We are looking for a strategic and innovative thinker to join our team as Innovation Director at Crawley Innovation Centre. The Crawley Innovation Centre, is an initiative from Crawley Borough Council (CBC), located in the heart of the Manor Royal Business District. It will bring a further much-needed economic, innovation and technological boost to the town and provide vital “grow-on” space which will enable hi-tech small businesses to “scale up”, prototype and demonstrate new technologies in clean energy, quantum tech and transportation tech.
As Innovation Director, you will provide pragmatic, high quality strategic business coaching and innovation support to businesses based in the centre, with the objective of enabling business growth, innovation development and commercial success. Business support includes one-to-one coaching of business leaders, coordination of workshops, and connecting businesses with the Councils, Colleges, Local Universities and Gatwick Airport. They will also work with the wider Entrepreneurial Ecosystem to develop the region and bring expert support to the CIC.
This is a part-time role, working 22.5 hrs per week. We are happy to discuss suitable working patterns at interview, but flexibility will be required to meet the needs of the business.
Major objectives of the role:
Accountable for the management and delivery of all business support Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as defined by the agreement between Crawley Borough Council and Oxford Innovation Space.
Ensure that delivery of the business support service is within contractual budgets as defined by the contract and/or Oxford Innovation Space budget. Track, monitor and report on this regularly, as required.
Attend regular client / team review meetings and provide written reports regarding activity, progress against KPIs and performance outputs as required by CBC and Oxford Innovation Space.
Work with CBC faculties and those of other organisations such include: Uni of Sussex, BID, Uni of Chichester, Gatwick Diamond, to maximise the opportunity for collaborative engagement with the centre's business customers.
Actively support CBC innovation and enterprise agenda and work in partnership to promote the wider ecosystem, as the place for businesses to grow in Crawley and the local subregion.
Personal Competences:
Data and ROI driven, with a strong understanding of contract delivery KPIs and ability to provide and interpret information in management reports
Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and a detailed knowledge of the key functions within a business particularly sales & marketing, financial management and operations
Ability to use own initiative and to be able to identify quickly and effectively how problems can be solved
Strong networking and relationship building skills (existing network connections desirable)
A passion for innovation and solving problems
Excellent communication and organisational skills
Ability to interact with and co-ordinate various stakeholders
What's in it for you?
Salary of up to £33,000 pro rata, depending on experience
25 days' holiday plus Bank Holidays, pro rata
Flexible benefits package comprising: Contributory pension
Ability to increase or decrease amount of annual leave
Ability to increase or decrease amount of life assurance cover
Private medical and dental insurance
Health screening
Bicycle purchase
Charitable Giving
Friendly, informal and flexible working environment, so you can make the most of your home and your work life
We've also got access to a whole load of discounts so you can save money on high street favourites and holiday providers.
If you think you could be a great member of team and would like an exciting opportunity in return, then this is the role you have been looking for – click ‘apply' today to become our new Innovation Director or to find out more information about the role. We would love to hear from you!
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we would advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.
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