Innovation Relationship Manager x3 - ES/B35 - West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Innovation Relationship Manager - ES/B35

£36,281pa | Grade J |
Leeds

Do you want to work for an organisation that values you as an individual?
An organisation that will support your professional development?
What about an organisation that has Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of everything that it does?
How about an organisation that does all these things and more?
Yes? Then look no further than the West Yorkshire Combined Authority!
Listen to what our staff say on our Meet the Innovation Team page
Hear from other colleagues across the organisation on our 'Life at West Yorkshire Combined Authority' webpage.

We currently have vacancies for three Innovation Relationships Managers to join our Innovations team.

It is an exciting time to be joining the Mayoral Combined Authority. We have a wide variety of exciting projects that we are working on which will help shape the West Yorkshire region.

In 2021 the £1.8bn devolution deal was secured for West Yorkshire. This meant the first Mayor of West Yorkshire was subsequently elected, with Tracy Brabin taking up post in May 2021. The devolution deal and election of the Mayor has enabled us to start to drive up living standards for local communities while tackling the climate emergency and helping to deliver our commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038.

To find out more about the work the Combined Authority is involved with take a look at our latest news stories.

The innovation team have recently secured £6m of new funds to support the delivery of our ‘innovation framework’ in the region over the coming years. We are expanding our innovation team and are looking for people who are committed to supporting the best ideas in the region and supporting businesses and individuals to turn them into a reality.

You’ll be joining the overall Business Support team of 40+ individuals who over the 12 months alone, helped to support over 4,200 businesses in the region to start, innovate, develop and grow.

The Role

Reporting into the Senior Service Manager for Innovation, these newly created roles will be the interface between the SME’s of the city region and the WYCA innovation team. You will develop relationships, identify their business innovation needs, signpost to the most appropriate source of support and where relevant, support them to develop successful applications for WYCA’s two new innovation grant funding programmes.

Your key responsibilities will include:

Establishing and developing an ongoing market awareness of the business innovation landscape and drive change in client businesses based on current market opportunities.
Working within the parameters of WYCA grant support, assist in the creation and development of successful grant funding applications with client business’, working with the client’s authorised representative/s to secure the best possible outcome for the business.
Make referral decisions on appropriate support, based on a technical understanding of the client’s needs and the potential opportunities and interventions available to them.
Monitor and manage business assistance, support and delivery against contractual targets under the relevant funding regime, ensuring all support provided is appropriately tracked, recorded and documented for audit purposes.

Review the Role profile provided for more information about the responsibilities.

About you

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience:

Expert knowledge and experience of SME business drivers, priorities and issues, particularly in relation to business innovation.
Knowledge of project management methods and processes and experience of project managing multiple simultaneous interventions across a portfolio of clients.

Proven experience of confidently and professionally conveying information both written and oral in a clear, concise and persuasive style.

Significant experience of client relationship and account management at senior level.
Ability to travel efficiently to business sites across the West Yorkshire District.

Our offer

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including:

28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus bank holidays
Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme
Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the M-Card (Zones 1-5)
Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals.

We have also recently undergone a major office refurbishment and have bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, and just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. We also have agile working options too if you would rather work from home, or another suitable location, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme.

Have a look at our Employee Benefits webpage to find out more.

To apply

If this sounds like your next role, please upload your anonymised CV, and complete the application form on our application website telling us why you would be a great fit for our role.

Please apply by 11:55pm on Sunday 01 October 2023.

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please contact louise.bermingham@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

Interviews for the post are scheduled to take place w/c 23 October. Please be sure to advise of any dates you are not available for interview.

Further Information

Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met.

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neurodivergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity. or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neurodivergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Whilst agile working is an option for most staff, there is an expectation that employees are able to attend the office in central Leeds as and when required.

Candidates will be notified of invitation to interview by e-mail and interviews will be carried out either by phone, video or face to face. If you have any difficulty with the type of interview you are invited to, please inform the recruiting manager at your earliest convenience to enable them to consider an alternative solution.

Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases, on an annual basis.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to respond to every applicant. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful. We do however thank you for your application and encourage you to continue looking for roles on our Careers with Us website page.

Candidate information will be retained by the Combined Authority for six months.

Terms and conditions

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has recently been in consultation with employees and Trade Unions to review the Terms and Conditions of Employment and Staff Benefits.

We are pleased to announce that these proposals have been accepted and work is currently underway to implement these.