**Previous applicants for this role need not apply again**
Department
The Research and Enterprise Office (REO) is an Administrative Section within the university’s Professional Services. The Director of the REO reports to the Registrar and Secretary of the university. The REO supports the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and the Faculty Executive Deans in the development and implementation of the university’s Research Strategy.
The REO delivers services to the University’s academic community to support a range of research, impact and knowledge exchange activities. The section also contributes to a wide range of business engagement activities and facilitates the delivery of services to business as well as to the wider economic community. Its range of activities includes:
- Research strategy and policy;
- Identification of funding opportunities;
- Research governance and ethics;
- Supporting the development and submission of research grant applications;
- Grant and contract negotiation, costing and pricing;
- Financial management of research awards;
- Co-ordination of the University’s REF and KEF submissions
- Research impact and Knowledge Exchange, including the management of intellectual property, the commercialisation of research, licences, spin-outs and consultancy;
- Business Incubation facilities;
- Engagement with local and regional communities in the public private and third sectors;
- Managing key accounts with industry;
- Promoting the university’s research expertise and related services and managing the resulting customer relationships
Duties of the Role
This new role has been created to proactively support an increase in the number of commercial opportunities arising from research outputs within the University of Essex that have the potential to provide impacts for the benefit of society and the economy. The post offers the opportunity to grow commercialisation activities which lead to income generation whilst also managing an existing portfolio of projects. The postholder will work to translate academic research and expertise into applications that make a tangible difference to businesses and academics through the filing of patents, technology licensing and the formation of spin-out companies as appropriate. The role will be supported by a Knowledge Exchange Officer to ensure the pipeline of opportunities are capitalised on. The role holder will also be expected to lead on bid development to funding bodies which support these activities.
Whilst this is a full-time post, applications for part-time 0.8FTE (28.8 hours per week) will be considered.
Skills and qualifications required
The successful candidate will be educated to degree level in a relevant field or equivalent qualification/experience together with the ability to understand the technical basis for projects relevant to Computer Science and Maths or Life Sciences and Health.
You will have proven knowledge and understanding of university-business relationships in the context of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, taking a proactive approach to identifying commercialisation opportunities arising from research outputs and partnership development. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential to the role together with the ability to coordinate tasks with other team members. Accustomed to working in a deadline driven environment your organisational skills, attention to detail and the ability to use online systems to track workflow will underpin your successful management and delivery of projects.
We are seeking a self-motivated, flexible and committed individual to join the team and would love to hear from you if you feel you meet the expectations for this role.
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please contact resourcing@essex.ac.uk
*More information: Working at the University