Job Description

Commercial Development and Innovation Manager

Salary:

Band 9 - starting salary FTE 44,128 (26,477 Pro rata) with annual, incremental progression up to FTE 48,148 (28,889 Pro rata)

Hours:

22.2 hours/3 days per week (37 hours FTE)

Contract Type:

Permanent

Closing date:

19th of October, 2025*
At

Arts University Plymouth

, we are home to one of the most progressive and ambitious creative communities in the UK. We are seeking a

Commercial Development and Innovation Manager

(0.6 FTE, Band 9) to lead income generation and commercial development across the Universitys creative and specialist strengths, including Fab Lab South West. This new role sits within the Office for Research and Innovation.


As the

Commercial Development and Innovation Manager

, you will drive the commercial agenda, build external partnerships, and oversee commercial projects and services. You will also line-manage the Fab Lab Coordinator (Product Design and Prototyping Specialist) and support the team in balancing commercial targets with their curriculum delivery.
Through this role, you will play a central role in expanding the Universitys external profile in consultancy, contract research, and innovation services, turning opportunities into tangible, income-generating outcomes that support a sustainable future.

About You:

A proven track record of generating income through services, partnerships, and innovation. Experience negotiating contracts and pricing, scoping and costing work, and managing client relationships; confident presenting to clients and funders. Evidence of setting, monitoring, and meeting financial targets and KPIs, including pipeline management and reporting. A dynamic communicator with excellent interpersonal skills. Strong project management skills, able to coordinate delivery across teams, manage budgets, and meet deadlines.

About The Role:

Develop an approach to achieve the Universitys commercial ambitions and meet its strategic KPIs. Build a pipeline of repeat clients across creative, digital, manufacturing, and public sectors. Secure income via consultancy, commissions, contract research, facilities and equipment services, and paid courses; prepare bids aligned to strategy and measurable outputs. Manage and support the Fab Lab South West technical team to meet their targets. Lead on the areas of intellectual property, confidentiality, and compliance within the Universitys commercial activity.

In return youll receive:

18

(30 FTE) days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays, and closure efficiency days Access to a supportive Employee Assistance Programme Enrolment onto a generous Local Government Pension scheme Additional benefits such as a cycle to work scheme and discounted bus tickets

Please refer to the role profile for more information -

Commercial Development and Innovation Manager.

The successful candidate will be willing to contribute to our ambitions and international profile as an innovative, sustainable and broadly inclusive arts university.

Safeguarding and Compliance

All appointments are subject to a

DBS check

, and you will be required to provide appropriate documentation as part of the onboarding process.

Right to Work

Applicants must have the legal

right to work in the UK

. We are currently unable to offer visa sponsorship. Proof of Right to Work will be required before an offer of employment is made.

How to Apply

To apply, please complete the

online application form

. Please note that we are unable to accept CVs in place of a completed application.

We encourage early applications, as the advert may close prior to the listed closing date due to high levels of interest. Please apply early to avoid disappointment.

If you are interested in the role and would like to find out more, please feel free to contact-

Ian Hutchinson, Director of Development and Partnerships on

ihutchinson@aup.ac.uk

.

Arts University Plymouth has a strong commitment to the safeguarding & welfare of young people & vulnerable adults. A satisfactory DBS disclosure will be required from successful candidates as a condition of appointment. We celebrate equality, diversity and difference, and welcome candidates from all communities, including applications from service people and their families as part of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant

.

In the event that the University has employees eligible for redeployment at the time of shortlisting, for example due to the end of a fixed term contract, these candidates may be entitled to a priority interview. Creative Education for a Changing World

Arts University Plymouth will set a vision towards 2030 based upon sustainable growth, solution focused teaching and research, and a commitment to impactful social justice and ecological change through its people, culture and place. Our strategy Creative Education for a Changing World will ensure that our work is energised and designed to meet the ambitions of its students and staff while acknowledging the shifting realm of creativity through new technologies and the workplaces of tomorrow.

Our strategy is built upon three pillars, Creative Endeavour, Sustainable Futures, and People & Place. Through this, we have set a critical path towards a holistic and embedded pedagogical approach under the title Teaching for our Time, that will guide all of our creative endeavours. We believe that authenticity, fulfilment and kindness are indexical qualities in the process of thinking, making and living.

Strategic Vision

Our vision for Arts University Plymouth is a new kind of arts university for the 21st century, preparing graduates who are uniquely placed to provide creative solutions to the complex global challenges of our times.

We will champion our people, place and pedagogy at the heart of our mission, delivering sustainable growth and impactful change in terms of creative economies, civic engagement and cultural ambition in Plymouth and the wider region.

We will enhance our reputation as a catalyst for individual, societal and ecological transformation, delivering innovative and distinctive learning, teaching and research through its interdisciplinary ecosystem of materials, processes, technologies and knowledge exchange.

About the Fab Lab Network/Fab Foundation

The Fab Lab Network is an open, creative community of fabricators, artists, scientists, engineers, educators, students, amateurs, professionals, of all ages located in more than 90 countries in approximately 1,500 Fab Labs. From community based labs to advanced research centres, Fab Labs share the goal of democratising access to the tools for technical invention. This community is simultaneously a manufacturing network, a distributed technical education campus, and a distributed research laboratory working to digitise fabrication, inventing the next generation of manufacturing and personal fabrication. Find out more here.

Why Plymouth?

Our beautiful city was voted as

Britains best city to live and work in

by The Telegraph in September 2024, beating Bristol, London, Manchester and Birmingham. Take a look at the showreels linked below to see why we are proud to boast about our city.

We've also been named

one of the world's top underrated travel destinations

by Time Out. Plymouth is a vibrant city that offers stunning coastlines, wild moorlands, and a rich cultural scene. Attractions include the iconic Tinside Lido, and some of the regions best entertainment and culture, from award winning museum and gallery The Box, to Real Ideas Market Hall, home to Europes first-of-its-kind 350-degree Immersive Dome.

Plymouth is Britains Ocean City, a confident and growing city that is undergoing a cultural revolution. With world-class connectivity, one of the highest rates of superfast broadband availability in the UK, excellent transport links, an international airport under an hour away, and stunning outside spaces on the doorstep such as Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Dartmoor National Park it offers a great lifestyle. Find out more here:

Invest Plymouth Showreel
Living & Working in Plymouth...a great quality of life...