Director of Industry Projects
Glasgow
£90,000 - £100,000
The University of Strathclyde is a leading international technological university, focused on delivering excellent teaching and world-class research and known for forging strong collaborative links with industry, government, business and the third sector.
We have achieved significant success through the realisation of our distinctive ‘triple helix approach’– the coming together of academia, business and industry, and the government and public sector, in common cause – and a determination to make a significant difference for our students, the economy and wider society. At Strathclyde, we are committed to redefining the role of universities in industrial collaboration to support sustainable economic growth, and to deliver wider societal benefit by fully exploiting the impact of our research and knowledge. The existence of a supportive innovation ecosystem is crucial in guiding and developing technologies on the journey from new research to commercial application. At Strathclyde, this is provided by the expertise within our Departments, Schools and Faculties, and crucially through our industry facing Centres which work collaboratively with industrial partners.
Working with the Principal, the Major Projects Team have managed the creation of a series of distinctive Strathclyde Centres supporting Industry such as the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC), Strathclyde Oil and Gas Institute, the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), the Advanced Nuclear Research Centre (ANRC), and most recently the Security and Resilience Research Centre (SRRC). The University of Strathclyde has a pipeline of opportunities supporting industry and research growth. Delivering these opportunities as major projects that support the strategic aims of the University is the role of the Major Projects Team. As a result of successful growth in the University’s research partnerships and our ambitious growth plans, the need has arisen for a further senior member of the team.
Reporting to and working with the Special Advisor to the Principal/Director of Major Projects and to the Principal and Vice Chancellor, the Director of Industry Projects will be responsible for driving major projects at the University level and ensuring the optimum set of opportunities with industry and public partners are identified and progressed, in line with the University strategic plans. The Director will be responsible for leading several major projects concurrently, each with differing timescales and stakeholder make-up and with an industry-focus and will need to put in place programme and project management systems that allow delivery of such a diverse and strategically important portfolio. Within this new framework the Director will monitor overall project budgets against approvals, drive value and report forecasts while delivering early warning and formal reporting of project key metrics as required.
A significant aspect of the role will be to grow and maintain a national and international network of senior industrial, government and academic contacts and to represent the University externally. The Director will be expected to lead the engagement with industrial and international parties at the highest level (‘C’ level in companies and equivalent in Government), expanding the industrial contacts and portfolio of projects thus ensuring the on-going delivery of major projects to the University. The postholder will be expected to represent the Special Advisor to the Principal and/or the Principal in various meetings.
The successful candidate will hold an honours degree or higher in a technical subject and have extensive experience of working in R&D intensive environments, delivering innovation at pace and scale for industry. You will have a track record of engagement with industry clients, strong communication skills, and will have proven programme management and leadership skills developed in complex highly technical environments.
You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, providing expert advice and knowledge of sectors/markets to identify new opportunities for collaboration and exploitation of Strathclyde research capability, translational capability and facilities. In collaboration with relevant academic leads, you will identify major project opportunities in industry and/or government and create proposal submissions (for facilities, research activities and education activities). You will provide leadership for major programmes from building and leading the co-ordinating complex multi partner proposals to industry and/or government to leading new start-up centres.
For more information on the University and this opportunity, please visit www.aspenpeople.co.uk/UoS.
For a confidential discussion, please contact Donogh O’Brien, Lauren Crichton or Katharine Price on 0141 212 7555.
To apply, please submit your CV and a supporting statement in one document, via the apply button.