Join the UK’s innovation agency!

Graduate recruitment 2015

Closing date 31 March 2015

Taking a new idea to market is a challenge. Our role is to fund, support and connect innovative British businesses, through a unique mix of people and programmes, to accelerate sustainable economic growth.

We have a great purpose, and to achieve this we need great people working for us.

This year we’re launching our first graduate recruitment scheme to bring new talent to our dynamic team. We need people to help take our organisation to the next level as we build on what we have already achieved, helping many of the most innovative ideas and businesses in the UK towards commercial success.

If you are a determined, bright, goal-orientated person who will graduate in 2015, or who graduated last year, then you could be what we are looking for. If you want to be part of the UK’s economic future, and to be at the forefront of change for the better, then maybe you have what it takes to join us.

We are the UK’s Innovation

agency

Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

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Welcome

About Innovate UK

Meet our people

Departments and roles

Support and development

How to apply

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

The world faces major challenges – from climate change, to resource use, to changing age demographics – which are creating global market opportunities for entirely new solutions. The countries most likely to benefit from these opportunities will be those that can innovate most rapidly.

But many factors hamper innovation. Companies can struggle to find finance for early-stage development, the returns can be hard to predict, and the innovation ‘landscape’ can be complex and confusing.

Innovate UK tackles these barriers. We work across business, academia and government - supporting innovative projects, reducing risk, creating partnerships, and promoting collaboration, knowledge exchange and open innovation.

Since Innovate UK was established, together with business and partners we have co-invested around £3 billion in innovation and helped over 5,000 companies on their innovation journeys.

In short, we fund, support and connect innovative British businesses, through a unique mix of people and programmes, to accelerate sustainable economic growth.

About Innovate UK

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Innovate UK was originally established in 2007 as the Technology Strategy Board, and is a public body funded by government and sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Since 2007 our organisation has grown rapidly in size, reach and responsibility. We currently employ about 230 people.

Our values:Solution-focused

Passionate about innovation

Curious and creative

One dynamic team

Committed to helping one another

Our organisation

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

We have helped over 5,000 companies with their projects; this is one.

Flexeye, founded in 2005, designs Operational Intelligence (OI) systems that unlock business value from operational data. The company needed partners and funding to enhance its position as a global pioneer in developing the common standards and protocols to unlock the ‘Internet of Things’ - connecting physical infrastructures and products with a digital infrastructure supported by the internet.

Flexeye has succeeded in winning funding and support from Innovate UK for a number of collaborative projects, helping it to maintain its position as an innovator in one of the fastest moving industries on the planet.

Flexeye now employs a team of 45 highly-skilled staff at its head office in Guildford, and offices in London, Los Angeles and Hyderabad, India.

Founder Justin Anderson said “We’re very lucky in the support we get from Innovate UK. It’s given us all sorts of opportunities for R&D and helped us build fantastic partnerships with the likes of Jaguar, Cosworth, BT and BAE. It’s an exhilarating time to be in our business… I can’t wait to get to work every day because we’re working on some really exciting stuff and we are leading the charge for the UK.”

Flexeye - unlocking the internet of things

“We are very lucky in the support we get from

Innovate UK. It’s given us all sorts of opportunities for R&D and helped us build fantastic

partnerships”

Justin AndersonFlexeye

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Meet our peopleEmily – Finance and Governance

“I have worked at Innovate UK for several years now and the excitement for me has certainly never calmed down. We have grown immensely and at such a pace, it has been incredibly fascinating to see the developments of the organisation unfold around me. There is such a wide variety of staff talent, with such wonderful ideas that most certainly push the barriers of what you perceive as achievable. Whether you are in an admin or support role or working as a lead technologist, you always feel a part of the success of UK Innovation.”

“Whether you are in an admin or support

role or working as a lead technologist,

you always feel a part of the success of UK

Innovation”

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

“Working at Innovate UK is truly

exciting... I feel lucky to have glimpses at

what it may be like in the future”

JonOperations

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Harsh Innovation Programmes

“I recently joined Innovate UK as a lead technologist in the Energy team. It is an organisation with a unique purpose, supporting innovation across the UK economy.

I received a warm welcome when I joined and all throughout the induction process. I have been impressed by the talented and engaged staff with plenty of conversations about cutting edge technologies. In my role supporting carbon reduction in the energy sector, I cover exciting pre-commercial technologies such as CCS, hydrogen, industrial energy efficiency, and fuel cells. I am motivated by the huge economic and environmental benefits to the UK if these can be commercialised.”

Jon Operations

“Working at Innovate UK is truly exciting; to experience so many different projects and technologies is not something many have the opportunity to do, and I feel lucky to have glimpses at what it may be like in the future. It will never be easy to appreciate the full impact of InnovateUK funding due to the scale, but knowing that one day I could come across something and be able to say ‘we funded that’ would be great.

With this, there is a genuine sense of personal pride to be able to say I work at Innovate UK.”

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“My new role has allowed me to

immediately get involved in a big new

initiative in the life sciences sector ”

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Sophie – Innovation Programmes

“I joined Innovate UK in January 2015 and my new role at Innovate UK has allowed me to immediately get involved in a big new initiative in the life sciences sector – the development of a new Catapult in the area of precision medicine. Through my involvement in the Catapult location decision-making process, I have met just over a hundred new contacts in my first month in the job including companies, academics, clinicians, ministers and chief scientific advisers.

My experience of the organisation has been very positive – arriving on day one I received a clearly defined induction and networking programme to help me to settle in. I would definitely recommend Innovate UK as an employer, in fact I’ve already spoken to two colleagues in my external network who are looking for a job here!”

Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Anna Information Technology

“Joining Innovate UK during a period of rapid growth has meant I’ve been able to help shape the direction of the organisation as well as making sure we have the right resources in place to get where we need to be. There are lots of opportunities for collaboration across departments and it is refreshing to work with colleagues who are so passionate about their specialist areas, be it digital communications or low impact buildings. Hard work is recognised and I’ve been lucky enough to have the support of my team to progress in terms of my own career development.

The Innovate UK 2014 event was a highlight for me, not only seeing all the imaginative products we’ve supported but also hearing about the stream of creative ideas and solutions that others are looking to make a reality. I look forward to seeing what we can help deliver in 2015.”

Christian Innovation Programmes

“I enjoy working at Innovate UK because of the multitude of backgrounds and experience that our people have. One day you can be talking to someone about the next generation of solar cell, another the attitude of people towards electric vehicles, and the next, novel digital solutions for healthcare.

What gets really exciting is when some of those conversations turn into new possibilities for another sector and start to develop as ideas of how we can support business. Innovate UK is a hive of all sorts of activities, all with one goal, to help support UK businesses develop their innovations to help solve challenges we all face today and in the future.”

“I enjoy working at Innovate UK because

of the multitude of backgrounds and

experience that our people have”

ChristianInnovation

Programmes

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Operations

The Operations directorate manages the whole of the Grant Operations process from initial conception to agreement, to the payment of financial claims.

The department has teams looking after competitions, grants and contracts, due diligence, monitoring and claims and payments.The Operations directorate employs circa 45 staff working across these core functions mainly in our Swindon offices.

Innovation ProgrammesThe Innovation Programmes department is at the core of what Innovate UK does, and is responsible for developing and implementing, with partners, our strategy for innovation in specific sectors. The group includes specialists in areas from energy to transport, and from space to health and care. Our Innovation Programmes team works across the UK and further afield, understanding the needs of business and liaising with innovation partners including businesses large and small, academics, research council staff, civil servants and ministers.

Information TechnologyThe IT and Enterprise Services department is based in Swindon and supports the organisation through three main functions:

• Enterprise services and programme management: project managers and business analysts who manage business change programmes, aiming for efficiency and continuous improvement of our processes.

• The IT services team works to ensure the systems and IT infrastructure across Innovate UK are operating efficiently and to resolve any problems.

• The business intelligence and management information team is responsible for making sure the information we hold on our activities is available, accurate and accessible as appropriate.

There are opportunities for new graduates in several of our directorates, or departments.

For information on the specific roles available to new graduates, see Role Profiles on our graduate recruitment pages at www.innovateuk.gov.uk (click on Jobs).

Departments and roles

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Graduate mentorship and ‘buddies’New recruits under our new graduate scheme will have line management and team support in developing their core, role-specific skills, but each person will also be assigned both a buddy and a longer-term mentor. These two roles combine to welcome new graduates and to acclimatise them to work and life at Innovate UK.

The buddy is likely to be on the same level as the new employee, and will support them in the first month, helping with things like getting to grips with hardware and software, understanding the different functions and knowing who is who.

The mentor provides longer-term support — for six, 12 or 18 months — and helps with the employee’s growth and development at Innovate UK.

Training

Some of the training you receive will be within your department and some will take the form of programmes run centrally for those on the graduate scheme.

Beyond initial training in the first year to build a core understanding of the organisation, how it works and the environment it operates in, there is a wide range of potential training opportunities to explore as you continue to grow during your time at Innovate UK. These might include, for example, training in IT, digital or project management skills, soft skills such as presenting, time management and leadership, or professional qualifications.

At Innovate UK we invest in our people, and new graduates are no exception. We recognise that support and development are vital at this stage in your career.

Support and development

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Graduate Recruitment Scheme | 2015

Naturally, there are a number of steps to go through before you can join our team. Here’s what happens next.

All applications are made through our online recruitment site. Go to www.innovateuk.gov.uk and scroll down to Jobs. To begin, you will be asked to complete the online application form and upload your CV. Once complete we will ask you to take a couple of short, online tests to review your basic verbal and numerical skills.

All applications must be submitted by the closing date, which is 31 March 2015.

We will assess applications based on the role profiles and requirements and create a selected list to go to the next stage. We will let you know in the second week of April whether you have been successful.

If you are selected, you will be invited to attend an assessment centre in Swindon for a full day on Tuesday 28 April. You will tackle a variety of exercises as well as a short panel interview designed to explore your fit with Innovate UK’s core competencies.

A final short list of candidates will then be invited to attend interviews at Innovate UK from mid May to early July, when final decisions will be taken on which candidates will be invited to join.

We ask that all applicants be available for the April assessment, and remain flexible from mid May to early July for final interviews.

How to apply

If joining the UK’s innovation agency

sounds like it could be for you, apply now

Closing Date:31 March 2015

For more information or to apply go to www.innovateuk.gov.uk and click on Jobs

Innovate UK is the new name for the Technology Strategy Board – the UK’s innovation agency. We know that taking a new idea to market is a challenge. We fund, support and connect innovative businesses through a unique mix of people and programmes to accelerate sustainable economic growth.

The Technology Strategy Board is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and is incorporated by Royal Charter in England and Wales with company number RC000818. Registered office: North Star House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1UE.

© Technology Strategy Board February 2015 T15/085 Printed on 100% recycled paper

Telephone: 01793 442 700Email: support@innovateuk.gov.uk

www.innovateuk.gov.uk

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