DDI Innovation Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Leadership of:
   1. All Entrepreneurship engagement on behalf of the National Robotarium.
   2. Ensuring the co-ordination and engagement of all additional functions with the National Robotarium management team across Business development, operations and events.
   3. Robotarium resident companies’ growth and potential collaborations across other DDI hub activity
   4. Robotarium entrepreneurship events and forums 
   5. Leadership and coordination of Robotarium and partner start up developments and programmes
   6. Act as the National Robotarium representative at all DDI entrepreneur forums and programmes
2. Manage and develop entrepreneurial and innovation support activities for the National Robotarium linking in with other DDI Hubs and Hubs based innovation delivery teams, to provide and build a smooth pathway of support for founders, to develop new data driven companies in the Robotics and AS field. Provide access into existing activities such as the VBI and AIA. Use own expertise to effectively advise and support founders, internally at the Robotarium or elsewhere as required.  Manage access to engineering time as needed. Signpost as required.
3. Source and inspire suitable, exciting founders and start-ups, building and developing an ongoing pipeline. This will include working with related partners and funders, Hub leads, Innovation Managers, EI and DDI teams to identify founders and to raise the profile of innovation opportunities. Attend related events and integrate into the innovation ecosystem Advise on sector content for innovation support programmes.
4. Contribute to Robotarium and DDI KPI outputs and reporting. Identify and create    suitable sector case studies that will inspire and provide learnings. Input CRM data as needed. Use own creative input to ensure information is collated and used effectively to showcase successes, illustrate learnings and ensure DDI reporting requirements are met. Manage contacts and associated data.
5. Identify and Build key relationships in ‘Innovation Support’ for the sector - internally and in the wider Ecosystem working with Partners, funders, Hub Innovation staff, Codebase and Sector Leads , SE, Agencies and investors in order to deliver effective  support and signposting. 
6. Act as advisor through 1-2-1s, helping start-ups and teams to access the best sector contacts and support across the DDI Hubs –using existing contacts and building new ones. Signpost to suitable support/funding/expertise/academic specialisms as required.
7. Engage regularly with other DDI Hubs Entrepreneurship delivery teams 
8. Be the point of contact and communication channel for the Robotarium team in this area and provide regular updates to wider R team. Attend entrepreneurship team meetings and support development of programme activity

Key Relationships

• Line Management –   Robotarium COO
• Management & Centre Management –  NR staff, Business Development , Marketing, tenants   and Engineers.  Ensure alignment with the strategic priorities of the Centre, to maximise efficiency and avoid duplication, and in support of pro-active budget management and forecasting (in line with policies and procedures).   
• DDI Hub Entrepreneurship delivery Staff – work closely with DDI Hub ‘E delivery teams’,  Edinburgh Innovations, Bayes Centre,  founders, comms & marketing, facilities,  and innovation leads in UoE and HW ensuring efficiency of delivery,  to develop networks and investment  and avoiding programme-specific duplication.
• DDI and EI colleagues, and wider Eco-System – liaison across the Data-Driven Innovation and Edinburgh Innovations to develop the DDI ecosystem, signpost, minimise duplication, maximise expertise, share good practice and adopt a collective spirit towards KPI delivery across all Hubs and Sectors.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential

1. A good honours degree.  Other qualifications considered if it provides the post-holder with sufficient background to understand the issues informing, influencing and delivering Data Driven Innovation
2. Robotics and AS background 
3. Leadership training – CPD etc.
4. Experience of innovation development and/or being a successful Founder of a start-up/scale up company
5. Experience of working in a team and line management. 
6. Experience of working with and supporting early-stage founders 
7. Demonstrable experience of contributing to successful innovation/entrepreneurial support Programmes. Extensive hands-on experience in a similar role. Ideally working with deep tech/digital start-ups on a 1-2-1 basis.
8. Excellent knowledge and understanding of start-up business growth and robotics /AS digital development issues 
9. Strong influencing skills and proven ability of working with Industry and building long term partnerships.
10. Significant experience of delivering complex projects
11. Proven organisation and project management skills

Desirable

1. Project management qualifications 
2. Innovation/entrepreneurship training
3. Data Driven Innovation knowledge
4. Demonstrable knowledge of the wider innovation ecosystem, the current national entrepreneurial mind-set agenda and relevant external contacts
5. Evidence of successful collaborative working in a Higher Education with senior academics and researchers
6. Evidence of proactively gathering information/data of interest to funders and partners