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East Midlands Chamber

REF NO. EMC25

Innovation & Growth Specialist

Ongoing (we close ongoing adverts once sufficient applications are received)

£42,500 to £45,000 per annum (dependant on skills and experience)

Permanent, full-time (35 hours per week)

Chesterfield, Derby, Leicester or Nottingham with agile working (Lincoln based applicants also considered). Additional travel required

recruitment@emc-dnl.co.uk

03333200333

Find out how to apply

scroll down to read full details and instructions on how to apply

Overview

Why the post exists

Can you seek and identify businesses with ideas and ambitions to succeed on a global scale? Do you have experience of exceeding expectations and delivering impactful business support in the Midlands?

As part of the Chamber’s Innovation Services team, the Innovation & Growth Specialists focus on delivering bespoke business support to Innovate UK Business Growth clients who want to grow and scale at pace. Specialists are key to helping businesses realise their ambitions.

This role operates as an experienced coach, mentor, critical friend and champion for a group of clients. Knowledge of UK Government Future Economies is vital, as is an understanding of investment raising.

This contract is funded through Innovate UK until 31 March 2026.

Overview

Key areas of responsibility

  • Provide innovation and business advice to a portfolio of growth and scale clients.
  • Make a significant contribution to the development of competitiveness of East Midlands businesses across the UK and global markets.
  • Act as a strategic coach and mentor to SME clients to support them in developing their own long-term growth and innovation commercialisation plans.
  • Provide an account management function for the delivery of business support services, that enable clients to enhance their innovation management capacity.
  • Use business analysis tools to review client needs and provide tailored support through Innovate UK Business Growth services and wider Ecosystem of business support.
  • Focus on supporting the most ambitious, high-growth potential, innovative SMEs to benefit from national and global opportunities.
  • Provide information and guidance on exploiting innovation, signposting or referring to professional support as required.

For more information please click here to view the job description and person specification.

Overview

Ideally applicants will possess

  • Business experience at a senior level within the high growth and R&D business environment.
  • Strategic and management or consultancy experience in the commercialising of ideas, including IP, access to investment finance and internationalisation.
  • Assessing risk through analysis of business plans, financial accounts, and other supporting information.
  • Interpreting outputs of business diagnostic and benchmarking tools, developing action plans to support growth and scale.
  • Critical appraisal of bids for innovation funding.
  • Understanding of the business support landscape together with funding and support available through Innovate UK.

Benefits

What you can expect in return

#1

25 days holiday plus bank holidays each year (pro rata for part time)

#2

8% employer contribution to pension scheme (non-contributory for employee)

#3

Wellbeing support including access to Westfield Health plan, Mental Health First Aiders, self help toolkits, discounts and more

#4

Your Birthday off plus an extra day of leave after 5 and 10 years' service

#5

Life assurance (death in service support scheme) for your beneficiaries

#6

Dress for the day policy and agile working practices (role dependent)

#7

Two CSR days to take per year (volunteering activity)

#8

Access to tax-free childcare and Bike2Work schemes

#9

Special leave for bereavement, compassionate leave & dependent related time off

#10

Learning and development opportunities

#11

Flexibility to take unpaid leave, paid study leave & special leave for territorial army

#12

Recognition and engagement schemes including our Our Stars

#13

Tax free 45p per business mile for cars (up to 10,000 miles per year)

#14

Employee social events

Company Overview

About us

East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) is a well-respected and award winning membership, representation and business support organisation that aims to enhance businesses and communities in the three cities and three counties. With more than 4,100 members and working with 12,000 businesses each year, we have established a reputation as the voice of the region’s business community.

Our accreditations and awards

How to apply

Found a great role? It’s easy to work for us. Simply follow the three steps below. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

Apply for this role

Complete our equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) monitoring form here. You can learn about why we collect this information and how it is utilised in the form introduction.

Send your CV and a covering letter detailing why you believe that you will add value to the role and the Chamber to recruitment@emc-dnl.co.uk with the subject line as the vacancy reference, EMC25.

Alternatively, post your application to: FAO HR department, East Midlands Chamber, Commerce House, Millennium Way, Dunston Road, Chesterfield, S41 8ND

Applications that do not include both a CV and covering letter will not be considered.

If you’re successful at this stage, you will be invited for an interview. If you’re unsuccessful, the Chamber’s HR team will let you know by email.

First, you’ll be invited to interview either virtually via Microsoft Teams or onsite at one of our offices (role dependent). If your interview goes well, you may invited to attend a second interview or offered the role. Some interviews might require you to compile some research or to prepare a presentation. At the end of the interview, the interviewer will confirm the timeline for next steps.

Interviews usually last around an hour with a mix of competency based interview questions, and in some cases, we might ask you to carry out some practical exercises.

Decisions will be made at each stage of the process, as we score applicants against the role criteria. If you’re successful, we will contact you to make an offer. This will be followed up in writing and a contract will be sent to you once a start date is confirmed. You will receive information on your induction and what you will do on your first day. If you have any questions, please just get in touch.

If you’re unsuccessful, we will either write to you or contact you by telephone, and if you’ve attended an interview we’re more than happy to provide feedback. You’re welcome to apply again for another role in the future.

Chamber Statement

East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire) is an equal opportunities employer and Disability Confident Leader.

All suitably qualified people are encouraged to apply for vacancies regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Applicants require current eligibility to live and work in the UK, they must also disclose any unspent convictions or cautions and company director disqualifications in their covering letter. Please inform recruitment@emc-dnl.co.uk of any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process. The business is dedicated to retaining talent and therefore it may decide to prioritise and support internal applicants.