Technology and Innovation Manager

We have an exciting opportunity in the School of Chemical, Materials and Biological Engineering for someone with a passion for innovation, sustainability, and partnership development, looking to use their skills in business development and stakeholder engagement to make an impact on the future of sustainable food systems through alternative proteins. You will work in a well-connected team within the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC), one of the largest coordinated efforts in alternative protein innovation in the UK. You will use your relationship management and business development skills to provide essential support to the NAPIC leadership and operations teams, helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Centre by securing philanthropic investment and enabling access to critical innovation infrastructure. You will play a key role in maintaining our reputation for innovation leadership and partnership excellence by building strategic relationships and brokering access to facilities, supporting collaborative research, translation, and scale-up activities across the NAPIC ecosystem. As this role requires extensive engagement with external stakeholders, including investors, industry partners, and research organisations, it provides an excellent opportunity to develop your skills in high-level partnership development, deal-making, and ecosystem building. This role offers you the opportunity to shape the growth and sustainability of a nationally significant research centre by playing a key part in expanding its funding base and enabling access to cutting-edge facilities across the UK. In this varied role, you will be responsible for driving philanthropic fundraising, mapping and unlocking access to innovation infrastructure, and providing market intelligence to inform strategy. Working alongside academic leaders, the operations team, and external partners, you will have the opportunity to influence major collaborative initiatives and funding opportunities. With responsibility for developing philanthropic partnerships and brokering access to external facilities, you will add substantial value to the NAPIC ecosystem by enhancing its financial sustainability and operational capability. Other key aspects of the role include supporting collaborative funding calls, representing NAPIC at events, and contributing to partnership due diligence and strategic planning. We are seeking candidates with a degree in a relevant discipline, as well as excellent communication, organisational, and relationship management skills. As this role involves engaging philanthropic funders and brokering access to facilities, you will also need experience or knowledge of developing proposals, managing partnerships, or working within research and innovation environments. If you are passionate about innovation, sustainability, and building impactful partnerships, then we would love to hear from you.