Since 2018, the St John’s Innovation Park has changed from the simple co-location of several buildings to an area with a sense of place, shared services and common identity where joint social and training events are held and communication on a Park-wide basis has stepped up. We have a thriving tenant and virtual tenant community. As well as supporting our tenants and virtual tenants, our fast growing Innovation and Growth team deliver a number of external contracts. These have a common focus to provide innovation led high potential growth companies with tailored support to enable them to achieve growth and scale. Following expansion of our external contracts we are pleased to advertise this new role as an integral part of our Innovation and Growth team.
We wish to appoint a senior role to oversee all delivery of our Innovate UK contracts to ensure that we meet and exceed the expectations of our funders and clients. This is an interesting opportunity to work with a team of eleven people mainly consisting of Senior Innovation and Growth Specialists. We are looking for a motivated candidate with considerable experience in helping teams to maximise their skills and performance.
Reporting directly to the Head of Programmes & Development, this role will work alongside our project support team but especially closely with the Innovation and Growth Specialists. The key responsibilities are to:
- Ensure that the monitoring of performance of the team members delivers all the contractual requirements of the Innovate UK programmes on time and within budget and provide regular delivery updates to St John’s Innovation Centre Senior Management Team and funders.
- Lead on quality management and implement improvements and keep the Head of Programmes updated. Quality management activities will include (but are not limited to)
- holding regular reviews with each member of the team to oversee the delivery of their client portfolios as per the requirements of our contracts, ensure these are manageable, highlight impacts, support with managing risks, log actions and monitor their completion
- Reviewing and implementing systems and processes to maximise efficiencies
- Ensure that the Innovate UK CRM and other systems are accurately updated and all other required record keeping is up to date
- Deputise for the Head of Programmes and Development as required including representing the team at Innovate UK Partner meetings.
- Ensure all new Innovate UK initiatives are communicated and implemented across the team. To monitor take up, activity, impacts and expenditure against these initiatives and lead on responding to funder queries.
- Lead on high quality reporting, demonstrating impacts and highlighting potential success stories/case studies that will promote the teams achievements.
- Line manage the Marketing and Communications Co-ordinator and Support Team (3).
- Lead the organisation of team meetings. This includes agreeing the agenda, communicating subject matter to the team so they prepare for the meeting, preparing presentations as appropriate, providing notes/action points from the meeting and checking these are completed.
- Contribute to the development of new Innovate UK programmes of work including preparing tenders, scoping roles and budgets.
- Work alongside the operational and services team at the Centre, to support the activities promoted with the aim of ensuring that the Centre and Park operates to its full potential where we can influence and, on occasions, represent St Johns Innovation Centre at external events.
Full job description here.