STEM Innovation Hub Manager

About the University

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes. 

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

About the College/Department

Our College of Science and Engineering is made up of the School of Science, School of Computing, School of Sport and Exercise Science, and School of Engineering. We are the University’s STEM College, in a city with a strong STEM heritage that hosts some of the world's leading STEM companies, and in a region with STEM at the centre of its economic growth plan.

About the Role

This role is employed by the University of Derby but operates in partnership with the multi-regional and cross-institutional Climate Scaling Collaborative (CSC). It is supported by a £5m Research England funded initiative involving five universities led by Imperial College London, that aims to transform innovative UK-based climate start-ups into world-leading scale-ups.

As STEM Innovation Hub Manager, you will work to provide exceptional leadership with the core purpose of the role to help identify and connect participants and key stakeholders involved in the scale-up of sustainable start-ups. You will identify and enable access to the key aspects of support structure (e.g. investment or funding sources, regulatory, testing, certification and accreditation support, technical advice and expertise from facilities across the UK Climate Scaling Collaborative network), using your initiative and networking skills to support businesses in meeting scale-up challenges and removing barriers for innovation.

You will foster collaboration and engagement across the UK-wide partnership between Imperial College London and the Universities of Cranfield, Derby, Exeter, Leeds and Nottingham, supporting the start-ups by sourcing advice and access to the facilities across partnership knowledge-base support ecosystem. This would involve initial diagnostics, identifying barriers and setting up support plans and the support structure processes that address start-ups ambitions and capabilities. You will standardise this process and provide tailored support plans for each business to achieve following:

Advising in terms of progressing innovations through complexities of technological, regulatory, testing and certification frameworks in order to scale up their businesses;De-risking of investments – support with the investment, grants and loan applications.   

With responsibility for meeting a set of KPIs linked to accelerator activities (predominantly climate innovation related), you will thus undertake a wide range of activities from working with regional UK innovators to managing a portfolio of individual projects and delivering on reporting requirements.

About You

You will be educated to degree level in a subject related to the post role, or have equivalent experience, and have demonstrable involvement with support for technical innovation and scale up, as well as proven ability in successful project management and in effective communication with diverse teams.

You will be personable and have the ability to communicate effectively with a range of different people. You should be committed to equality and diversity and providing a first class customer service to customers. You will have the ability to build positive relationships and quickly gain the trust and confidence of key stakeholders across the project.

You will be self-motivated with the confidence to work independently and willingness to take on new responsibilities. You will have the ability to build relationships and gain the confidence, respect and co-operation of senior figures both within the organisation and externally.

You will have an understanding of the challenges faced by deep tech innovators as they scale, ideally within the sectors of climate and sustainability, and have experience in business development, partnerships, consulting, or similar client-facing activities with a proven ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders, from founders to investors to build trust and secure engagement.

You will have a strong, independently driven delivery focus, with the ability to manage multiple programme initiatives to completion through well-developed organisation, coordination and facilitation skills.

Due to the nature of this role, there will be the need to travel and work between University and external sites in a cost effective and timely manner, therefore a full UK Driving Licence is required.

Benefits

Generous annual leave entitlement of 42 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)Local Government Pension SchemeSuite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance ProgrammeAccess to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailersDiscounted onsite gymDiscounted access to Devonshire SpaAccess to employer-funded Private Health InsuranceHoliday purchaseCycle to Work schemeA flexible working environmentA commitment to personal and professional development

Key Contact

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Dr Boris Ceranic, Project Lead via b.ceranic@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk

Important Information

This role is eligible for sponsorship by the University, however, your individual circumstances must meet the criteria set out by UKVI; this includes meeting the English Language requirement and earning a salary that meets the highest of either the going rate for the SOC code or the minimum salary threshold for the Skilled Worker route (£38,700 per annum).

If the role is eligible, but the offered salary is less than the going rate for the role, you may still be able to apply for a Skilled Worker visa if: 

Your job is on the Immigration Skills ListYou’re under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional trainingYou have a PhD level qualification that’s relevant to your job You have a postdoctoral position in science or higher education

Please note that the University cannot confirm your eligibility for sponsorship until an offer is made and your individual circumstances have been considered.

For more information, visit our website.

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.

Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy here.

Closing Date: 26 Mar 2025

Area: Senior Management

Salary: £50,000 to £55,000 per annum