Applications must be submitted by; 14-06-2025 Lead Specialist - Market Insights The Lead Specialist will deliver insights supporting and evidencing Innovate UK’s future strategic direction. *Please note this advert will close on the 13th June 2025 at 23.59pm. Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here. Title: Lead Specialist - Market Insights Band: UKRI Band F (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £56,745 gross per annum Reports to: Head of Horizon Scanning Location: Field based Contract: Permanent Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements. Context: This role holder will operate within Innovate UK’s Horizon Scanning team to lead market insights and market-related strategic foresight to influence and evidence Innovate UK’s strategic decisions, including those around Fiscal Event funding allocation. The Horizon Scanning team is part of the Strategy function. The team comprises experts in both market foresighting and in futures thinking. With a remit to explore potential innovation opportunities across the full breadth of technologies, sectors and industries of the UK economy, the team provides market insights to stakeholders across Innovate UK for strategy development and business case support. As part of its broader insight and horizon scanning activities, the team works with partners including other UKRI Councils, other government agencies, and industry to analyse and characterise the future economy landscape and to recommend and provide evidence for investments in the most promising areas for UK prosperity. In terms of Innovate UK’s Delivery Plan, the team has a major role in maximising the commercial impact of world-class knowledge developed in UK industries and its research base and in identifying, supporting and growing transforming and emerging industries through innovation. We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Job Purpose: The Lead Specialist will deliver insights supporting and evidencing Innovate UK’s future strategic direction. This will include identifying and evidencing the emerging trends and market opportunities that will contribute to the future growth of UK innovative businesses and the UK economy. The post-holder will provide analysis and interpretation of data and market intelligence across a range of topics and sectors as required by the organisation, and will work closely with colleagues and external stakeholders in the development of reports, presentations, thought leadership, business cases, plans and strategies based on the best available evidence. The Lead Specialist will also have responsibility for ensuring the effective and robust delivery of market insights across Innovate UK. This will involve working closely with internal and external partners to share intelligence and keeping stakeholders across Innovate UK and UKRI informed. It will also include deploying expertise and resource across the wider organization in the most effective way. The Lead Specialist – Market Insights will report directly to Head of Horizon Scanning. Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities To engage with and support senior stakeholders across Innovate UK and UKRI through the provision of market and technology insights to inform decisions about the appropriate scale and balance of support across Innovate UK’s portfolio of funded activities. This will include producing insights on novel, technology-driven markets and various industry sectors to provide evidence of global market size, growth forecasts, UK strengths, innovation challenges and opportunities, innovation market failures, international competitors and leading companies. This will include instances of both primary and secondary research, and requires an ability to interpret customer needs and develop and deliver appropriate data gathering techniques There will also be a requirement to customise insights and analytical findings for presentation to a range of audiences, including senior decision-makers To support the delivery of futures and horizon scanning activities across Innovate UK, including emerging technology identification, scenario planning and analysis, and future trends identification To ensure that best practice in market analysis and insight is embedded across Innovate UK as a critical capability to underpin decision-making. This will include ensuring that relevant staff across the organisation have access to training and guidance in how to conduct market analysis and how to make best use of available resources To ensure provision of authoritative, credible market intelligence resources for use by the organisation. This will also include overseeing the procurement and contract management of relevant resources. Activities related to this include producing scopes of work for procuring suppliers, evaluating market-leading suppliers of business data, market research reports and technology trends analysis and ensuring that colleagues have access to a portfolio of resources in line with organisational needs. To support colleagues in identifying market failures, and developing strategies and business cases through the provision of high-quality analysis and insights. This will involve working with colleagues across the organisation to keep abreast of strategy and business case development activities and to ensure that robust and timely market intelligence is provided Collaborate with and provide analytical support to other teams across the Strategy Group to ensure market insights are incorporated into other analytical work and to provide additional analytical capacity where required. To work with stakeholders in the wider Innovate UK ‘family’ and other organisations to share insights and best practice in market insights. This will involve collaboration with Innovate UK Business Connect, and engagement with the Catapults and other stakeholders to share lessons learned in terms of market insights and strategic foresight, and to extend the community within which insights and analytical capability can be shared To raise awareness across the organisation of the work of the Strategy function and Horizon Scanning team and the resources and services on offer, through various mechanisms potentially including, but not limited to, presenting to other teams’ meetings and providing introductory sessions for new starters This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training. Shortlisting criteria (S) – Assessed at shortlisting (I) – Assessed at interview (S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview Person Specification: Experience & Qualifications: Essential – Educated to degree level in a science, technology, business, economics or other analysis-related subject with both quantitative and qualitative elements, or equivalent professional experience. (S) Significant experience in leading and delivering market intelligence and insights services for a variety of stakeholders in a corporate, Government or academic setting, with a focus on science and technology (S&I) Experience in developing and delivering bespoke insights projects, including engaging with stakeholders to identify and understand their needs, and translating those needs into an impactful and deliverable project (S&I) Experience in developing and piloting new market insights methodologies and approaches for an organization, team or project when required. (S&I) Significant understanding in how the private sector operates, including experience in a business or industry environment. (S) The ability to develop and manage the procurement and delivery of scopes of work for projects to be delivered by external market insights suppliers. (S) Experience in engaging with and presenting findings to senior-level stakeholders. (I) Understanding of macroeconomics and how this applies to the development of market insights, and knowledge of relevant sources of UK and international macroeconomic data (S&I) Desirable – Understanding of UK Innovation landscape and the role of Innovate UK (I) Experience in evaluating and improving market insights, project, or consulting processes (I) Coding skills in R or other appropriate languages to deliver robust data analysis (S) Familiarity with market-leading suppliers of market intelligence, company data, and science and technology information. (S) Competencies: All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria’s listed in the person specification. Travel Requirements: Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles. Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required. UK Research and Innovation: Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/. Employee Benefits: We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes. Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Flexible Working: We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. Pre-employment Screening: To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. Applications must be submitted by; 14-06-2025