Innovation Lead - Agriculture x 2

Applications must be submitted by;

03-07-2024

Innovation Lead – Agriculture x 2

Innovate UK works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy - delivering productivity, new jobs and exports. Our aim is to keep the UK globally competitive in the race for future prosperity. Innovate UK is a partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation.

*Please note this advert will close on Tuesday 2nd July 2024 at

Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here.

Title: Innovation Lead - Agriculture

Band: Innovate UK Band 3 (UKRI Ts & Cs)

Salary: £47,000 to £55,000 gross per annum *

Reports to: Interim Director – Agri-Food

Location: Field based

Contract:Fixed Term (ends 31st March 2029)

*This post also includes up to 10% Performance Related Pay per annum.

# Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy and associated guidance here for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your line manager and the designated HR team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place.

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance, and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Context:

The UK Agriculture sector is a broad and highly dispersed industry, spanning horticulture, aquaculture, livestock, food and crops. Agriculture is the bedrock of the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, which contributes over £120 billion to the country’s economy. Collaboration and strong relationships across the breadth of the UK’s agricultural industries, research, UKRI and government are critical to driving the much-needed innovations to ensure this industry continues to thrive. 

At Innovate UK and within the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain, the Agri-food team is responsible for significant (over £300M 22/23 to 24/25) innovation funding (that includes IUK core funding and substantial managed programme in partnership with DEFRA, the latter being in addition to our relationship with our sponsoring department DSIT. Regardless of the funding origin, the Agrifood programmes are focused on driving economic performance and the environmental sustainability of the sector. Developing new funding programmes as well as delivering impact from our current portfolio are key outcomes.

Job Purpose:

As an Innovation Lead you will be responsible for developing and delivering a vital range of interventions to support agri-food businesses to innovate and to help grow the UK economy, response to industrial challenges and commercial opportunities.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

Collaborating in the development and promotion of our strategy in Agri-Food based on a good understanding of relevant industries and technologies and wider innovation infrastructure

Designing, developing, and delivering funding competitions and other business support interventions for the agriculture sector, working effectively with the internal and external stakeholders to achieve a successful outcome

Maintaining technical oversight for a portfolio of projects, tracking progress to ensure desired outcomes are achieved and ensuring that project challenges and successes are understood, captured and escalated as necessary

Supporting funded projects to maximise the impact of our investment

Developing relationships with business and innovators to create a deep understanding of opportunities from, and barriers to innovation in the sector

Ensuring that UK activity is set in an international context and recognises regional strengths across the UK

Working with Innovate UK and UKRI colleagues and networks on decisions made in your specialist area, to ensure they make sense in the context of the broader organisation, strategically and operationally

Representing Innovate UK at leading industry events, raising awareness of innovation opportunities and successes

This is not an exhaustive list and the post-holder might be expected 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 necessary experience and/or training.

Person Specification:

We are looking for someone with commercial awareness who can manage contending priorities and a sophisticated partner environment. You will be able to make sense of multiple data sources, to establish underlying patterns and articulate a clear and compelling vision of what needs to be done. A great teammate, a 'can do' attitude, willing to share knowledge and to learn from others.

Qualifications:

Essential -

Degree level in a science engineering or technical field relevant to agriculture or equivalent experience

Desirable –

Relevant postgraduate qualification

Experience:

Essential -

In depth technical and/or business knowledge of the agricultural sector, both here in the UK and internationally and up-to-date understanding of developments

First-hand experience of innovation and/or product development in agricultural sectors from working either in or closely with businesses

Breadth of knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for innovations that can positively impact agricultural production and for their widespread adoption

Excellent stakeholder management experience, including building links while working with senior-level individuals with conflicting demands and priorities

Ability to strategically assess business and innovation gaps and opportunities – both at the domestic and international level

Experience of communicating and presenting, conveying clear messages to a range of audiences

Up-to-date and broad-based knowledge of innovation in a commercial environment

Desirable –

Familiarity of running innovation support programmes and management of R&D project portfolios

Knowledge of UK government, devolved nation and other stakeholder policies relevant to agriculture

Familiarity with the collaborative research environment, such as through collaboration between companies and universities, along with experience of engaging with government departments

Experience of tracking impacts from a portfolio of activities

Skills:

High degree of organisational ability and attention to detail

Ability to think and act strategically

Proven team working capabilities

Demonstrable analytical skills and attention to detail

Ability to manage often conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of the documented processes

Excellent written and oral communication skills, able to present to and engage a wide range of audiences

Excellent interpersonal skills

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

Travel Requirements:

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. In general, you may have four to six nights away from home per month on average to attend conferences and events.

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, health 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:

Employee Benefits:

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

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;

03-07-2024