Innovation Lead - Agriculture & Food

Applications must be submitted by; 08-06-2026 Innovation Lead - Agriculture & Food As an Innovation Lead you will be responsible for developing and delivering a vital range of interventions to support agri-food businesses to innovate and to help grow the UK economy, response to industrial challenges and commercial opportunities *Please note this advert will close on the 7th June 2026 at 23.59pm. Watch our video "Why Join Innovate UK?" here. Title: Innovation Lead - Agriculture & Food Band: UKRI Band F (UKRI Ts & Cs) Salary: £58,589 gross per annum Reports to: Interim Director – Agri-Food Location: Field based Contract: Fixed Term Until (31/03/2029) Employees applying for any opportunity which may mean being away from your substantive role for a temporary period of time, please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information in the first instance. If you are made an offer, please ensure you liaise with your Line Manager and the designated HR Team as soon as possible in order that implications of any move are clear and understood, prior to a move taking place. Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements. Context: The UK Agriculture sector is a broad and highly dispersed industry, spanning horticulture, aquaculture, livestock, food and crops. Agriculture is the bedrock of the UK's largest manufacturing sector, food and drink, which contributes over £120 billion to the country's economy. Collaboration and strong relationships across the breadth of the UK's agricultural industries, research, UKRI and government are critical to driving the much-needed innovations to ensure this industry continues to thrive. The Agri-food team is responsible for significant innovation funding that includes a substantial managed programme in partnership with DEFRA. Regardless of the funding origin, the Agrifood programmes are focused on driving economic performance and the environmental sustainability of the sector. Developing new funding programmes as well as delivering impact from our current portfolio are key outcomes. We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role. Job Purpose: As an Innovation Lead you will be responsible for developing and delivering a vital range of interventions to support agri-food businesses to innovate and to help grow the UK economy, response to industrial challenges and commercial opportunities Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities: Collaborating in the development and promotion of our strategy in Agri-Food based on a good understanding of relevant industries and technologies and wider innovation infrastructure Designing, developing, and delivering funding competitions and other business support interventions for the agriculture sector, working effectively with the internal and external stakeholders to achieve a successful outcome, with specific focus on the continuous delivery of the Defra Farming Innovation Programme ADOPT competition pipeline Maintaining technical oversight for a portfolio of projects, tracking progress to ensure desired outcomes are achieved and ensuring that project challenges and successes are understood, captured and escalated as necessary Supporting funded projects to maximise the impact of our investment Developing relationships with business and innovators to create a deep understanding of opportunities from, and barriers to innovation in the sector Ensuring that UK activity is set in an international context and recognises regional strengths across the UK Working with Innovate UK and UKRI colleagues and networks on decisions made in your specialist area, to ensure they make sense in the context of the broader organisation, strategically and operationally Representing Innovate UK at leading industry events, raising awareness of innovation opportunities and successes This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training. Shortlisting criteria (S) – Assessed at shortlisting (I) – Assessed at interview (S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview Person Specification: We are looking for someone with commercial awareness who can manage contending priorities and a sophisticated partner environment. You will be able to make sense of multiple data sources, to establish underlying patterns and articulate a clear and compelling vision of what needs to be done. A great teammate, a 'can do' attitude, willing to share knowledge and to learn from others. Experience & Qualifications: Essential – Degree level in a science engineering or technical field relevant to agriculture or equivalent experience (S) In depth technical and/or business knowledge of the agricultural sector, both here in the UK and internationally and up-to-date understanding of developments (S&I) First-hand experience of innovation and/or product development in agricultural sectors from working either in or closely with businesses (S&I) Breadth of knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for innovations that can positively impact agricultural production and for their widespread adoption (I) Excellent stakeholder management experience, including building links while working with senior-level individuals with conflicting demands and priorities (I) Ability to strategically assess business and innovation gaps and opportunities – both at the domestic and international level (I) Experience of communicating and presenting, conveying clear messages to a range of audiences (S) Up-to-date and broad-based knowledge of innovation in a commercial environment (S&I) Competencies: All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as: Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria's listed in the person specification. Travel Requirements: Field-based: There will a requirement to travel, mostly national, and there is some flexibility in this. Innovate UK staff make extensive use of telepresence tools for meetings to minimise unnecessary travel. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles. Equal Opportunities: We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required. UK Research and Innovation: Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/. Employee Benefits: We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days' annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes. Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Flexible Working: We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. Pre-employment Screening: To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. Applications must be submitted by; 08-06-2026 Innovate UK is the UK's innovation agency. We live to drive economic growth by: · Inspiring innovators with a shared vision of the future economy · Involving diverse talents, companies, investors and local/national stakeholders in innovation through our programmes and campaigns · Investing resources, including R&D grants, loans and advice on skills, fundraising and scaling-up We are passionate about our commitment to making equality, diversity and inclusion a key part of everything we do, to ensure our organisation reflects our users and that in our workplace, everyone has a voice, and everyone can develop their potential. Watch a video on life at Innovate UK here. For further information and to stay updated on our latest news visit www.gov.uk/innovateuk, follow us on Twitter at @innovateuk or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/InnovateUK. Further information on working at Innovate UK: If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/ . Details on other jobs within UKRI can be found here: https://careersportal.co.uk/UKRI-careers UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. For internal UKRI applicants only - please note that UKRI may share your information with other internal recruitment panels who are looking to appoint candidates to similar roles. Parking: Limited parking subject to waiting list (Polaris House, Swindon only) Employee Benefits: We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days' annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.Please see link for more details Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Flexible Working: We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants. Developing Talent: We are committed to developing employees in their roles throughout their career. Learning and development plans enable employees to continue their professional development through training and development opportunities such as e-learning, classroom training and on-the-job experiences. We encourage our employees to share their learning across teams and organisations Equal Opportunities: We strive to make decisions based on individual merit and ability. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and promote equality of opportunity in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. As holders of Disability Confident Employer status, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Final appointments will be subject to pre-employment screening. We want to ensure that we select the person that most closely evidences their suitability against the specified criteria. If you feel that the way our selection methods/assessments are structured, could benefit from being adjusted, to help you convey your suitability, please let us know so that we can discuss your requirements with you. If you require any assistance or adjustments please contact Recruitment@ukri.org who will be happy to help.