Head of North America and Asia

Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect. Applications must be submitted by 08-06-2026.

Based in the UK, the role holder will lead Innovate UK’s engagement with North America, Asian and Australasian markets, working closely with Growth Sector Programme teams to identify and deliver international engagement, innovation and expansion opportunities for Innovate UK business cohorts in these markets.

Context and Purpose:

The role holder will directly manage a team of four Partnership Managers covering North America, Asia and Australasia and will report to the Deputy Director – Global. The successful candidate will work collaboratively as a senior leader in the Global team, the Business Growth and Global Directorate to deliver the Global team’s and Directorate’s objectives.

We are looking for an individual with a passion for supporting UK businesses to grow and scale globally, who is very comfortable and credible building strong relationships with a diverse range of external and internal stakeholders, and is attuned to working across a range of international cultures and contexts. The individual must be comfortable working across a wide range of sectors and technologies that they may not be familiar with but are prepared to learn about, and be able to speak to those externally. International engagement is a collaborative sport, and the individual must be prepared to work collaboratively with their direct team and the wider team.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Be key point of contact for Innovate UK with North America, Asian and Australasian priority countries and markets, working with the Partnership Managers to handle our organisational relationships with foreign governments and innovation agencies, UK Science and Tech Network colleagues and other HMG colleagues at post, the UKRI overseas offices, and other key stakeholders and partners.
• Lead and work with Partnership Managers to develop Innovate UK bilateral relationships with North American, Asian and Australasian innovation ecosystems.
• Work collaboratively with Growth Sector Programmes to develop and deliver international programmes with these countries and markets.
• Build effective working relationships with key contacts in UKRI, DSIT, STN and where appropriate, DBT; and represent Innovate UK and UK industry perspectives in UK government and UKRI discussions.
• Lead, motivate and support the career development of the team.
• Work closely with the Deputy Director - Global and the other Heads of function within the Global team to contribute to the development of Innovate UK's overall Global approach and programming; as well as UKRI's international strategy.
• Provide thought leadership in key public forums and expert representation in key government fora.
• Support outward and inward delegation visits from North American, Asian and Australasian partners to the UK, and UK stakeholders to those markets.

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Person Specification:

Experience & Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level or post graduate level or have an equivalent qualification and/or strong and relevant experience at senior level.
• Stakeholder relationships: You will have handled wide-ranging and complex stakeholder relationships, including with senior-level individuals.
• Partnership development: You will have built effective organisational-level partnerships, preferably with international partners.
• Collaborative working: You will have experience and show passion for collaborating across teams, organisations and complex networks with multiple stakeholders of a business and political nature.
• Line management: You will have effectively line managed colleagues.
• Programme development and delivery: You will have developed and delivered innovation support-focussed programmes from inception through to impact tracking, including delivering programmes and activities to support the growth and scaling of businesses.
• Financial management: You will have effectively managed substantial (£m) budgets, including forecasting and cost control.

• Work in an international environment and understanding of different business cultures.
• Work in international science or innovation, preferably in a policy, industrial or business context.
• Tracking project impacts and handling a portfolio of activities, projects, or investments.

Competencies:

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving, Stakeholder management, Communication skills, Influencing, Self-awareness/self-management, Strategic awareness, Working with others, Project management. Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria listed in the person specification.

Travel Requirements:

Field-based: There will be a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity.

Equal Opportunities:

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person.

Employee Benefits:

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

Applications must be submitted by 08-06-2026.