Natural History Museum
Innovation Contracts and Licensing Manager
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About Us
We are a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre. We use the Museum's unique collections and our unrivalled expertise to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. We care for more than 80 million objects spanning billions of years and welcome more than five million visitors annually and 16 million visits to our website.
Today the Museum is more relevant and influential than ever. By attracting people from a range of backgrounds to work for us, we can continue to look at the world with fresh eyes and find new ways of doing things.
We employ 1100 staff in a variety of roles, all united by our vision of a future where people and planet thrive. We need everyone to have the passion and drive to help us with our mission to create advocates for our planet and inspire millions to care about the natural world.
Diversity and inclusion matter to us.
Our vision is of a future where both people and the planet thrive. Diversity is one of our core values and we strive to build a workplace where everyone feels a sense of belonging. All new staff who join us learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to the Museum and how to contribute to creating an inclusive environment.
We know we have more to do, but we are committed to ensuring that everyone who works at the Museum feels they can thrive and feel valued and respected.
About The Role
The Natural History Museum is accelerating the impact of our science to bend the curve of biodiversity loss and create a future where people and the planet can thrive. The heart of our Vision and Strategy to 2031 creates solutions from, and for, nature. We can generate more impactful solutions if we establish ways to turn our scientific knowledge into scaled products, services and data to produce real-world societal, environmental, and economic value.
The recently formed Innovation Unit at NHM manages a pipeline of science-based opportunities, taking ideas from proof-of-concept to market ready products and services.
The team’s purpose is to grow the portfolio of consultancy projects, research contracts, technical services and data licences by finding new and exciting ways to exploit our Intellectual Property (IP) assets and inhouse capabilities, for example via product development, licensing or new venture creation.
The Innovation Contracts and Licensing Manager will be responsible for overseeing the general operations and successful delivery of the Innovation Unit’s portfolio of live consultancy, research contracts, and data license agreements, covering fields of bio and geosciences, scientific imaging and analysis, and molecular diagnostics. Our customers range from governments to global multinationals, and our projects from small-scale consultancy to long-term industry collaboration.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Core operational responsibilities include leading on the composition and submission of engaging pitches/bids to potential clients, creating fee and resource models, negotiating contracts, project coordination, and monitoring contract performance.
Ideal for a dynamic self-starter with a 'can do' attitude who thrives in a fast-paced environment, this role offers a rare opportunity with exceptional variety, autonomy and scope for professional development. Working at the interface between world-leading science and commercial innovation, you will gain hands-on experience across consultancy, contract negotiation, intellectual property, technology transfer and licensing, supporting the translation of cutting-edge research into real-world impact. Expect extensive on-the-job learning, complemented by formal training in commercialisation and technology transfer. A background in science is desirable, but a passion for harnessing scientific innovation to address society's most significant environmental and societal challenges is essential.
About You
You're a commercially minded problem-solver who loves bringing people, ideas and opportunities together. Whether your background is in science, business development, technology transfer, project management, commercial operations or financial administration, you're excited by the challenge of turning innovative ideas into tangible outcomes.
You combine strong analytical and numerical skills with the ability to build trusted relationships at every level. Comfortable working with contracts, budgets and complex commercial arrangements, you can navigate competing priorities, spot opportunities, and keep multiple projects moving forward with confidence.
A natural collaborator and communicator, you're equally at ease working with scientists, clients, legal teams and senior stakeholders. You're known for your positive, proactive approach, your attention to detail, and your ability to find solutions where others see obstacles.
Most importantly, you're curious, adaptable and motivated by continuous learning. You thrive in fast-moving environments, enjoy taking ownership, and want your work to contribute to something bigger. Experience of science commercialisation, business planning, proposal development or technology transfer would be a bonus, but above all we're looking for someone who's passionate about harnessing science and innovation to create meaningful environmental and societal impact.
If you're excited by the challenge of turning great ideas into real-world outcomes, we'd love to hear from you
Thriving at the Museum: the way we work
We are proud to work at the Museum and have identified the qualities we all need to embody to reach our shared ambition. This sits alongside the Museum’s values and forms the framework for the way we work.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Find out more here
What We Offer
- 27.5 days holiday plus 8 bank holidays (full time equivalent)
- Generous defined contribution Natural History Museum Pension Scheme (employer contribution 4 - 10%)
- Season ticket, bicycle and rental loan
- Life insurance
- Free admission to our exhibitions and many other paid exhibitions at museums, galleries and institutions across London and the UK.
- Staff discount at our Museum shops and cafes
- We offer a wide variety of training initiatives and opportunities to build skills. Investing in staff development is important to us, and we are ambitious about helping staff to grow and fulfil their potential.
- Affordable membership to the Civil Service Sports Council which offers a range of benefits including an extensive list of special offers and reduced entry fees at a selection of cinema chains, theme parks, theatres, retailers and supermarkets. It also provides entry to up to 300 English Heritage sites and other national treasures. For more details, visit https://www.cssc.co.uk
- Membership to our Sports and Social Association (for a small fee), which includes access to our in-house gym and clubs such as football, softball, table tennis and tennis and classes in Middle Eastern dance, yoga and Tai Chi
Hybrid working
We are working towards a vision where both people and planet thrive, and nothing gives a greater connection with this, than seeing first-hand, the visitors, scientific research and collections that all of our work is inspired by and working side by side with the teams delivering the visitor experience and events. We also recognise the benefits and flexibility that hybrid working brings. We operate a hybrid working model that requires regular, weekly attendance for this role, with the precise pattern of days on site and worked from home to be agreed with your manager.
The requirement for this role is a minimum of 2/3 days onsite per week.
How To Apply
If this sounds like you, please apply below by clicking on Apply for job.
Please note that as part of our commitment to anonymised shortlisting, panels do not view CVs during the recruitment process. If you choose to upload your CV, our system will automatically pull information from your CV into our application form. We advise you to double-check your application form data before submitting as the tool may interpret CVs differently.
Closing date: 19th August 2026 at 23:59
Interviews expected: 3, 4 and w/c 7 September 2026
Please note that this role does not qualify for Museum sponsorship so the successful postholder will need to have a valid right to work in the UK at the point of offer.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location