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Head of Academic Consultancy Services 

Do you want to be part of a dynamic team at a prestigious organisation, helping us to create commercial impact?

The University of Birmingham is one of the most ambitious institutions in the UK - with one of the most professional and efficient academic consultancy units in the country.

University of Birmingham Enterprise Limited (UoBE) manages the Academic Consultancy Service, arranging hundreds of contracts on behalf of the University’s academic members of staff each year. It is an innovative, high performing business unit generating up to £3 million turnover per annum.

UoBE is looking for a talented individual with proven experience to lead the ACS and be the University’s ‘expert’ in all aspects of academic consultancy; to convey authority on the subject to academics who wish to use the ACS, and those who may choose to undertake consultancy privately (not through UoBE); and senior leaders within the University.

As Head of the Academic Consultancy Service (ACS), you will have a high profile in leading the small, experienced team to build on this success and actively participate in the University’s internal conversation on who it does business with and how. The ACS team work in a fast-moving environment and manage a multitude of concurrent complex activities. Academics need to feel supported and fully equipped to be able to undertake academic consultancy in a timely, financially rewarding and legally protected manner.

Via the ACS Team, UoBE runs a number of Operating Divisions (OD) within an overarching programme (EnterpriseOD™) that benefit from the company’s corporate structure. The individual will work with other team members (both inside the ACS team and across UoB) to continue to refine the EnterpriseOD ™ model and to ensure their effective operation. This includes the evaluation and setting up new ODs, providing advice and guidance to academics and UoBE colleagues on the creation of new divisions, and working with colleagues in the Intellectual Property and Commercialization to ensure successful progress for ODs transitioning to a spin-out.

We are looking for a talented, well organised, entrepreneurial and financially astute individual, with proven experience to continue to deliver an efficient and professional service in a fast-moving environment.

Duties will include:

• Full responsibility for the management and delivery of academic consultancy support, facility and equipment access agreements, and operating divisions across the institution. The postholder will require a thorough knowledge of the University’s policies and regulations to become the acknowledged University ‘expert’ in all aspects of the team’s commercial services, enabling the development and maintenance of close trusting relationships with academic clients, UoBE, business engagement colleagues and senior leaders within the University. They will also regularly meet with stakeholders to seek feedback on services provided, opportunities to grow, or to continuously improve to meet the changing needs of customers.
• Engaging with the full diversity of our academics, irrespective of their seniority, research field, or background, enabling them to be informed of the University’s policies on academic consultancy whilst being made aware of the benefits of using the Academic Consultancy Service.
• Ensuring that enquiries continue to grow year-on-year by finding new ways to reach out to and engage the full diversity of our academics, irrespective of their seniority, research field, or background, enabling them to be informed of the University’s policies on academic consultancy whilst being made aware of the benefits of using the Academic Consultancy Service. Also to maximise opportunities that may become available to grow exposure to the commercial offerings through relevant initiatives and programmes in the region or beyond.
• Engaging with academics who may wish to offer new innovative services or undertake activities that are non-standard and provide guidance on their suitability and, once agreed, build a creative and compliant framework for their delivery as appropriate.
• Use of commercial expertise to negotiate an appropriate fee rate for academics and use legal experience to ensure that risk factors are mitigated, reputational and ethics issues are considered and that any realisable intellectual property has been accounted for, whilst ensuring that contracts are arranged in a timely manner and that bid deadlines are met.
• Take full financial responsibility for the for the £3 million turnover per annum Academic Consultancy Service, including growing turnover and profit year-on-year. Oversee financial transactions undertaken by colleagues within the University Finance Office, financial reporting, and responsibility for the financial year-end revenue recognition process.
• Contribute to the running of the wider UoBE business through active membership of the Senior Management Team (SMT). This includes active participation in regular SMT meetings, and cross-functional activities to address, for example, matters such as performance of the company, objective setting, talent management and development, and long-term strategy.

In order to be considered for this role you will need to show us that you have a proven track record in managing and growing a comparable commercial business unit and how you have grown turnover and profit year-on-year whilst continuing to deliver outstanding service to the benefit of clients.

This is a role that demands demonstrable legal and financial experience coupled with excellent leadership, interpersonal and communications skills. You will be conscientious, detail- and goal- oriented, resilient and tenacious with the ability to quickly devise innovative solutions to issues, prioritise workload, run a number of competing projects simultaneously, and ensure that the team feel supported in a fast-moving environment.

Find out more about University of Birmingham Enterprise

Find out more about University of Birmingham