secure them for the long-term;
• Increase adoption of university IP by businesses of all sizes in strategic sectors;
• Attract new UK and international investment into the formation and growth of research-led businesses; and
• Enhance structures, systems and leadership to support regional commercialisation ambitions.

SCENE is led by Durham University and involves as key partners the other four North East Higher Education institutions – Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside – who come together through Universities for North East England (UNEE).

SCENE is also supported by a number of strategic partners – our two Combined Authorities in the North East and Tees Valley, Catapults, Business Support organisations and key businesses as well as associated universities in York and Cumbria.

The Role and Department

Both the SCENE and Northern Accelerator programmes are led and hosted by Durham University on behalf of the North East universities. The Director of Economic Development, Commercialisation and Policy (the Director of EDCP) at Durham University is the Accountable Officer for the programmes and the lead sponsor on behalf of the Business and Innovation Group of UNEE.

The Role

We are seeking a skilled, creative and experienced Programme Manager who can coordinate and ensure the compliant delivery of the SCENE programme, working closely with the core team, the wider team and our key partners and strategic stakeholders.

The project is an ambitious and complex project with a number of workstreams which also interact with existing Northern Accelerator programmes and the work of core teams in the partner Universities, each of which are at different stages of development in their on commercialisation.

The postholder will be confident maintaining a strong focus on the aims and objectives of the SCENE programme, have a good understanding of innovation and commercialisation purposes and mechanisms and be able to work flexibly and collaboratively with our partners and stakeholders to design and ensure delivery of effective programme plans. They will also need to understand the purpose of our national and regional funders in allocating the resource, maintaining alignment with economic plans in the North East and commercialisation objectives of Research England and the Government.

The main duties of the post will be:

• Working with the Head of Regional programmes and other team members, design and ensure delivery of plans for the workstreams and key projects set out in the SCENE programme.
• Support the governance and management structures for SCENE, providing accurate information about progress on programme delivery and resourcing.
• Project manage the Collaboration and Funding agreements between Durham University and the other partner universities, and the project based agreements with other partners coordinating and leading regular project management meetings with a particular focus on financial, milestone and KPI delivery.
• Manage the SCENE budget and claiming procedure working closely with delivery partners and the Teams at Durham University providing relevant financial statistics and reports for internal and external examination.
• Directly line manage members of the core team and provide functional management support and co-ordination to Partnership Teams located in the 5 member universities.
• Provide support, advice, information, presentations and guidance to University staff regarding the project and to be the focal point of contact to co-ordinate all aspects of the project across the University partners.

An illustration SCENE Staffing Structures will be available here.

The Department

The postholder will sit within Durham University’s Research and Innovation Services (RIS) team, accountable to the Head of Regional Programmes.

RIS is a professional services directorate at the heart of Durham University which provides expertise, leadership and support to academics and professional colleagues across the University for all research, research-related, knowledge exchange and economic development activities and aims to strengthen their University’s role at the leading-edge of research and innovation, inspiring change across the world and in our region.

The team is based in our exciting new professional services hub at Boldon House, which is located on the outskirts of Durham near the Arnison Centre in Pity Me. Boldon House brings professional services teams together across the University in a vibrant office environment which supports collaborative working and is designed to embrace hybrid working.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.

We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.

We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here .

Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page .

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.
• The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
• We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
• No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.
• If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here .

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Qualifications/Experience

1. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).

2. Demonstrable experience of ensuring programme delivery within an accountability framework including detailed KPI’s and agreements between partner organisations.

3. Experience in developing and managing contracts for services.

4. Demonstrable experience of financial management and compliance, including an understanding of the issues related to the effective use of public money.

5. Experience of line managing teams of staff, including both direct line management and programme management across collaborating organisations.

6. Experience of participating in internal or external networks and teams to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the work of partners, colleagues and businesses.

7. Experience of developing and implementing policies and projects and supporting service improvements.

Skills and Abilities

8. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

9. An understanding of internal and external communication approaches and the ability to work with communications staff and advisers to build support and engagement.

10. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, business systems.

11. Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

12. Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.

13. Ability to think strategically and creatively and relate long term plans to programme delivery.

14. Ability to contribute to programme design, planning at operational and strategic levels and programme implementation.

15. Strong analytical skills and the ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.

16. Ability to work independently or as part of a team

Knowledge and attributes

17. Demonstrable commitment to improving access the impact of University research and knowledge to the North East.

18. Knowledge of innovation and commercialisation objectives and mechanisms and the role of Universities in commercialising research.

19. An understanding of issues, opportunities and challenges in the protection and utilisation of intellectual property.

20. An understanding of the access to finance eco-system in the North East and nationally and the capacity to support work to strengthen the availability of finance to University spin outs and scale ups.

21. The capacity to identify EDI issues related to innovation and commercialisation and to develop responses which can promote a more diversity and inclusive commercialisation eco-system in the North East.

22. An understanding of the role, importance and techniques of evaluation and the capacity to oversee external evaluators

23. Experience of managing complex projects or programmes in a University environment.

24. A formal project management qualification such as Prince 2.

25. Professional practitioner with minimum of 5 years of experience in R&D programmes and research commercialisation finance.

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What you need to submit

• A CV including details of current remuneration and benefits.
• A supporting statement of not more than four pages which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.

Useful links

If you would like further information you may find the following will help:

Contact details

For a chat about the role or any further information please contactRichard Baker, Director of Economic Development, Commercialisation and Policy on [e-mail].

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery/Development

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
• Develop and apply an in-depth understanding of university policy, funder requirements and external developments when carrying out your role.
• Ensure that policy and regulatory standards are met by the programnmes and projectsyou are responsible for.
• Use your professional knowledge and experience as a senior programme manager to shape and drive projects, solving challenges and developing systems and provide subject matter expertise and advice.
• Use your managerial and leadership expertise to identify priorities and shape projectsto achieve the required outcomes.
• Look for ways to continually improve services and take a lead role in the development and implementation of assigned policies, processes and standards.
• Initiate and manage business process reviews to improve the service in your area.
• Ensure data (commercially sensitive and/or personal) is appropriately stored and managed.
• Manage quality and regulatory audits of systems and procedures.
• Support the welfare, wellbeing and employment of your staff by providing professional guidance.

Planning and Organisation

• Contribute to the development of operational plans relevant to your area.
• Oversee the analysis of data about the service levels provided by your area make recommendations for improvement in reports to senior managers and committees.
• Allocate and monitor designated budgets, expenditure and resources.

Team Development

• Manage and develop the people, performance and resources of your team to ensure that a customer focussed service is provided.
• Help shape the skills and expertise needed to deliver a professional service by recruiting, inducting and training team members and structuring the team in way that will best meet operational and strategic priorities.
• Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by devolving and delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members.
• Carry out regular performance reviews to provide feedback on objectives and expectations and identify any development needs.
• Handle most HR issues and support the welfare and wellbeing of your team referring more complex issues to specialist services or more senior managers.
• Use your professional knowledge to identify and recommend priorities for business and implementation plans.
• Provide professional guidance and advice when managing services delivery and engaging with stakeholders about activities and projects.
• Design creative and innovative communications to promote and increase engagement
• Influence the overall strategy and approach of your programme by leading operational business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.
• Create strong working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and positively influence the University’s reputation.
• Represent the programmeand the partner universities at promotional events.
• Identify opportunities to develop and increase participation in special interest groups.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

SECONDMENT
The post is full time, fixed term for a 5 year period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.

We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system or would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you in the application process, please get in touch with us on [e-mail]