Innovation & Business Development Manager

Venn Group are excited to be working with a London based University on great position- Innovation & Business Development Manager, who can support knowledge exchange.

The post holder will be a key member of the Research Office, with a specific focus on supporting the  university’s academic base to translate their research towards impact through engagement with relevant external stakeholders and a programme of capacity strengthening to support these activities.

Job Profile:

• Delivery of the research programme objectives and outputs, including KPIs
• Liaison and engagement with innovation and business development managers
• Proactive engagement with academics to understand the translational research portfolio
• Develop new business prospects, including extensive scoping of potential new external partners, establishing contact and triaging leads to nurture viable Business Development (BD) opportunities
• Maintain and grow the existing BD relationships developed at University
• Build and strengthen new external relationships, identifying and establishing strong networking opportunities with businesses, SMEs, and other relevant stakeholders
• Support engagement with third parties for initiation and progression of translational partnerships, liaising with relevant academic and professional service teams
• Develop a system for tracking and maintaining records of innovation and business engagement
• Proactively maintain awareness of competitor activity and market trends, providing regular intelligence on current landscape

• Develop and deliver a suite of BD, commercial and innovation training activities for academic colleagues to highlight the benefits of non-academic engagement
• Represent University at external commercialisation and innovation events and meetings, acting as an ambassador for activity and impact.

Essential Criteria:

• PhD in Health and Life Sciences or equivalent experience in industry

• Significant proven ability to develop and maintain relations with existing partners / stakeholders at a senior level and to identify and target new collaborators/ partners
• Proven track record of influencing and negotiating at senior levels in the public and/or private sector towards the successful delivery of organisational objectives

Desirable Criteria:

• Commercial experience in the public health/life science industry product development pathway and decision-making

• Significant experience at the Academic-Industry interface, and understanding of the HE landscape including the Knowledge Exchange Framework, and HEIF allocation

Annual salary equivalent: Grade 6 (£43,947 to £49,908)

Working hours: Full-Time, 35 hours per week

Location: London, Hybrid working

This vacancy will be actively shortlisted, so early applications are encouraged to avoid missing out on the opportunity.

Venn Group is an equal opportunities employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates.