Research and Enterprise Office (REO)
The EIRA Director will be based within the Research and Enterprise Office (REO) at the University of Essex, to work on an externally funded project. EIRA (Enabling Innovation: Research to Application) builds knowledge connectivity across eastern England to improve business productivity through innovation. The consortium supports business cluster development, growth and new product or service innovation with a focus on three themes – Digital Creative, Artificial Intelligence and Biotech – to complement the ambitions of the region’s economic strategy and the national Industrial Strategy.
EIRA accelerates cluster growth and improves the attractiveness of the region to inward investors. In addition the consortium is harnessing the combined capacity to support an expansion in KE activities across the region.
EIRA is led by the University of Essex and is delivered in collaboration with the Universities of Kent and East Anglia and in partnership with the University of Suffolk, Writtle University College, Norwich University of the Arts, Harlow College, BT, Digital Catapult, TechEast, AgricTech East, New Anglia LEP and South East LEP. The three core partners – Essex, Kent and East Anglia – are each leading KE work on one of the three sectors which will draw on academic expertise from all partners across the EIRA network to meet the aims of the project.
EIRA is funded from the first round of the Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) funded by Research England which aims to incentivise university collaboration in research commercialisation to contribute to the delivery of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. The EIRA project started on 1 April 2018 and is funded for three-years. The Director is the senior appointment responsible for the successful delivery of the project, reporting to the Director of Research and Enterprise at the University of Essex.
Duties of the Role
The EIRA Director will continue to lead the EIRA project consortium to develop and deliver the programme of activities funded through the £4.7 million Research England award which is supporting the needs of business through a combination of well-established and more novel methods. The Director will continue to work closely with all EIRA collaborators and partners, and the Research Offices of the partner universities. They will lead a small directorate to plan and deliver the programme, and coordinate with locally situated KE Fellows and KE teams, as well as network partners to ensure successful delivery of the programme. The Director will be responsible for succession planning looking at work with partners that will extend beyond the currently funded programme.
Skills and qualifications required
The successful candidate should have a demonstrable track record of leading and developing high performing teams across complex organisational structures, experience of working with or in business and an academic research environment, and a demonstrable track record of successfully delivering projects. Given the regional focus of the project, an understanding of the specific challenges and the business landscape of eastern England would be desirable. Applicants should be educated to at least degree level (or equivalent).
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. For more information see: https://www.essex.ac.uk/life/student-facilities/religion-and-faith
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 telephone the Resourcing Team (01206 876559).
*More information: Working at the University
