Innovation Consultant

We have opportunities for Fixed Short-Term Contracts and Permanent Contracts in our London, Cheltenham and Manchester offices. 

The Innovation Consultant will play a key role in delivering Plexal-led innovation projects and working with our consulting team to deliver cross-competency work, focusing on research activity and innovation consulting. You’ll engage with a diverse array of stakeholders, including startups, scaleups, corporations, government, non-profit organisations, investors and academia.

We’re a rapidly growing team and are actively looking to recruit exceptional individuals who want to work in an adaptive, fast-moving, collaborative environment.

What you’ll do

• Quantitative and qualitative analysis and market research to on emerging technology, startups and innovation themes
• Forming insights into emerging technology areas, e.g. AI and data, space and telecoms, engineering biology
• Contribute towards and lead on the creation of high-impact deliverables , such as reports and presentations, for clients to inform their emerging technology strategies
• SME discovery and scouting
• Engaging with innovators to understand their needs, challenges and the interventions that will support their growth
• Ideation and solution design
• Supporting project delivery and management
• Proactively manage regular interaction, communication, and collaboration with clients and external stakeholders
• Supporting on and leading specific areas of business development by responding to public sector bids and creating bespoke proposals

Your skills

• Highly organised with a good understanding of innovation, collaboration and project management practices, tools, and methodologies,
• Analytical, with the ability to think critically and to understand, interpret and articulate complex concepts,
• A structured, concise communicator who can confidently use key tools including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as project management and brainstorming tools,
• Competent at taking responsibility for producing high-quality deliverables and presentations for senior external audiences,
• Qualitative and quantitative research skills
• Knowledge of one or more of following tech areas are a plus: space and telecoms, AI and data or engineering biology.

Your experience

• Able to demonstrate awareness across technology markets and sectors and provide an outside-in perspective to clients when it comes to emerging market needs, trends, opportunities and technologies
• Innovation, startup, research or technology background, with a passion about emerging technology and some domain expertise or interest in technology policy
• Experience with a range of research methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative), and an ability to critically assess this research to draw insightful conclusions and recommendations for the client, presented in an accessible and compelling narrative
• Experience in the following tech areas are a plus: space, telecoms, AI and data, or engineering biology

Who you are

• Personally resilient, with the ability to stay focused on the overall objective, responding to challenges in a calm and measured way
• Energised by the challenges and opportunities presented by working for a high-growth company,
• Passionate about the development of cyber security and other areas of emerging technology
• Educated to a Bachelor-degree level or equivalent
• SC or DV clearance required
• This role may require some national travel for delivery of projects and travel to all Plexal sites.
• Due to the nature of this position, our work, and our client engagements, you must be willing and eligible to achieve a minimum of SC clearance. To qualify for SC clearance, you must be a British Citizen or have resided in the UK for the last five years with no extensive periods outside of the UK. Pre-existing SC welcome. For more information about clearance eligibility, please see https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/united-kingdom-security-vetting