Senior Innovation and Growth Specialist

The Growth Company has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist to join the team delivering Innovate UK Edge in-depth specialist business and innovation growth.

**Key Responsibilities**
- The Senior Innovation & Growth Specialist primary responsibility is to ensure that the Innovate UK EDGE service is delivered to produce the maximum impact enabling companies to reach their full growth potential, through outputs and outcomes such as improvedperformance, new solutions to market, revenue growth, new jobs created, and jobs safeguarded
- Identify innovative businesses with the best growth potential and assess leads and enquiries to ascertain suitability for Innovation & Growth support and services, ensuring that initial eligibility checks, prior to formal assessment and action planningare carried out
- Account manage a portfolio of clients and deliver bespoke support packages by working with companies one-to-one, personally introducing companies to those services identified as appropriate (internal and external) and monitoring the delivery of these servicesto support the client’s strategy and/or objectives and achieve outcomes to meet your individual and the team’s targets.
- To act as a credible strategic coach and mentor to client businesses to identify them and support them in developing a growth strategy and their own long term innovative operations and help them develop new markets making use of Innovate UK and other support.The range of clients will be diverse from small start-up SMEs to larger mid-sized businesses
- To facilitate a holistic analysis of the business to gain an in-depth understanding of its current performance and potential for growth. Undertake detailed diagnostics on a business or a particular functional / business area using various tools to capturebaseline data and to identify needs, leading to developing growth action plans. Provide robust strategic advice to companies through analysis and interpretation of business and market data/intelligence to provide recommendations to senior management teams,boards and shareholders and then deliver on the agreed action plans.
- Able to understand and communicate the key business issues affecting the profitability and growth of an enterprise, along with the factors leading to success in commercialising innovative ideas. Has sufficient knowledge of the strategic choices, practicalprocess, and current issues (such as marketing, access to finance, intellectual property, business development, etc.) to be credible with clients
- Ensure that the monitoring and collection of output and impacts data is undertaken throughout the project and at the conclusion of each individual project in-line with funders’ requirements and are all correctly recorded on relevant CRMs to meet deadlines
- Develop and maintain a high-level network of business/professional contacts that generate personal referrals to the innovation service, innovation workshop programme and wider business support ecosystem
- Develop, plan, and manage innovation workshops, where required ensuring continuous improvement through measured evaluation. Maximise the opportunity for delegates to network and share best practice and explore the potential for new business relationships

**About You**
- Understanding and experience of using project management techniques, budget, and contract management practice.
- Has technical knowledge in the key areas of product or process development and/or science, experience of using innovation/strategic management tools within an SME/MNE environment; and experience of been directly involved in new product or service development
- Knowledge and understanding of the key national, sub-regional and local organisations and their role in supporting economic development and specifically business growth.
- Funding & Finance: Experience of raising finance either through IUK/European funding or through other financial vehicles (private investment) and an understanding of P&L and balance sheets, concepts such as ROI, breakeven, cash-flow and working capital.An understanding of equity finance and what investors are looking for in a company looking to raise finance
- Understanding of supply chain and various intermediaries involved
- Business acumen and sufficient experience to credibly mentor Senior Managers in development of differentiated business models. Able to help service and manufacturing companies establish clear, impact driven measurable goals for its innovation strategy withalignment to the overall business growth strategy.
- Internationalisation: exposure to international collaboration and strategic partnering (challenges/processes/region specific knowledge). Have a global mindset and experience in the legal and operational aspects of doing business abroad

**Skills Required**:

- Sales and Account management skills
- Team player, but also a self-starter
- Excellent planning, organisational, administrative and project management skills
- Good financial, analytical, reasoning, and decision-making skills
- From a risk perspective, ability to assess business plans, financial accounts, and ancillary information, including personal assessment of potential borrowers
- Able to express ideas clearly - verbally, face-to-face, by telephone, in presentations, and in written communications - with active listening and networking skills
- Significant private sector experience including at a senior management or Director level, across a range of sectors, with product/service design and development expertise from conception to commercialisation
- At least degree level business education/ qualification with a management body or relevant business experience