Innovation Manager: SME Acceleration

Company overview

The Aerospace Technology Institute sits at the centre of UK aerospace research and technology. It is responsible for the UK’s Aerospace Technology Strategy and the promotion of transformative technology in air transport, representing a joint industry and Government commitment to R&D funding of over £5 billion to 2035. The ATI represents a single, coherent national aerospace technology development programme that aims to strengthen the links between industry and academia whilst maximising opportunities for UK industry to gain access to European R&T programmes. It is a truly game-changing initiative, whose objective is to secure economic growth for the UK’s aerospace sector, for a more sustainable future. Projects funded through the ATI programme secure jobs, maintain skills and deliver economic benefits across the UK.

The ATI establishes the pathway for technology progression for UK aerospace, which builds on the UK’s strengths and responds to the challenges faced by the UK civil aerospace sector. It also provides a roadmap of the innovation necessary to keep the UK competitive in the global aerospace market, whilst also complementing the broader strategy for the sector created by the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP).

The ATI works in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Innovate UK to offer funding streams designed to accelerate innovation in the UK to maintain global competitiveness.

A small and young company charged with a big responsibility, the ATI encourages free thinking and innovation. We need individuals with drive, passion, ability to adapt and work flexibly, and who share our ambitions for the sector and UK. Our team is collaborative, open, respectful, positive and supportive.

More information about the ATI is available on its website: www.ati.org.uk

Mission Statement

Transforming aerospace through technology and innovation.

Company Values

• We Collaborate for Success
• We provide Independent Leadership
• We are Forward Thinking

Diversity & Inclusion

We are experts in our field, trusted to be impartial in our activities, and present a fair and independent view. We are passionate about innovation and technology and understand the rewards of bringing together a diverse and forward-thinking team to explore, enhance and shape our aerospace agenda. We are committed to equality in everything we do. We are proud to lead by example, demonstrating independent leadership and collaborating for success in all aspects of our work.

The Opportunity

Position Title: Innovation Manager: SME Acceleration

Job Type: Permanent, Full-time

Location: London (Hybrid)

Travel: As Required

Reporting to: Head of Innovation

The Role

The Innovation Manager: SME Acceleration is a delivery-focused innovation management role within the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), sitting in the Strategy & Innovation function.

The role is accountable for building and progressing ATI’s SME innovation pipeline, including identifying high-potential companies, supporting their growth and investment readiness, and enabling access to funding, partners and private capital.

This includes ownership of the SME journey from early engagement through to funding, partnership and investment outcomes, ensuring a high-quality experience for innovators and consistent delivery against ATI priorities.

A core part of the role is building and maintaining strong relationships with SMEs and startups across the aerospace sector, understanding their needs, barriers and growth opportunities, and using that insight to shape practical support offers that are relevant, user-led and responsive to where companies most need help. This will include a strong focus on supporting companies with increasing their investability and connecting them with opportunities to attract private capital.

ATI supports innovation in the aerospace sector through its funding programmes, alongside a range of innovation and acceleration activities that help organisations build capability, work through complex challenges and collaborate more effectively. These activities include ATI Hub, ATI’s platform for innovation support, engagement and collaboration, and bring together innovators, technologists, investors and other stakeholders to provide practical support, create collaboration opportunities and increase visibility across the sector.

The Innovation Manager: SME Acceleration leads the delivery and continuous improvement of ATI Hub and related SME acceleration activity. The role is operational, delivery-led and externally facing.

The role requires close, proactive engagement with innovators, managing complex delivery and improving how systems and processes work in practice. It also helps ATI understand the needs and growth barriers of aerospace SMEs, and turn that insight into practical support that enables company growth, including commercial activity, employment and investment.

This role involves working closely with SMEs and startups, as well as partners across industry, finance, academia and government, and contributing to ATI’s wider role in connecting innovators with relevant expertise, opportunities and collaborators across the aerospace innovation ecosystem. It offers a strong opportunity to build insight into the UK aerospace innovation ecosystem and help deliver practical support in a nationally important sector.

The role plays a central part in progressing SMEs towards investment readiness and supporting access to private capital and co-investment opportunities alongside ATI funding.

Accountabilities

• Ownership of SME pipeline tracking, segmentation and progression (e.g. early-stage, scaling, investment-ready)
• Supporting SME progression towards grant funding, commercial partnerships, investment readiness and access to private capital
• Development and delivery of SME acceleration offerings, including SME clinics offering technology, funding and investment support
• Planning and delivery of Showcases to connect innovators with industrial partners and investors
• Continuous improvement of tools, workflows and delivery approaches
• Contribution to ATI’s core funding programme through assessment and moderation activity

Success measures

• Participation and engagement outcomes, including number of SMEs supported, repeat engagement and attendance rates across clinics, sessions and events
• Quality of experience for innovators, including feedback scores, NPS, qualitative insight and evidence that support was useful and actionable
• Progression outcomes for supported SMEs, such as referrals into ATI funding pathways or other relevant sector opportunities, and improved readiness to engage partners, customers or funders
• Number of SMEs progressing into ATI funding or external investment opportunities
• Evidence of improved investment readiness across supported SMEs
• Capital raised or co-investment activity facilitated, where measurable

Key Responsibilities

1. SME engagement and support development

A core part of the role is owning the ATI pipeline of SMEs and startups, building strong relationships, analysing their needs, ambitions and barriers, and using this insight to shape practical support that helps them progress to tangible outcomes. This includes:

