Business Engagement Manager: SmartFub Project

Job Purpose The Smart Factory Hub (SmartFub) is a 3 year programme to support SMEs in Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Stoke and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership. Led by Professor Stefan Dimov the Hub has state-of-the-art facilities in the Schools of Engineering and Metallurgy and Materials on Birmingham's Edgbaston campus.

The Business Engagement Manager will inspire Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the LEP areas to engage with the SmartFub project. The successful candidate will work with senior executives within engineering SMEs to develop their understanding of how step changes to their products and processes can be delivered through the application of cutting edge research at the University of Birmingham. The Business Engagement Manager will stimulate demand from SMEs to access the University’s expertise across its portfolio in Engineering and Physical Science. Stimulating SME demand for the University’s research will ensure on-going project success through knowledge transfer activities to ensure ERDF deliverable targets are met.

This will be achieved through:
• Promotion and delivery of business seminars, workshops, practical demonstrations, e-marketing and other promotional material, focused on informing GBS LEP, C&W LEP and S & S LEP SMEs of the objectives of the SmartFub project.
• Understanding the issues faced by regional SMEs in accessing the University’s research and identifying where University technology or expertise could benefit their business.
• Supporting senior executives in these SMEs in the development of their internal business cases to justify investment in R&D&I activity with the University
• Providing on-going support to University/SME teams to deliver collaborative projects. Person Specification • A proven record of undertaking business development with clearly identifiable contributions to influencing the commercial success of activity.
• Ability to summarise complex issues/concepts and present them appropriately for a range of audiences.
• Ability to plan, manage and prioritise own workload, respond to changing priorities and deliver innovative solutions to deadlines maintaining a consistently high standard of service and meeting client needs.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-functional team across partner organisations.
• Excellent client relationship management and interpersonal skills and an ability to work closely with other people at all levels of seniority, both within and outside of the University.
• Excellent communication skills: oral, written and presentational.
• Able to analyse business needs and identify business solutions utilising a range of technologies, summarising key points to other people at all levels of seniority, both within and outside the ATETA project.
• Understanding of the higher education research environment, its research functions and markets.
• Understanding of academic research and knowledge transfer practices, funding streams and motivations.
• Understanding and experience of the management, delivery and reporting processes in publically funded R&D and knowledge transfer programmes.
• Ability to implement processes and identify where processes or procedures might be improved.