MK:U Innovation Hub Manager

Organisation

Cranfield University

Based at

Cranfield and Milton Keynes

Hours of work

37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexibility will be required in supporting events outside of normal working hours

Contract type

Fixed term contract

Fixed Term Period

Until March 2023

Salary

Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £43,351 to £48,323 per annum, with potential progression up to £60,403 per annum

About MK:U

MK:U is an exciting new addition to the Cranfield University educational family; a new model university for Milton Keynes, designed to meet urgent technological and skills gaps. MK:U's education is designed in consultation with industry, to fill growing skills gaps. 

The vision for a new, ground-breaking university is one that is hands-on, focused on a curriculum for the digital economy, and specifically addressing the employment needs of organisations in the 21st century.  MK:U will be different by design and will completely transform how we think about higher education.

With funding from SEMLEP we are setting up an Innovation Hub in central Milton Keynes, known as the Smart City Living Lab. The hub will provide education and support to scale start-up businesses, with a specialist focus in smart city technologies via the MK:U Start Up to Scale Up Programme.

The hub will consist of incubator space, a maker space and a communications lab to be accessed by start-up businesses and SMEs who will be supported by a start up to scale up education programme which will incorporate coaching, mentoring and guidance of new and existing businesses on their journey from new business creation to strategic and sustainable business growth.

The hub will focus on smart city technologies including robotics, virtual reality, digital twinning, sensor technology, intelligent infrastructure, autonomous vehicles; drones; advanced communications. It will build on Milton Keynes’ reputation as a Smart City to leverage existing infrastructure, especially the MK:5G project. The hub’s offer to business will include:

• advice to businesses on testing and scaling their idea
• an urban laboratory where new products, software and ideas can be deployed
• connections with start-up businesses with industry, investors and academia.

Why you’ll like working with us

• MK:U is a new type of educational experience focusing on requirements for the digital era.
• We actively work with industry to keep us accountable for the quality and relevance of our offer.
• We are forward-looking and different, agile and adaptive.
• We prize teamwork and collaboration.
• We prize innovation and experimentation
• We value diversity and inclusion and aim to attract a diverse range of staff and companies from a range of backgrounds.

About the opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to join the MK:U team in this newly created.  role, responsible for the set up and day to day running of the MK:U Innovation Hub due to open in March 2022.

Involved from the outset, this role will be key in setting the vision for the lab, defining the offer for members, marketing the Hub to SMEs and oversight of all day to day aspects of the Hub.

The MK:U Innovation Hub Manager will be an ambassador for the MK:U brand, working with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver a high quality service to the Hub  members.

About you

To be successful in this role you will have experience in supporting SMEs to grow, either through working in a business incubator / business membership organisation, or through previous direct experience as an entrepreneur or business advisor.  You will be enthused by the opportunities presented by Smart City technologies and will be excited about  working in an advanced technical environment. You will be motivated to learn more about the technical facilities at the Innovation Hub so that you can help small businesses to use these facilities to grow.

You will also be keen to make creative links for small business customers and to recruit new business members to the Innovation Hub through networking events and activities; previous experience in organising training or networking events would be ideal.  Experience in speaking, presenting and building relationships with business will be an asset in this role.   

Importantly, you will be able to collaborate effectively, influence a network of stakeholders and build relationships across a diverse range of organisations quickly, and you will be eager to play a key role in the fast-moving and exciting MK:U project.

Our Values

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here . We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential.

Diversity and Inclusion

Our equal opportunities and diversity monitoring has shown that minority ethnic groups are currently underrepresented within the university and so we actively encourage applications from eligible candidates from these groups.

Flexible Working

We actively consider flexible working options such as part-time, compressed or flexible hours and/or an element of homeworking, and whether a position can be carried out at any of our locations.  We commit to exploring the possibilities for each role. Find out more here .