Sustainable Electronics Business Development and Centre Manager
WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
Job purpose
You will manage the overall running of the Responsible Electronics And Circular Technologies (REACT), a major UKRI and industrial investment towards accelerating a green economy for electronics.
REACT will enable a shift to a fully sustainable electronic manufacturing model using a multidisciplinary strategy, with a focus on supporting the ‘Electech’ industry in Scotland. The Centre allows the region to address the current sustainability problems and provides an opportunity to scale across the UK to achieve a greater market share of this global industry. Our research spans semiconductor design and manufacturing in, power electronics, RF/wireless, and photonics, recycling and material recovery, in addition to circular finance and responsible business models.
You will engage with potential users of the research and to facilitate a dialogue with industry about technological challenges and translational opportunities. Your responsibility will be to identify and secure new business opportunities and build strong relationships with stakeholders. You will often represent the centre at trade shows, academic conferences, and government/parliamentary events. The position offers extensive industry-facing networking opportunities, and an opportunity to support cross-disciplinary research and commercialisation activities.
Internally, you will support the management of the work packages, and initiate changes needed for the delivery of this cross college and university strategic grant. You will also engage with the researchers and Co-Is with grant proposal and publication development, dissemination by working with the press and media team, and nurturing commercialisation opportunities. You will get opportunities to learn and contribute to systematic and translational research. For example, undertaking market surveys, skills analysis, and life cycle analysis for electronics products. Therefore, having a strong interest and/or background in electronics will be highly beneficial.
The post holder will report to the PI, Professor Jeff Kettle, and will make sure that the project stays on track and that objectives, milestones and deliverable as well as any changes in the research are documented. For informal enquires, please email Dr Mahmoud Wagih
Main duties & responsibilities
- To manage and coordinate the Centre and to communicate decisions to key stakeholders, as appropriate.
- To develop and implement a consistent and robust project management methodology, including the delivery of the overarching project and its work packages (WPs) within agreed timescales, budgets and scope.
- To provide comprehensive project management support to the PI and co-PIs, including planning and monitoring, financial management, logistical support, change management, reporting, and co-ordination of funds allocated to WPs. Collaborate closely with Project staff to ensure efficient project planning, resourcing, and delivery.
- To communicate with all relevant partners and stakeholder communities, including consultation and management of expectations and engaging and managing stakeholders from senior management to operational staff to ensure clarity in the delivery of key programme messages (verbal and written).
- Lead on the development and implementation of comprehensive marketing and business engagement strategies utilising market insights and analysis to fuel business growth.
- Cultivate a robust pipeline of funded projects and partnership opportunities by establishing contracts and collaborations with SMEs, academia, and industry partners.
- Represent the centre including at exhibitions at industrial tradeshows, technical conferences, and other events, in the UK and internationally.
- Lead on developing and securing a mature pipeline of strategically relevant contracts/collaborations with SMEs, academia and industry and enhance direct commercial funding in support of the Living Laboratory activities.
- Initiate and lead business attraction and bid initiatives to seize new opportunities.
- Proactively build and maintain effective relationships with key partners and stakeholders, identifying opportunities and facilitating collaborations for new projects.
- Provide expert advice and regular progress reports to the leadership team and the REACT leadership team, contributing to the business development strategy by highlighting progress, challenges, & opportunities.
- To effectively support the Centre’s members with research and dissemination including whitepapers, press releases, and non-technical briefs.
- To act as the key contact coordinating any requests from funders for periodic updates on the grant progress, visits and requests for information, audits or to attend events or activities organised by funders concerning the programme.
- To assist in the delivery of workshops, sandpits and annual events in collaboration with external stakeholders.
- Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the PI or Deputy PI.
Knowledge and qualifications
Essential
- Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary professional knowledge and management skills in a similar or number of different specialist roles.
- Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9,10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree,Post Graduate Qualification), or equivalent, including being professionally qualified in relevant discipline, with a broad range of professional experience in a management role(s).
- Knowledge of project management techniques and tools.
- Knowledge of the Higher Education organisations, and their purpose, infrastructure, policies and contractual legislation.
- A thorough understanding of grant management processes.
- Good knowledge of financial management, processes and systems.
- Knowledge and understanding of interrogating and maintaining databases.
- Knowledge and understanding of data integrity and its importance.
Desirable
- Experience working in the electronics industry.
- Detailed knowledge of UKRI funding schemes, their rules and their processes.
Skills
Essential
- Project management – both short-term deadline driven and longer term involving multiple conflicting deadlines and coordination across multiple organisational units.
- Excellent time management skills with an ability to prioritise competing demands and multiple projects.
- Knowledge and experience of working and collaborating with electronics/circular economy or similar companies and understanding of their business drivers.
- Proven exceptional verbal and written communication and organisational skills to produce clear project management documents and stakeholder focused content, presented in an engaging and constructive manner.
- A strong understanding of risk management.
- Financial management and planning skills.
- Ability to provide advice and guidance in relation to funder requirements.
- Ability to build and manage business relationships bridging between higher education and partners from industry and charity organisations.
Experience
Essential
- Track record in electronics and/or circular economy.
- Experience of managing a portfolio of projects across the full lifecycle with a successful track record of delivery.
- Experience of establishing, developing and maintaining relevant marketing intelligence and knowledge systems and utilising them effectively in business development and customer support..
- Experience of attending partnering meetings and hosting company visits.
Desirable
- Experience of managing research projects.
- Experience of providing high quality advice and guidance on research management.
How to apply
Full details of the role and how to apply can be found by visiting our website:
The closing date for applications is 4 March 2025 at 23:45pm.
Terms & Conditions
Salary will be Grade 8, £49,250 - £56,921 per annum.
This post is full time (35 hours per week), and has funding available until 30 September 2028 in the first instance.
Please note that, as part of this role, the successful candidate will be expected to travel for up to one month each calendar year.
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We have delivered one of the most significant expansions of a UK university city campus for over a century.
Over the last decade, the University of Glasgow has invested in its estate to expand its world-class campus and facilities.
An area covering 14 acres of land next to our magnificent Gilmorehill campus has been redeveloped to build a mix of modern research, teaching and public spaces.
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The development will transform our teaching, learning and research spaces. It will allow us to bring together the best minds of today and tomorrow within world-class interdisciplinary research spaces that offer flexibility and stimulate collaboration, and modern study spaces that will combine study and social learning space with technology enabled teaching.
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WORLD CHANGERS TOGETHER
WORLD CHANGING GLASGOW 2025
Our outstanding disciplinary breadth and expertise has enabled us to make world-changing advances in fields as diverse as medicine, physics, linguistics, public policy and global development.
The key to our success is our talented staff and students pushing back at the boundaries of knowledge and understanding together.
Our World Changers Together strategy recognises the fundamental importance of a culture of open cooperation: not just as colleagues and mentors or students and teachers, but as a community of discovery that reaches beyond its walls and draws inspiration and strength from its connections and partnerships worldwide: excellence that's part of something bigger. The strategy is articulated across three themes:
COMMUNITY
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