ScaleUp Director - OI Advice : Job Details

Oxford Innovation Advice is the UK’s leading provider of specialist business coaching. Our teams drive economic prosperity by helping SMEs innovate and scale. Over the last 30 years we have delivered business support programmes to more than 30,000 businesses. For more information on our company, please go to: https://

Our Innovate UK Business Growth Team is currently seeking a full-time Scaleup Director. 

Primary Job Purpose

This role is an opportunity for a high calibre, experienced business leader to join Oxford Innovation Advice and become part of Innovate UK Business Growth’s highly regarded Scaleup Programme,  which provides one-to-one bespoke, funded support to innovative scaling companies.

The role will identify and select a group of some of the most ambitious high growth potential innovative SME’s in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and support them in accelerating their journey to significantly scale; helping them structure their companies to be able to seize global opportunities and to become tomorrow's global success stories. The role will be able to ensure the businesses they are working with can make the most of both innovation and global opportunities.

You will be working 37.5 hours per week from home but with regular travel across the country. For more information about Innovate UK Business Growth, please go to: https://business-growth/

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and select ambitious innovation orientated SMEs with the potential and the ability to scale who will benefit from the Scaleup service.
• Assess and understand the Scaleup companies’ specific needs and support them effectively and at a pace set by them. Introducing services and international connectivity along different phases of the company as it grows, augmenting other support available.
• Provide services above and beyond what is available to the target companies via connectivity with the Innovate UK family of services. Providing tailored support to the companies’ needs, connecting them with the people and opportunities that will really accelerate their growth beyond the UK and Europe, by being agile, flexible, and responsive.
• Work with Innovate UK, partner colleagues and other key stakeholders to Identify and map resources in the scaleup ecosystem, to enable a more scale up friendly support environment and a common acknowledgement among the various participants of how they are connected. Establish local and national cooperation to support achievement of this.
• Contribute to the development of a group of exceptionally well-connected Scaleup Advisers, capable of working across borders and disciplines and at the pace the target companies’ demand.
• Support capacity building of the Innovate UK/UKRI network through the utilisation of the Scaleup Adviser team to provide training and upskilling support to the internationalisation and innovation adviser group.
• Facilitating small discrete peer to peer groups from their scaleup client portfolio to interact and to stimulate an increase of their ambition to scale as well as benefit from the cross fertilisation of ideas and discussion.
• Deliver, facilitate, present, and attend at workshops and events. This includes attending national and international conferences and exhibitions and supporting companies with trade missions.
• Report performance against KPIs to the Programme Coordinator/s.

The Scaleup Director will be high calibre and capable of being a combination of coach, mentor, critical friend, and champion to this exceedingly demanding group of client companies. This person will be:

• Well-connected and networked (ideally having international connectivity or access to it), with an extensive book of contacts.
• Have grown their own business and understand what it takes to succeed in global markets.
• Have experience of raising funds. £5m+ equity or debt.
• Experience /understanding of floating on AIM, M&As.
• Accelerating entry in new markets.
• Working with and attracting high level NEDs.
• Understand what is required to help SMEs meet the requirements of large companies and their supply chains
• Have a global mindset and experience in the legal and operational aspects of doing business abroad.
• A good understanding of group structures.
• An understanding of the value in implementing strategies across international markets.
• Awareness of the benefit of leveraging multiple support schemes, such as grants, R&D tax credits, debt and equity, financial guarantees, etc.
• Exceptional networking, business development and sales skills
• Be self-motivated and results driven.
• Have excellent organisational and planning skills, plus a meticulous focus on quality
• Strong project and time management skills
• Communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.

What is in it for you as our ScaleUp Director:

• Competitive basic salary
• Contributory pension scheme with up to 5% matching contributions
• 25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays with the opportunity to buy/sell up to 5 days
• Flexible benefits options, which include private health and dental schemes for individuals and their dependents, health assessments
• Access to a wide range of discounts including high street favourites and holiday providers
• Work from home, coupled with flexible working
• Access to 26 Oxford Innovation offices around the UK

About Us

Oxford Innovation Advice is a dynamic and fast growing company where a culture of constant innovation and mutual respect delivers bottom line results from within a stimulating and challenging working environment. Part of SQW Group, our sister divisions provide flexible office space for start-up and growing technology companies, Angel investment networks and co-investment fund management plus public policy and economic development consultancy services in the UK, Europe and Asia. 

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

Our closing date for applications is Monday 30 September 2024. We reserve the right to appoint prior to this date, therefore applications should be submitted as soon as possible.