Job title: Specialist – Innovation Collaboration and Funding
Team: Innovation Collaboration and Funding
Location: Any Scottish Enterprise office in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee or Aberdeen, with home working options available
Salary: £44,276
Hours: Full time
Status: Permanent
Closing date: 10 March 2023
Job ref no: R00401

Innovation, internationalisation and investment are key priorities for Scottish Enterprise as we look to build a thriving economy. Scottish Enterprise is actively focused on delivering Scotland’s net zero targets, through supporting sustainable and low-carbon growth.

In partnership with Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise is now delivering Innovate UK EDGE – an exciting new programme designed to help Scottish businesses:

• Get the most from innovation
• Access international markets and partners to explore global opportunities
• Bring in innovation funding and achieve growth ambitions.

Our team is looking to recruit two Innovation, Collaboration and Funding Specialists to support this work.

You’ll be part of a national network of more than 350 innovation and growth specialists working across all UK regional ecosystems, and a global business and innovation network of more than 3000 people.

Working with your colleagues across Scottish Enterprise, you’ll intervene at early, growth and scaling stages to deploy IUK EDGE core advisory services.

You’ll work closely with innovative companies across different sectors with different challenges, ultimately helping them to achieve sustainable growth.

Your expertise in innovation and/or understanding of business drivers will help inform these companies’ commercial decisions in three key areas:

1. Innovation – support to form an innovation, funding, collaboration and commercialisation action plan.
2. Collaboration and Global growth – market readiness and introductions to strategic partners through global networks and tailored programmes to deliver their international action plan.
3. Funding and Investment readiness – helping businesses to target and apply for the right funding at the right time to implement their action plan.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Defining and delivering IUK EDGE support across your client portfolio
• Establishing and nurturing strong relationships with clients – you’ll give support, know their priorities, and present them with relevant opportunities
• Building strong partnerships across the business and innovation landscapes – you’ll navigate the support landscape with ease to help Scottish small-to-midsized enterprises (SMEs) achieve their sustainable growth ambitions
• Building strong relationships with international network partners and their sector or thematic working groups to help SMEs find global connections and in-market expertise

You'll be confident in providing support to a range of innovative businesses and have a keen interest in sustainable drivers and solutions.

Your time working in industry or in business support means that you are passionate about helping businesses grow.

You are customer focused and curious – if you can deliver creative solutions and like to solve problems in less conventional ways, we’d love to hear from you.

Your skills, abilities and experience should include:

• Experience of working strategically – being able to see the ‘bigger picture’ is key to helping companies start their innovation and international journeys
• Experience of commercialisation – to help businesses examine business models and routes to market
• Experience of demonstrating creativity, critical thinking and complex problem solving
• A history of providing business advice or consultancy – you'll be results driven but relationship led, and able to demonstrate how you’ve directly helped to make a difference
• Strong customer focus and ability to generate business leads – you will be as happy working with a referral as you are building your own connections and uncovering ambitious businesses

Ideally, but not essentially, you’ll also have experience working across a wide range of industry sectors. But, if you have a passion for key innovation and business principles, and a customer-centric approach, we’ll help you adapt them to a broader range of sectors.

If successful, you'll gain access to the following benefits: 

• Membership of the Scottish Enterprise Pension and Life Assurance Scheme – a pension based on your final pensionable salary, flexible retirement options and generous life assurance cover
• Up to 43 annual leave days a year (including public holidays) with the opportunity to buy additional holidays
• Flexible working arrangements
• A health cash plan
• Our Employee Retail Benefits Scheme
• Our Employee Assistance Scheme

If you're interested in this role, please complete your application form by 10 March 2023.

Interview dates

• 1st stage interviews will take place on 23 March 2023
• 2nd stage interviews will take place on 30 March 2023

Being part of Scottish Enterprise means being open to new ideas and trying different ways of working. We support each other to reach our full potential. We celebrate shared success and learn together when things don’t go so well. And we always treat each other fairly, with respect and understanding. Together, we are the difference.

Apply now to keep building your future with us

At Scottish Enterprise, we’re proud to celebrate difference. Diversity of experience and thought is vital to the success of our vision for the future of every community across Scotland. As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applicants from a wide range of individuals, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, gender identity and expression, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

We commit to providing any reasonable adjustments required, not only during the application and assessment process but throughout employment with us.

We have the following networks which are open to all colleagues to help drive inclusion, Disability Positive, Gender Balanced, Multi-cultural, Multi-Generational and Pride (LGBTQ+).