The University of Sheffield
Head of Industrial Collaboration
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The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.
We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.
Overview
The AMRCs industrial partnerships framework is the platform that builds trust with industry, strengthens collaboration, and sustains our wider success. As Head of Industrial Collaboration, you will shape its long-term vision, strategy, and impact — ensuring it delivers maximum value to the AMRC and our partners while driving sector-wide innovation.
You will lead the function responsible for the industrial partnerships framework and the management of embedded industrial relationships. As a member of the Commercial Senior Leadership Team (CSLT), you will also contribute to commercial strategy, develop teams, lead initiatives and align activity across the organisation. Acting as a senior ambassador for the AMRC, you will build and sustain high-value partnerships, influencing policy, industry standards, and the adoption of new technologies.
The role combines strategic oversight with hands-on leadership. You will guide collaborative research programmes and knowledge exchange initiatives, ensuring industrial partners achieve measurable outcomes and that insights are applied to real-world challenges. You will oversee engagement across the partner network, fostering collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
At AMRC leadership level, you will represent the interests of industrial partners while helping shape organisational culture, embedding values, and influencing priorities. Your leadership will ensure that the industrial partnerships framework is strategically focused, operationally excellent, and recognised nationally as a leader in collaborative research and industrial impact.
Main Duties And Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Governance
- Define and drive the long-term strategy for AMRC industrial partnerships, ensuring governance, processes, and systems enable high-impact collaboration.
- Collaboration Agreements: Maintain and evolve formal partnership frameworks.
- Policies & Processes: Shape operational rules and systems that underpin strategic outcomes.
- Steering Boards: Guide boards to align partnership strategy with organizational priorities.
- Internal Governance: Embed robust processes that ensure informed, evidence-based decisions.
Sector Influence and Advocacy
- Champion AMRC partnerships to shape policy, sector standards, and strategic priorities, ensuring partner insights drive actionable, evidence-led decisions.
- Partner Insight: Translate partner feedback and data into strategic guidance.
- Relationship Building: Forge and sustain high-value stakeholder relationships.
- Advocacy: Represent AMRC externally to advance sector-wide impact.
- Best Practice: Lead initiatives to embed excellence in collaboration and industrial insight.
Knowledge and Insight Leadership
- Lead the capture, synthesis, and application of industrial insights to inform strategy and embed innovation across partners.
- Events & Workshops: Deliver forums that foster knowledge exchange and alignment.
- Knowledge Transfer: Drive programs that embed research outcomes into practice.
- Personnel Exchange: Facilitate talent mobility to strengthen organizational capability.
- Tactical Reviews: Align partner objectives with strategic outcomes through structured reviews.
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Team and Network Leadership
- Build and inspire high-performing teams, strategically deploying resources to support partners, foster collaboration, and cultivate a culture of innovation.
- Partner Support: Ensure tailored, high-impact internal support for each partner.
- Team Enablement: Equip teams with tools, training, and authority to deliver results.
- Collaborative Leadership: Model cross-functional teamwork and strategic collaboration.
- Review Alignment: Ensure internal efforts align with partner priorities and outcomes.
Programme Oversight and Organisational Leadership
- Oversee the portfolio of partnership initiatives to maximise sector impact, while shaping commercial strategy and embedding AMRC’s values across the organization.
- Programme Delivery: Drive onboarding, grants, in-kind contributions, and discretionary collaborations.
- Commercial Strategy: Define and deliver strategic commercial priorities.
- Partner Representation: Advocate partner perspectives in executive decision-making.
- Culture & Values: Embed organizational values to reinforce strategic alignment and long-term impact.
Person Specification
Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.
Criteria
Essential Or Desirable
Stage(s) assessed at
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A working knowledge of translational research organisations and how they deliver impact to industry.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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A track record of establishing processes and systems that drive continual improvement, coupled with a demonstrated ability to build and strengthen key relationships to ensure mutual benefit.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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Proven experience leading high-value industrial partnerships in the context of a research and technology organisation, delivering meaningful outcomes for partners and the organisation.
- Essential
- Application/interview
-
Experience managing complex programmes or initiatives from strategy through to delivery.
- Essential
- Application/interview
-
Collaborative and inclusive, able to build shared ownership across teams, partners, and stakeholders.
- Essential
- Application/interview
-
Pragmatic and insight-driven, able to balance strategic ambition with operational realities to deliver results.
- Essential
- Application/interview
-
Confident, credible, and trustworthy in engaging senior stakeholders internally and externally.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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Strategic thinking and the ability to translate long-term vision into clear, actionable plans.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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Strong relationship-building and influencing skills, able to work with senior colleagues and external partners to achieve shared goals.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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Excellent communication and problem-solving skills, able to analyse complex information and present practical solutions clearly.
- Essential
- Application/interview
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Awareness of the AMRC’s strategic priorities and how the commercial and partnership activities align with the wider industrial strategy.
- Desirable
- Application/interview
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A relevant academic background that demonstrates knowledge of both governance and contracts, as well as organizational psychology.
- Desirable
- Application
Further Information
Grade
9
Salary
£61,759 to £69,488 dependent upon experience
Work arrangement
Full-time
Duration
Permanent
Line manager
Commercial Director
Direct reports
Key Account Managers, Partnership Coordinator(s)
Our website
For informal enquiries about this job contact Matthew Farnsworth, Commercial Director: on m.farnsworth@sheffield.ac.uk.
Next steps in the recruitment process
The selection process will consist of an interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage two weeks after the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact staffing@armc.co.uk.
Our vision and strategic plan
We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).
What We Offer
A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more. Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles. Generous pension scheme. A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel. A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks). Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role. A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Professional Services Shared Skills Framework A range of generous family-friendly policies paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies support for those going through the menopause paid time off and support for fertility treatment and more More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).
We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.
Criminal record
Possession of a criminal record is not an automatic bar to employment at the University of Sheffield. We recognise the value of steady employment in the rehabilitation process and examine each case in its own right. More information can be found on our Information for candidates page:- sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/candidates (opens in a new window).
Baseline personnel security standard
This role requires the postholder to undertake a Government baseline personnel security standard (BPSS) check as a condition of employment.
We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our
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