Who are we?
Innovate UK Business Connect is an equal opportunities employer that embraces diversity and inclusion. We are proud of our respectful culture that encourages people to thrive through working together.
We aim to provide an exceptional place of work for exceptional people, and our organisational values and behaviours reflect this aspiration. It’s what makes our culture unique.
We want to ensure our already strong workforce is constantly listened to, motivated and empowered to deliver consistently high levels of collaborative work, focusing on meeting the challenges of tomorrow.
Only with the right people can we sustain our ability to have wide ranging expertise and convene the expertise of others, more rapidly than ever before, to help more innovators get their ideas to market and to ensure ideas and innovations are shared seamlessly across sectors and business communities.
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Our mission
We connect ideas, people and communities to drive innovation that changes lives.
Innovation is complex. The journey from idea to market is not straightforward and requires a diverse range of know-how, investment, market knowledge and research. Innovate UK Business Connect exists to connect innovators with new partners and new opportunities beyond their existing thinking – accelerating ambitious ideas into real-world solutions.
The future holds both challenges and opportunities. We are passionate about working with innovative businesses to overcome these challenges and shape the opportunities and solutions that follow.
Our vision is to create a network of innovators so powerful its ideas will change the world.
While business is at the heart of our work, our diverse connections span government, funders, research and the third sector. This unrivalled overview and connectivity enable us to be a trusted guide through a complex global landscape of research, development and innovation. Over the next five years, we will build collaborations at a local, national and global level.
Our Values
Open:
We value diversity of opinions, ideas, skills and perspectives.
Creative:
We embrace ideas with curious minds and use our insight to uncover opportunity.
Collaborative:
We are one team, working together across sectors, people and geographies to drive positive change.
Determined:
We are determined to meet challenges with solutions and enable innovators to think and act beyond expectations.
Why work for us?
We encourage you to ask yourself…
- Do you value diversity of opinions, ideas, skills and perspectives?
- Do you possess a curious mind, embrace new ideas, and love to utilise insight to uncover opportunity?
- Are you comfortable working across sectors, people and geographies to drive positive outcomes?
- Are you a problem solver, determined to meet challenges with solutions, and able to think and act beyond expectations?
- Do you want to be part of a team that empowers you to be creative and innovative in the way you shape the future and deliver positive change?
These are important attributes we look for in our people, so if these resonate with you we would love to hear from you.
Innovate UK Business Connect has a flexible working policy. We strongly believe that flexible working can increase staff motivation, promote work-life balance, reduce employee stress, and improve performance and productivity.
Diversity and Inclusion at Innovate UK Business Connect
At Innovate UK Business Connect we are committed to Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) throughout our organisation, and D&I is one of IUK Business Connect’s priority areas. D&I is embedded throughout our organisational strategy, including our People Strategy and through the projects and programmes we deliver for and with our clients and partners.
We believe in creating an inclusive and diverse workplace culture that empowers all of us to belong, connect and thrive in our work. Each of us have unique perspectives, lived experiences and skills and we are striving to harness the power of that through our commitment to D&I and to making IUK Business Connect an exceptional place to work for exceptional people.
We acknowledge that the D&I journey is ongoing and we are committed to continual learning and adapting our approach. We welcome you to be part of that journey and drive powerful change, together.
Benefits
We work hard, but we also know you have a family, friends, hobbies, and a life outside the office. That’s why we offer a great benefits package.
Generous time off
- 28 days annual leave plus 10.5 public and privilege days
- Enhanced parental leave
- Flexible working
- Wellbeing programme
Life and Medical
- Enhanced pension - up to 10% employer contribution
- Life Assurance - with additional benefits
- Zurich Life Assurance Benefits, including access to Virtual GP and Second Medical Opinion
Financial Perks
- Wellbeing programme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Wider Wallet employee benefits high street discounts scheme
- Payroll giving (opportunity for you to make a charity donation through payroll)
- Season Ticket Loan
Equipment
- MacBook and iPhone - comprehensive training given
- Contribution to home office equipment (if home based)
Learning and Development
We provide a variety of tools, resources and learning opportunities to support the personal and professional development of our people. In addition to participating in some external course delivery opportunities, we also strongly encourage all our staff to invest in their development through self directed learning which can take many forms such as:
E-learning Content
Diversity & Inclusion training sessions
Leadership Workshops
Internally delivered blogs written by our ‘experts in the field’
Forums for internal networking and sharing of expertise and knowledge
Delivery of ongoing programmes of internally run webinars and workshops
Your recruitment journey
Need support? We can help. We have a number of reasonable adjustments already in place but this is not limited and we are here to offer any additional adjustments you may need. Reach out and let us know recruitment@iuk.ktn-uk.org.
Current Opportunities
Don't worry if you don't see any roles you want to apply for now. Register your interest to allow us to contact you when a suitable role meeting your criteria comes along.