Director of Commercial Innovation

About the role

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is seeking a Director of Commercial Innovation to lead the transformation of its innovation ecosystem at the Cirencester campus. This senior position will design, build and scale a high‑value innovation cluster that connects research validation with commercial adoption across land, food, agriculture, sustainability and rural enterprise.

Key responsibilities

• Reposition the Alliston Centre as a specialist, RAU‑aligned innovation ecosystem and develop a unified commercial strategy.
• Consolidate legacy brands (Farm491, Growth Hub) into a single membership model and drive revenue growth.
• Recruit and manage Anchor Partners, forge global institutional links and secure strategic corporate and investor partnerships.
• Implement a unified CRM and data pipeline to monitor lead generation, conversion, retention and ecosystem lifetime value.
• Ensure all commercial activities align with RAU’s core values of academic, industry and innovation impact.

Required profile

• Higher degree or professional qualification with evidence of continued professional development.
• Proven track record leading innovation hubs, accelerators or research commercialisation units.
• Strong knowledge of agriculture, land management, sustainability and rural enterprise sectors.
• Experience delivering significant revenue growth through services, partnerships or memberships.
• Demonstrated success securing corporate partnerships, anchor clients or strategic alliances.

Required skills

• CRM implementation and management.

What we offer

• Competitive salary of £76,050 per annum pro rata.
• Fixed‑term contract (9 months) with 24.5 hours per week (0.7 FTE).
• Opportunity to shape a national‑level innovation village and work within a leading agricultural university.