Senior Business Engagement Manager

Licensed sponsor Harwell Posted 1 day ago

The Role

The Rosalind Franklin Institute (the Franklin) is a national research institute dedicated to developing disruptive technologies that transform our understanding of biology and improve human health. Working across physical sciences, engineering, computation and biology, the Franklin brings together leading researchers to tackle complex scientific challenges and accelerate scientific discovery.

As the Franklin continues to grow its scientific capability and industrial impact, we are seeking an experienced and proactive business engagement professional to strengthen our industry partnerships, increase opportunities for collaboration and translation, and support the commercial development of Franklin technologies and expertise.

The Senior Business Engagement Manager will play a leading role in developing and managing Franklin's portfolio of industrial relationships, partnerships and commercial opportunities.

Working closely with Challenge Leaders, and senior researchers, the postholder will identify opportunities to connect the Franklin's world-class science and technology capabilities with external organisations across sectors including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, health technology, advanced engineering, instrumentation, AI, data science and related industries.

The role combines strategic relationship management, business development, partnership creation and support for commercialisation activities. The successful candidate will work with researchers and external partners to develop collaborative projects, translational programmes, licensing opportunities and pathways to impact.

The postholder will also contribute to developing a culture of engagement and translation across the Institute by providing training, guidance and practical support to researchers and professional services colleagues.

Key Responsibilities

As Senior Business Engagement Manager, you will:

Industry Partnership Development

Develop and manage a portfolio of strategic industrial relationships aligned to Franklin's scientific priorities.
Identify and secure new partnership opportunities with companies, innovation organisations and investors.
Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders across industry, academia and the innovation ecosystem.
Work with scientific leaders to understand emerging industrial needs and identify opportunities for collaboration.
Develop account management plans for key industry partners.
Represent Franklin at conferences, industry events, networking activities and stakeholder meetings.

Business Development and Income Generation

Develop a pipeline of partnership, sponsorship and collaborative research opportunities.
Support the generation of income through industrial collaborations, consultancy, translational funding and strategic partnerships.
Work with researchers and facility managers to develop compelling propositions for external partners.
Support the preparation of business cases, partnership proposals and funding applications.
Identify routes to expand Franklin's engagement with sectors relevant to its scientific strengths.

Commercialisation and Translation

Work with researchers to identify technologies, capabilities and expertise with commercial potential.
Support the progression of intellectual property opportunities in collaboration with external commercialisation and technology transfer partners.
Contribute to the development of commercialisation pathways, including licensing opportunities and collaborative development projects.
Assist with market assessment, partner identification and technology positioning activities.
Support the development and maintenance of a visible pipeline of translational and commercial opportunities.

Business Engagement Programmes

Design and deliver programmes that connect Franklin researchers with industry.
Develop workshops, networking activities, industry showcases and capability demonstrations.
Create opportunities for businesses to engage with Franklin research programmes and technology platforms.
Establish mechanisms for gathering industry insight and informing strategic planning.

Training and Capability Development

Develop training and guidance materials to improve commercial awareness and engagement skills across the Institute.
Provide practical advice and mentoring to researchers seeking to engage with industry.

Internal Collaboration

Support coordination between scientific and operational teams.
Contribute to organisational planning, reporting and impact evaluation activities.
Promote best practice in partnership management and external engagement across the Institute.

Reporting Structure

The postholder will be reporting to Director of Strategic Marketing and will work closely with:

Institute Director and Chief Operating Officer
Challenge Leaders
Research Grants and Contracts Team
Communications Team
Innovation Manager
External commercialisation and technology transfer partner
Franklin’s external advisory boards

Direct Reports

No direct reports initially, although the successful candidate may contribute to the development and supervision of future business engagement staff or placement students.

Before submitting your application please ensure you read the Job Information Pack for full details of this role. This can be found at the bottom of the page.

This job description sets out the skills and experience we believe are needed to be able to do this job but, research also tells us women are much more likely than men to take this list of requirements as absolute and self-select out of the process. If you think you can deliver this role then we want to hear from you, regardless of the boxes you did not tick.

In return we offer

25 days holidays plus bank holidays and Christmas holiday shutdown
Generous pension scheme (employer’s contribution currently up to 18%)
Group Life Assurance (also known as Group Life Insurance or Death in Service)
Buying and Selling Annual Leave
Workplace Nursery Salary Sacrifice Scheme
Hub building with state-of-the-art laboratories
Hybrid and flexible working
Training and development opportunities for staff at all levels
Bus pass discount scheme and good transport links to Oxford and surrounding areas
Cycle to Work Scheme
Access to employee discount platform (Perkbox)
Occupational Health and wellbeing support including Employee Assistance (24/7 support and counselling)
Health Cash Plan
Subsidised canteen and food outlets on campus
Free on-site parking
Campus location in beautiful countryside with social and sports clubs open to staff

The Franklin’s underlying aim is to produce the best science for research today, and this means resolutely embracing a diverse team, who have a wide range of experiences, skills and knowledge to push forward on the innovative work our institution delivers. Both our work and our institution are better for it. For further information, view our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where every applicant has an equal opportunity to showcase their talents and abilities. This includes making adjustments for candidates with specific needs. Please contact us at recruitment@rfi.ac.uk to discuss your requirements confidentially.

At the Rosalind Franklin Institute we also welcome applications from all around the world!

How to Apply

To be considered for this role, please upload a CV and cover letter explaining why you think you are the right person for this job. The link to apply is provided at the bottom of this page. In addition to describing overall fit with the role, candidates should address the question below explicitly in their covering letter: Describe a time when you converted a complex technical opportunity into a partnership, project, funding award, commercial agreement, or other tangible outcome. What was your personal contribution?

Closing date: The closing date for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 15th November 2026.

Interviews will be held on Monday 23rd November 2026.

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