Head of Partnerships & Grants in Bristol

Join ICOMAT – Revolutionising the Future of Lightweight Manufacturing! iCOMAT is an advanced manufacturing company that invented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) - the only proven technology for producing defect‑free curved‑fiber composite parts at industrial scale. We deliver the lightest structures possible for aerospace, automotive, defense, and space, at a rate and cost efficiency that far exceeds existing composite production processes. We build and operate automated factories for composite materials, delivering components to Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.

This is a brand new senior role with a clear mandate: build the ICOMAT ecosystem across Europe / UK by securing the right partners and the right grant‑funded programmes. Over the last two years ICOMAT has run 15+ grant applications. We are now scaling that engine. You will own it end‑to‑end.

This role exists to do two things at once:

• Find and build the partnerships that put ICOMAT into the most important consortia in European advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence, automotive and space.
• Run the grants machine that turns those relationships into funded programmes that move our technology, our customers and our roadmap forward.

What will you be doing?

• Grant strategy: A live pipeline of UK and European funding opportunities, prioritised against ICOMAT’s technology roadmap and commercial strategy.
• Partner and consortium development: Identify, qualify and convert new partners across primes, Tier 1s, RTOs, universities and SMEs. Build consortia where ICOMAT leads, and consortia where ICOMAT is the partner of choice.
• Proposal writing and submission: Lead the writing with your team. Own the narrative, the technical case, the market sizing, the costs, the work breakdown, the risk register, and the submission.
• Internal orchestration: Pull in the right senior people from Engineering, Design, Operations and Commercial. Make sure they know what is needed, by when, and at what quality. Hit every deadline.
• Ecosystem visibility: Represent ICOMAT at the right tables: cluster bodies, trade missions, consortium meetings, EU/UK funding events. Build the relationships before the call opens, not after.
• Open new doors: Meet new businesses, primes, RTOs and SMEs across the UK and Europe to qualify them as potential consortium partners or co‑applicants.
• Lead bid kick‑offs internally: Set the win theme, the work breakdown, the resource asks, the timeline and the named owners across every internal team.
• Coordinate senior stakeholders: Track scoring feedback, win and loss patterns, and turn them into a sharper playbook each quarter.
• Work shoulder to shoulder with Business Development: Ensure grant funded programmes feed and accelerate the commercial pipeline, not run parallel to it.

What do we need from you?

• You are a builder and a business developer. You are equally comfortable in a research deep dive as you are in a room with a Tier 1 prime’s strategy lead.
• Significant business development experience in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence, automotive, space or adjacent deep tech sectors.
• A strong track record with European and UK grants. You have written, won and delivered funded programmes.
• Outstanding research skills. Meticulous, structured, fast.
• A consortium builder’s instinct. You map ecosystems quickly, find the right partners, and broker the conversations that get them on the bid.
• Senior stakeholder management at pace.
• Excellent writing. Clear, precise, persuasive.
• Mobility across UK and Europe. Comfortable travelling for partner meetings, consortium workshops and funding events.

Nice To Have:

• Direct experience in composites, materials, advanced manufacturing or robotics.
• An existing network across European primes, RTOs or relevant universities.
• Working knowledge of EU defence funding instruments.

Our Values: Uncompromising Excellence. Discipline over excuses. We commit. We follow through. We hold ourselves and each other to the highest standard, especially when the pressure is on. Push the edge. iCOMAT was built on a refusal to accept that curved fiber could not be manufactured at scale. We innovate where others hesitate. Aligned and accountable. Everyone owns their lane, communicates openly, and delivers without being chased. No silos. No ambiguity.

Why iCOMAT?

• Competitive Salary & Benefits: We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including private healthcare, pension scheme.
• Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success.
• Career Growth Opportunities: Join us at a pivotal time as we scale up, offering unmatched professional growth opportunities in the rapidly advancing field of composite materials.
• Innovation‑Focused Culture: We pride ourselves on our inclusive, forward‑thinking work environment.
• Global Impact: Be a part of our mission to redefine lightweight structures for the automotive, aerospace and space industries, working with some of the most influential companies worldwide.

Apply now to learn more and join us on our exciting journey!