AberInnovation
Chief Growth Officer
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Company Description
AberInnovation is a leading innovation campus providing pilot-scale R&D facilities and expertise for the agri-tech, food and drink, and bio-science sectors. Located between the scenic Cambrian Mountains and the Irish Sea in Mid Wales, the £40.5m campus offers a progressive environment where businesses collaborate and gain access to academic excellence to grow and scale. The campus provides technical facilities that support innovation and help commercial enterprises drive economic growth across the UK innovation economy. AberInnovation is closely linked with research at Aberystwyth University and IBRRS and is the only UKRI-BBSRC Innovation Campus in Wales, fostering a thriving community of innovators.
Role Description
Are you an experienced commercial leader who enjoys building relationships, creating growth opportunities, and leading teams to deliver meaningful impact?
AberInnovation is seeking an ambitious and collaborative Chief Growth Officer (CGO) to lead and shape the next phase of our expansion. This newly created role offers an exciting opportunity to influence the future of innovation, research commercialisation and business engagement in Wales and far beyond. Whether your background is in business development, commercial leadership, sales and marketing, innovation management, technology commercialisation, or a related field, we are looking for someone who can bring strategic thinking, strong leadership and a passion for creating partnerships that deliver value.
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Working closely with the CEO, you will lead on the growth strategy, income targets and the realisation of wider impact for AberInnovation and its shareholders. The CGO will also support the commercialisation activities of the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) and the new Green Futures Innovation Park at Gogerddan Campus, Ceredigion – building collaborative strategic partnerships for the benefit of the entire innovation ecosystem.
What you'll be doing:
- Maximising effective external engagement and championing the AberInnovation offer through leadership of the Marketing Communications team and the Industrial Research Development team.
- Setting future commercial strategy based on market insights, stakeholder engagement and government priorities.
- Strengthening strategic partnerships and developing new relationships with corporate clients, investors and funders.
- Driving and maintaining sustainable income growth through the R&D pipeline and expansion of the tenant and membership community.
- Reporting to the CEO and the Board on key performance indicators and pivoting where needed to maximise income and impact.
- Supporting the leadership of a thriving innovation community at Gogerddan for all stakeholders.
- Developing new service offer strategies that support knowledge exchange and commercialisation activities from IBERS and Aberystwyth University and via key initiatives such as the Green Futures Innovation Park.
- Fostering an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing culture and deputising for the CEO when required.
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Who we're looking for:
We recognise that great candidates may come from a variety of backgrounds and sectors. If you can demonstrate many of the skills and experiences below, we would encourage you to apply.
You will bring:
- Significant experience in commercial leadership, business development, sales and marketing, product management, innovation management or related fields.
- Credibility and the skills to build trust among different stakeholders.
- A track record of building and influencing relationships with partners and customers.
- Strong commercial awareness, with experience identifying opportunities, securing investment or funding, developing partnerships, or delivering business growth.
- Excellent communication, leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire teams and engage diverse audiences.
- Strategic thinking combined with a practical, delivery-focused approach and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Experience of working in scientific research, innovation, higher education, science parks, technology transfer or commercialisation environments would be beneficial but is not essential.
- Welsh language skills are welcomed but are not required for the role.
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