Director of Commercial Innovation in Chesterton

The Director of Commercial Innovation will lead the transformation of the Royal Agricultural University’s innovation ecosystem based at the University's Cirencester campus. This role is responsible for designing, building, and scaling a high-value innovation cluster that bridges the gap between research validation and commercial adoption across land, food, agriculture, sustainability, and rural enterprise. The Director will shape the Alliston Centre as Building 1 of the RAU's Innovation Village by establishing global partnerships, commercial programmes, specialist knowledge hubs, and revenue-generating services that integrate RAU's academic assets with industry demand.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Vision
  • Lead the repositioning of the Alliston Centre into a specialist, RAU-aligned innovation ecosystem.
  • Develop and execute a unified commercial strategy that integrates memberships, CPD, consultancy, knowledge hubs, and strategic partnerships.
  • Establish the Centre as the commercial crucible for the future Innovation Village, testing new institutes, business models, and impact metrics.
• Revenue Growth & Commercialisation
  • Oversee the consolidation of Farm491, Growth Hub, and other legacy brands into a single membership model.
  • Expand high-margin revenue streams including: CPD & Lifelong Learning (target: £300k), Membership & virtual ecosystem (target: £250k), Specialist Knowledge Hubs (target: £250k), Consultancy, sprints, challenge prizes, and corporate partnerships.
  • Implement a 70% gross margin baseline for all new commercial activity.
• Ecosystem Building & Industry Partnerships
  • Recruit and manage Anchor Partners across agriculture, sustainability, food systems, and rural innovation.
  • Build global institutional links and secure strategic partnerships with corporates, investors, and international research bodies.
  • Lead the creation of a £50 M external venture fund headquartered at the Alliston Centre (advisory role, no fund management).
  • Position the Centre as a high-growth magnet within the Oxford-Bristol-Golden Valley innovation arc.
• Operational Excellence & Data-Driven Management
  • Implement a unified CRM and data pipeline to track lead generation, conversion, retention, and ecosystem lifetime value (LTV).
  • Oversee spatial optimisation, including redesigning meeting rooms and under-utilised spaces.
• Academic Integration & RAU Alignment
  • Ensure all commercial activity supports RAU's core values: Academic & Student Value, Industry Value, Innovation Value.
  • Embed “translation-first” protocols into RAU research bids (KTPs, industrial bids, JV research).
  • Oversee the Student Consultancy Programme to enhance student experience and SME engagement.
• Undertake any other duties and responsibilities commensurate with the grade of the post, directed by the line manager. You may also be required to undertake alternative, additional, or ancillary duties from time to time as the University may reasonably direct.

Qualifications

• Higher degree and/or professional qualification.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Proven track record of leading innovation hubs or accelerators, research commercialisation units, or sector-specific clusters.
• Strong knowledge of agriculture, land management, sustainability and rural enterprise sectors.
• Evidence of delivering significant revenue growth through services, partnerships, memberships, or commercial programmes.
• Experience working with investors, venture funds, or innovation finance (not necessarily as a fund manager).
• Demonstrated success in securing corporate partnerships, anchor clients, or strategic alliances.
• Demonstrable understanding of university-industry partnerships, KTPs, industrial bids, and translational research.
• Ability to design and execute a coherent commercial strategy across multiple revenue streams.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, including public speaking and thought leadership.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret financial data, margins, and performance metrics.
• Strong stakeholder management across academia, industry, government, and investors.

The University is committed to equality of opportunity. All staff are required to comply with current legislation, University policies and good practice guidance.