Senior innovation consultant jobs in Birmingham

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious new UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged eight to 18 years from across the UK and to follow their mental and physical health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for a wide range of genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people that represent as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the critical biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults.

Purpose of the post

 The Procurement Lead is responsible for developing and delivering a robust procurement and commercial strategy that ensures value for money, compliance with Procurement Act 2023 regulations in line with AHS being primarily public funded and supports AHS study and operational objectives. The role will lead on sourcing, contracting, supplier management, and commercial governance, ensuring ethical, transparent, and efficient use of public funds.

Main responsibilities

Procurement Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement a procurement and commercial strategy aligned with organisational goals and funding requirements.
• Lead procurement planning across research programmes, operations, and corporate services.
• Act as a subject matter expert on public procurement policy and best practice.
• Drive continuous improvement in procurement processes, systems, and capability.

Tendering and Contract Management

• Oversee end-to-end procurement processes including tendering, evaluation, and contract award.
• Ensure compliance with UK public procurement regulations (e.g., Procurement Act and associated guidance).
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts, including research, clinical, and grant-related agreements.
• Manage contract lifecycle including performance monitoring, renewals, and extensions.

Commercial Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain procurement policies, procedures, and governance frameworks.
• Ensure all procurement activities meet audit, transparency, and reporting requirements for public funding.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risks across supplier engagements.
• Support internal and external audit processes.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strategic supplier relationships, ensuring high performance and innovation.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders (research teams, finance, legal) to understand needs and deliver value-driven procurement solutions.
• Work with external stakeholders including funders, partners and strategic advisors to develop optimum outcomes
• Provide commercial advice and guidance to senior leadership and project teams.
• Promote sustainable and ethical sourcing practices.

Financial & Value Management

• Deliver value for money through effective sourcing and negotiation strategies.
• Monitor procurement spend and identify cost-saving or efficiency opportunities.
• Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes.
• Ensure funding is used appropriately, ethically and in line with public funding requirements.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

1. Professional qualification in procurement or supply chain e.g., CIPS Level 5 or equivalent
2. Degree or comparable experience in business, finance, law, or related field.
3. Proven track record of managing complex procurement exercises and contracts.
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within regulated procurement environments, specifically those classed as a public authority
5. Strong understanding of UK public procurement regulations and best practice.
6. Commercial acumen with strong negotiation and contract management skills.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Knowledge of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
9. Strong experience in supplier and stakeholder management.
10. Excellent analytical, financial, and problem-solving abilities.
11. Strong communication and influencing skills across all levels of an organisation.
12. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.

Desirable

1. CIPS Level 6 or equivalent
2. Membership of a professional body (e.g., MCIPS or FCIPS).
3. Experience managing high-value and complex contracts, including collaborative or partnership agreements
4. Experience in procurement or commercial roles within charity and/or research sectors
5. Detailed understanding of intellectual property (IP) considerations in research contracts.
6. Detailed knowledge of the UK Procurement Act (or Public Contracts Regulations 2015 historically) and transitions between them.
7. Experience of drafting and reviewing heads of terms and commercial agreements.
8. Understanding of subsidy control, state aid, or funding compliance frameworks.
9. Ability to analyse procurement data and generate insights using tools such as Excel, Power BI, or similar.
10. Experience leading organisational change or transformation programmes in procurement.
11. Ability to build procurement capability across a non-procurement stakeholder base.

Dimensions

• This is a full-time role, 37.5 hours per week, offered initially as an 18-month fixed-term contract with potential route to permanency.
• Flexible working across several geographical locations in the UK.  Travel may be required to AHS locations and partner organisations.
• AHS is a national organisation, and our activities take place across the UK.

Application Process

All candidates are required to complete the application form which can be found when clicking 'Apply Now' via Charity Job.

Please refer to the ‘How to Apply’ section of the downloadable application form.

Please note that only applications submitted directly to Gravitate HR will be accepted for this position.

The closing date for applications is 11:00pm on Sunday 12th July 2026.

Interviews are currently expected to take place on Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th August 2026.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, and as such aims to treat all employees, consultants and applicants fairly. It is our policy to provide employment equality to all, irrespective of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment
• Marital or civil partnership status
• Having or not having dependants
• Religion or belief
• Race (including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins)
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age

We are opposed to all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.  All job applicants and employees who work for us will be treated fairly and will not be unfairly discriminated against on any of the above grounds. Decisions about recruitment and selection, promotion, training or any other benefit will be made objectively and without unlawful discrimination. 

Values

It is an exciting time for the Adolescent Health Study (AHS) as we establish our senior leadership team and begin to plan the pilot studies. As the senior executive team evolves, the AHS values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.

Corporate Partnerships Manager, Primary Science Teaching Trust

Key info:

• Salary £40,000 - £50,000 p/a (35 hours a week)
• Home based, The role will require regular travel to PSTT’s premises in Bristol (at least 1 day per month)
• Closing midnight Wednesday 15th July 2026 
• Annual leave of 28 days, which can be taken flexibly throughout the year with 3 days to be taken at Christmas
• Enhanced maternity pay and adoption pay, contributory pension scheme (5% employer contribution), 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Programme

Role 

PSTT’s long term vision is: Excellent primary school teaching in every primary school in the UK.

