R&D Consultant, Innovation Incentives

Are you a new graduate or have several years of experience within R&D and innovation? Are you interested in helping EY’s clients obtain public funding opportunities for their innovation projects? Then we would love to have you join our growing team!

The opportunity

EY’s Innovation Incentives is a specialist team that supports clients in acquiring national grants for R&D/innovation activities, and other priority areas aligned to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy (such as energy efficiency).

We are an established and growing team, and assist clients with services such as opportunity scoping, inventive planning and bid writing.  While our main focus is on UK based grants, we work closely with our European colleagues on grants such as Horizon 2020. The practice also supports R&D-performing clients to identify and capture other forms of incentives, e.g. through national tax regimes.

We are looking for a colleague who is well-organised, structured and analytical to assist with grant proposals. Our new colleague will be eager to help sustain the growth of our practice by bringing in the right entrepreneurial mindset as well as relevant technical, business and grant experience.

Your key responsibilities

As we are a growing team, you will have your own responsibilities and tasks from day one. It is therefore important that you are willing to take ownership and communicate effectively with both clients and colleagues across geographical areas. The position entails:

• Planning and participating in client meetings and technical workshops
• Communicating with clients, asking thoughtful questions to gather technical and business information on their R&D and innovation projects
• Forging and maintaining trusted relationships with funding bodies
• Validation of project concepts for grant applications
• Proposal and report writing, translating technical, scientific and market data into a compelling storyline
• Developing EY’s presence on the market within the area of Innovation Incentives

As grant proposal writing is a core element, it is crucial that you are an excellent communicator, both orally and in writing, with a sharp analytical mind, a flair for business, strategy, budgeting and a good understanding of technical or scientific content – and that you enjoy this component of the work.

Skills and attributes for success

• Proven affinity with, and curiosity for, R&D, innovation and sustainability
• Excellent communication skills (orally and in writing)
• The ability to learn in a fast-paced environment
• A good understanding of business and financials

To qualify for the role you must have

1. A Masters or PhD in science or engineering, or an area such as sustainability, innovation management, energy or green finance
2. A solid theoretical or practical business understanding
3. Between 0-3 years of experience working with clients/in a business environment
4. An awareness and basic understanding of Economic Development and the key components of a successful grant application

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Some experience and/or knowledge related to grants or European Union policies
• Experience with project-based working and deadline-based deliveries
• An entrepreneurial spirit

What we look for

We are interested in profiles with the ambition and confidence to make things happen in a dynamic organisation. You can expect plenty of autonomy in this role, so you will also need the ability to take initiative and seek out new opportunities to improve our current relationships and business. Additionally, you are highly adaptable, as working with clients on publicly funded projects brings with it a variety of challenges that vary significantly from project to project. Ideally, you combine a sound business understanding with scientific knowledge or curiosity, an ability to work well with financials, and solid communication skills.

What working at EY offers

We are highly qualified in our respective areas and maintain a high professional standard. We have an informal tone and put great emphasis on having a challenging and fun working day. We offer you good career opportunities in an environment where the focus is on both quality and solidarity and where professional development is at the centre of everything. Plus, we offer:

• Support and coaching from some of the most engaging colleagues around
• Opportunities to develop new skills and progress your career
• The freedom and flexibility to handle your role in a way that’s right for you

 About EY

As a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services, we’re using the finance products, expertise and systems we’ve developed to build a better working world. That starts with a culture that believes in giving you the training, opportunities and creative freedom to make things better. Whenever you join, however long you stay, the exceptional EY experience lasts a lifetime. And with a commitment to hiring and developing the most passionate people, we’ll make our ambition to be the best employer by 2020 a reality.

If you can confidently demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.

Make your mark.

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