• Identifying SMEs and startups within aerospace and adjacent sectors with potential to make a significant impact on the UK aerospace sector
• Acting as a key point of contact for selected innovators and building trusted relationships over time, developing a strong understanding of their technologies, ambitions, barriers and support needs
• Shaping, delivering and evolving a range of user-led support offerings based on SME needs, barriers and opportunities
• Supporting high-potential companies to build strong industrial relationships
• Supporting selected companies to access forms of investment complementary to ATI grant funding, by helping them improve investment readiness and facilitating relevant introductions alongside colleagues who lead investor relationships
• Building relationships with adjacent sector organisations — including defence, space, automotive, nuclear and other relevant industries — to identify technology innovators and connect with them where their capabilities could bring value to the aerospace sector
• Supporting SMEs through structured progression from early engagement to investment-ready status
• Facilitating introductions to investors and supporting co-investment alongside ATI funding (in collaboration with relevant colleagues)
• Working with the Technology team to align SME capability with priority technology areas

This work helps ensure ATI’s innovation and acceleration activity is informed by SME need, grounded in real demand, and connected to opportunities for collaboration, technology adoption and cross‑sector innovation where this can bring value to aerospace.

2.ATI Hub delivery, operations and continuous improvement

The Innovation Manager: SME Acceleration is accountable for the end‑to‑end delivery of ATI Hub activity and related SME acceleration activities, including owning the delivery plan, independently scheduling, coordinating and delivering clinics, Bootcamps, Showcases and other support activity. The role also helps ensure that the tools, workflows and data that underpin delivery are effective and continue to evolve as ATI’s needs change. This includes:

• Owning the ATI Hub delivery plan and coordinating clinics, Bootcamps, Showcases and other SME acceleration activities to schedule, applying practical project and event management disciplines to ensure successful delivery
• Owning the content and curriculum for ATI Hub activity, and coordinating internal and external contributors
• Helping to maintain and improve the tools, workflows and data processes that support ATI Hub delivery, including how information about companies is captured, managed and used across relevant platforms
• Capturing participation data, feedback and insight, and using it to improve formats, guidance and support mechanisms, over time
• Ensuring ATI Hub activity supports SME pipeline progression and measurable outcomes (funding, partnerships, investment readiness)

The role involves managing multiple activities in parallel, with support from the waver team, and ensuring delivery remains consistent, well‑governed and continually improved.

3. Contribution to ATI’s funding programme

Alongside ATI Hub and SME acceleration delivery, the role will regularly contribute to ATI’s core funding programme by acting as an assessor on applications, focusing on business cases, market opportunity and exploitation strategy, and supporting consistent, well‑evidenced recommendations.

• Reviewing applications and forming clear, evidence‑based judgements on commercial potential, market opportunity, exploitation plans and delivery credibility
• Working with Technology assessors and programme colleagues to align views and ensure a well‑reasoned and consistent basis for recommendations
• Contributing to moderation and review discussions, including surfacing risks, assumptions and key issues to support robust and balanced decision‑making
• Providing clear, constructive feedback that helps applicants understand strengths, gaps and priority areas for improvement

The Team

ATI is a small, collaborative organisation where people work closely across functions and value clarity, curiosity and teamwork.

This role presents a unique opportunity to help shape the future of UK aerospace and air travel by connecting innovation activity, industry demand, SME growth and private capital. The candidate will gain a privileged perspective across the aerospace innovation ecosystem and beyond, with exceptional opportunities to build networks across innovators, investors, industry, government and research organisations.

It works hand‑in‑hand with colleagues focused on industry acceleration and investor engagement, linking SME capability with industry demand and supporting access to potential funders.

The Candidate

We’re seeking a candidate who shares our core values and brings them to life in everything they do. The candidate will need to demonstrate a forward‑thinking mindset and lead with accountability. They must believe in the power of collaboration for success by working effectively with others to achieve shared goals.

The successful candidate will be motivated by supporting innovation in practice and helping organisations navigate complex technical, commercial and collaborative environments.

The ideal candidate is likely to bring a combination of:

• Experience in innovation management, innovation delivery or acceleration delivery
• Experience working in highly technical industries, such as aerospace, or the ability to absorb complex technical information quickly
• Experience planning and delivering events or showcase activity, such as demo days, innovation showcases, conferences or trade show exhibits, with strong project management, logistics and stakeholder coordination skills
• A strong understanding of market and commercial considerations, including routes to adoption, scale and investment
• An interest in working closely with external organisations and building constructive, supportive relationships

We welcome applications from people who meet the essential experience requirements and feel excited by the role, even if they do not meet every desirable criterion.

Competencies

• Strong organisation and coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities in a structured and calm way
• A practical, well‑organised approach to project and programme delivery
• Confidence working with a wide range of stakeholders, internally and externally
• Ability to work across a linked innovation system, connecting SME capability, industry demand, funding routes and investment‑facing opportunities
• Clear, concise communication tailored to different audiences
• Critical thinking and sound judgement, particularly where evidence is incomplete, evolving or ambiguous
• Curiosity, learning agility and the ability to question assumptions and interpret complex technical and commercial information

Education and Experience

• Relevant experience in innovation delivery, accelerator delivery, technology commercialisation, research and development, venture investment or business scale‑up is essential
• A higher‑education qualification in a relevant area, such as engineering, business or strategy, is helpful but not essential

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

ATI Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Hybrid working policy, with daily core hours
• Attractive pension scheme
• Bupa Private Medical Insurance
• EV Scheme
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Life Assurance
• Perkbox Reward & Recognition Scheme
• Professional development training
• Paid membership to one professional body per year
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays and additional Christmas leave
• Additional one day of leave upon reaching 3,5, and 7 years of continuous service
• Birthday leave
• Workplace Nursery Scheme
• Family friendly leave policies

Assignment Process and Timeline

Short‑listed applicants will go through a two‑stage interview process with the ATI. Offers of employment are subject to the completion of satisfactory background verification checks.

This role is open for applications until 18 October 2026.

Contact details

For more information on this assignment, please contact hr@ati.org.uk

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