Head of Partnerships & Grants in Gloucester

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. The business has three main divisions: development of automated production machines, development of software design and production tools, and operation of the factory. We work with 25+ customers and completed the largest ever Series A in composites manufacturing to fuel a significant scale-up, with growth plans that will see the business multiply in size over the next two to three years and expand operations into the UK, Europe and the US.

The business has currently more than 130,000 sqm of production capacity with manufacturing facilities in the UK (Gloucester and Swindon) and the US (Dayton, Ohio); a Hardware R&D Centre in Bristol, UK; and a Software R&D Centre in Athens, Greece.

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.
• Map the European and UK funding landscape against our technology and commercial priorities, and turn it into a quarterly funding plan signed off by the executive.
• 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.
• Draft and own the proposal end to end with the support of your team. Technical narrative, innovation case, market and impact, costings, partner descriptions, risk register, project plan, exec summary.
• Coordinate senior stakeholders across Engineering, Design, Operations, Finance and Commercial so that every input lands on time and at the standard the bid needs.
• Track scoring feedback, win and loss patterns, and turn them into a sharper playbook each quarter.
• Work shoulder to shoulder with Business Development to 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.
• You see grant funded programmes for what they are: a way to build the relationships, the references and the revenue that turn a category of one technology into the default choice across an industry.
• Significant business development experience in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defence, automotive, space or adjacent deep tech sectors. You have closed partnerships and you have closed deals.

Must have:

• A strong track record with European and UK grants. You have written, won and delivered funded programmes.
• Outstanding research skills. Meticulous, structured, fast. You can read a 60 page call document and have a sharp view of fit and win probability the same day.
• 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. You can pull an Operations Director and a Head of Manufacturing into the same room, set a deadline, and have the work in your inbox on time.
• Excellent writing. Clear, precise, persuasive. Technical when it needs to be, commercial when it needs to be.
• 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 (NCC, AMRC, Fraunhofer, DLR, ONERA, CIRA, Demokritos and similar) or relevant universities.
• Working knowledge of EU defence funding instruments (EDF, PESCO, EIC, Horizon Europe Cluster 4 and Cluster 5).

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. Recognized by Bloomberg as a "UK Startup to Watch," iCOMAT celebrates diversity and encourages all applicants, regardless of background, to apply.
• 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.

Ready to be part of something big? Apply now to learn more and join us on our exciting journey!