Knowledge Transfer Manager – Design in Innovation Ecosystem (FTC March 2025)

The Knowledge Transfer Manager: Design in Innovation Ecosystem will lead on collecting, analysing and articulating strategic insights from across the Innovate UK and wider UKRI ecosystems to inform development and deployment of Innovate UK’s Design Innovation Support Activity portfolio. This portfolio comprises a number of products and services which foster the more effective use of design to respond to sectoral business innovation programme need.

You will develop a deep understanding of the current deployment of Design Innovation Support Activities in Innovate UK’s cross-sector business innovation programmes – whether through funding incentives, labs, networking or other forms of support. You will achieve this through robust and self-driven engagement with roles at all levels of seniority across the Innovate UK system, and with award-holders and external business communities. This intelligence will directly inform the deployment of (existing) and development of (new) products and services which effectively embed timely and appropriate design approaches, products and services within programmes across all Innovate UK’s domains and priority areas.

This work will be fundamental to the development of a multi-year design in innovation strategy; it will build team capability and Innovate UK Business Connect thought leadership, and will directly inform the ongoing development of products and services offered by the Innovate UK system.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Deliver evidence-based recommendations for forward strategies, in particular with regard to the Spending Review, related to embedding the effective use of design in business innovation
• Encourage engagement, collaboration and knowledge transfer between Innovate UK challenge and sector leads, designers, technologists, innovators, businesses and academics
• Articulate how design may be leveraged to address innovation opportunities in relation to equity, diversity and inclusion, responsible innovation and sustainability.
• Nurture and grow relationships across a network of key external organisations and companies, capturing those connections to make our engagement more effective
• Support Innovate UK programme development activities to promote and facilitate explicit support for collaborations between design companies and businesses
• Provide in-house design expertise to assist colleagues across Innovate UK to embed design in how the organisation delivers its strategic priorities

Roles to be undertaken

In supporting the development of Innovate UK programmes, you will be expected to undertake certain key activities on a regular basis. An illustration of a range of these activities is outlined below:

• Drive direct engagement with senior Innovate UK colleagues (e.g. Challenge and Sector Leads), through one-to-one and group activities, to interrogate and understand the level of deployment of design in their programme portfolio
• Broker connections between designers, businesses and Innovate UK sector teams to help realise strategic opportunities for design in innovation
• Nurture and grow relationships across a network of key external contacts and companies, capturing those connections to make our engagement more effective
• Promote insight and knowledge sharing both formally and informally across sectors and disciplines regarding design in innovation
• Work with other teams across Innovate UK to deliver shared objectives for engaging specific business communities with design
• Co-design and support the delivery of events, activities, workshops and comms engagement to help embed design tools and approaches into Innovate UK colleagues’ ways of working
• Develop and present engaging assets and materials including design tools, resources, briefs, presentations, blog articles, to support the design programme and wider Innovate UK objectives

You will be accustomed to working both remotely and from an office in a nationally distributed team of colleagues. There is the possibility that you will assume line-management responsibilities for one team colleague, and you will be expected to gain deep familiarity with the wider portfolio of work being delivered by the Design in Innovation Team and the wider Innovate UK system.

Experience & Skills

Experience

• Degree qualified or equivalent and/or relevant industry experience
• Demonstrable experience in delivering multi-stakeholder, complex projects
• Demonstrable interest and understanding of implementing innovation strategies and action plans
• Strong understanding of the UK innovation landscape, ideally cross-sectorial, with specific expertise in design and innovation effectiveness and sound knowledge of Innovate UK and UKRI strategies and priorities
• Demonstrated experience in stakeholder engagement, with a good external profile and established network.

Skills

• This role requires a highly motivated, self-starting and results-oriented individual
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate confidently and build effective relationships.
• Team player with good relationship building and influencing skills; able to interact with and understand the needs and capabilities of a wide variety of stakeholders
• Enjoys working in a collaborative manner in an open, honest, and diverse environment.
• A good communicator with well-developed written and verbal skills, able to communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively across multi-disciplinary teams and stakeholders, explaining complicated matters simply.
• Flexible, reliable, and adaptable with good time management skills.
• Comfortable working autonomously with little supervision or as a team member as required.
• High level of IT literacy, with excellent administrative and organisational skills.
• Highly numerate and analytical, with the ability to think strategically.

Benefits & how to apply

• This role has a salary of £46,367 – £50,000
• 28 days annual leave plus 10.5 bank and public holidays
• Enhanced Pension Plan
• Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Wider Wallet employee benefits high street discounts scheme
• Opportunities for continuous professional development as part of our Talent & Development Programme

This is a fixed term contract until 31st March 2025.

This advert will close on Friday 26th July, though some circumstances may require us to close earlier, so early application is advised.

First stage interviews will be held w/c 5th August.

Second stage interviews will be held w/c 19th August.

Please apply by submitting a tailored cover letter outlining your suitability with specifics relating to the requirements of the role, and your CV outlining your experience.

This role will be home based (UK) or office based (Edinburgh, Harwell, London) with UK travel.

Applicants must have the existing and ongoing right to work in the UK without restrictions as sponsorship for visas is not provided. Unfortunately, owing to the high number of applications received, we can only provide feedback to applicants selected for interview.

Should you wish to discuss this opportunity further, please contact the Recruitment Team by email to: recruitment@iuk.ktn-uk.org.

Innovate UK Business Connect strives to be a diverse and inclusive place where we can all be ourselves. We welcome everyone to apply, especially those individuals who are underrepresented in the industry: people of colour, LGBTQ+ community, women, disabled people, people of any age or family status. We know that diversity makes us stronger and we strive to create a working environment that is inclusive, and ensures everyone can be heard and valued for their contributions.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected status. We are committed to removing barriers for individuals with conditions, illnesses or disabilities and we will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application or interview process, and in their future role.

If you would like to request any reasonable adjustment, for any part of the recruitment process (including application), please let us know by emailing recruitment@iuk.ktn-uk.org.

About Innovate UK Business Connect

We connect ideas, people, and communities to drive innovation that changes lives.

Innovation is complex. The journey from idea to market is not straightforward and requires a diverse range of know-how, investment, market knowledge and research. Innovate UK Business Connect exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real-world solutions.

The future holds both challenges and opportunities. We are passionate about working with innovative businesses to overcome these challenges and shape the opportunities and solutions that follow.

Our vision is to create a network of innovators so powerful its ideas will change the world.

While business is at the heart of our work, our diverse connections span government, funders, research and the third sector. This unrivalled overview and connectivity enable us to be a trusted guide through a complex global landscape of research, development, and innovation.