The goal of PSTT is to make science more accessible and attractive to children of primary school age throughout the UK. Research has shown that children’s interest in science is shaped before they leave primary school. That makes it vital for them to have a positive experience of science from their early years onwards.

The Corporate Partnerships Manager is responsible for developing and implementing plans to maximise income from corporate partners and trusts and foundations There is huge scope to develop both income streams at PSTT as this is a newly created position with the responsibility for growing and further developing these income streams. 

This is an exciting role for a candidate who wants to grow and shape the income stream, and demonstrate their personal impact on generating income, and providing partners with an incredible supporter experience. There will be an element of change as the organisation embeds an internal culture that effectively supports fundraising. 

This specialist manager role would suit someone who is already operating at a senior fundraiser or manager level, or someone who can demonstrate experience of developing a corporate and/or trusts & foundations pipeline, creating operational plans and delivering income. PSTT is an organisation with big ambitions so a background that includes working within a smaller charity would be helpful for the candidate to have but isn't essential. 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps. 

Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date. 

Closing date for applications: Midnight Wednesday 15th July 2026 

Interviews are expected to be held on the week commencing Monday 20th July in person.

Department: People, Culture and Leadership Hub (PCL) Hub 

Contract type:12 month Fixed Term Contract or secondment 

Salary Level:  Circa £46,453 per annum

Location:Home Based (UK wide travel as required) 

Reports To:Programme Manager 

The fire and rescue sector is undergoing a major transformation in how it defines, develops and assures professional competence. This role sits at the heart of that change. 

We are looking for a highly organised and motivated Competence Co‑ordinator to support delivery of the NFCC Competence Reform Programme—helping ensure that people across the sector have the right knowledge, skills and behaviours to keep communities safe. 

About this role 

Working closely with the NFCC Competence Programme Manager, you will play a critical role in coordinating and supporting the development of national competence frameworks, tools and guidance. 

You will collaborate with NFCC Hubs, fire and rescue services, and subject matter experts to translate the NFCC Model of Competence into practical, consistent and high‑quality outputs that can be used across the sector. 

This is a varied and hands‑on role combining programme coordination, stakeholder engagement and content development. 

Key Responsibilities 

Programme coordination & governance 

• Support planning and delivery of the Competence Reform Programme 

• Maintain programme documentation (plans, trackers, risk logs, action logs) 

• Coordinate meetings, agendas, minutes and follow‑up actions 

• Prepare reports and updates for boards, committees and governance groups 

Competence framework development 

• Support NFCC Hubs to design, test and refine competence frameworks 

• Coordinate subject matter expert input and feedback processes 

• Ensure frameworks align with the NFCC Model of Competence 

• Maintain version control, development records and publication readiness 

Training tools & guidance 

• Contribute to the development of:

• Training materials 

• Learning resources 

• Implementation guidance 

• Templates and toolkits 

• Translate technical content into clear, practical guidance 

• Support creation of slide decks, FAQs and facilitator notes 

Stakeholder engagement & implementation 

• Support engagement with fire and rescue services and national stakeholders 

• Maintain accurate records of consultation and feedback 

• Assist with communications, briefings and presentations 

• Support implementation and adoption of competence frameworks 

About you 

You are a highly organised and collaborative individual with strong communication skills and experience supporting structured programmes or content development projects. 

Essential experience 

• Developing frameworks, guidance, training materials or similar products 

• Working with subject matter experts to produce clear written outputs 

• Managing documentation such as plans, trackers, logs or reports 

• Supporting meetings, governance processes and stakeholder engagement 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills 

• Excellent organisational and IT skills (Microsoft Office and collaboration tools) 

Desirable experience 

• Learning & development, HR, organisational development or workforce planning 

• Competence frameworks or professional standards development 

• Programme or project delivery in complex environments 

• Experience in the fire and rescue sector or other public/emergency services 

• Knowledge of UK fire sector governance or national standards 

Qualifications (desirable) 

• CIPD Level 3 / 5 or equivalent experience 

• Project or programme management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, AgilePM) 

What you’ll bring 

• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities 

• Confidence working with a wide range of stakeholders 

• Analytical thinking and ability to synthesise complex information 

• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion 

• A proactive, collaborative and improvement‑focused mindset

If this sounds like the kind of opportunity that you would be interested in; please have a look at the Job Description and apply. 

How to apply: 

Please complete the application form via the ‘apply now’ button below. CV’s will NOT be accepted for this position. 

Closing Date:31st July 2026

Interviews & Exercise:Week commencing 24 August 2026 (via Microsoft Teams) 

NFCC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and will require a DBS check to be completed prior to commencing in post. 

NFCC is committed to being an inclusive employer. We comply with the Equality Act 2010, and we believe that everyone deserves to work in safe environments that are free from bullying, harassment and discrimination, abuse, and harm, where they feel supported, welcome, and able to thrive. 

NFCC acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice, all staff are expected to share this commitment.