Director of SETsquared

SETsquared is a unique enterprise partnership between the six leading research-intensive UK universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey with a major research portfolio with a combined budget over £600m.

Our mission is to turn innovation into thriving business and drive economic growth within our regions and across the UK. We aim to maximise the impact of innovative talent from across our partnership regions for social and economic benefit, providing support to researchers, students and local businesses to drive entrepreneurial activity across our regions.  

Since launching in 2002, we have supported over 5000 innovative entrepreneurs, with member companies raising over £4B in funding to date and our partnership was named in the top 3 start up hubs in Europe by the Financial Times in 2024.

Introduction

You will provide the overall strategic leadership, vision, direction, and management across the partnership. Working closely with the SETsquared Board and Chair, you will grow the activities across a unique enterprise partnership and dynamic collaboration of leading universities to support academics, students, and local businesses. You will position the partnership to benefit from private and public funding opportunities and increase its reach in identifying and forming partnerships with similar organisations and businesses in the UK and abroad.

Role profile

A proactive individual with proven experience of managing large and complex partnerships and influencing at the highest levels. You will evidence strategic leadership alongside motivational people management and team building skills. Adept at networking and commercially minded, you will secure investment for growth and funding bid success in a high-tech and fast growth environment.

Staff management responsibility:

• SETsquared Programme Director
• Head of Bid Development
• Head of Programmes & Investment
• And others that might arise as a result of growing staff management responsibility or specialist contract roles for key projects.

Further information

This post is funded on an ongoing basis by the group of partners who make up SETsquared. This funding is renewed every two years, so the current funding period runs until 31 July 2026.

For an informal discussion about the role please contact:

Ben Woods, Director of Regional Development & Advocacy at bw669@bath.ac.uk.

interviews will take place w/c 15 July 2024. 

What we can offer you

• a very generous employer contributory pension scheme
• generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
• we are a family-friendly University and with an increasingly agile workforce, are open to flexible working arrangements
• an excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• a wide range of personal and professional development opportunities
• a number of support options available for new and existing staff to help with the cost of some immigration expenses which you may be eligible for: Relocation allowance, Visa Reimbursement, Interest-Free Loan.

Find out more about our benefits.

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university.

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