Business Development Manager

Business Development: You will play a key role in shaping and implementing the business development strategy, with a clear focus on achieving ambitious income targets and KPIs. Drawing on your deep expertise in the Physical Sciences / Bioscience industry, you will identify and build a pipeline of new commercial opportunities across the public, private, and third sectors. Additionally, you will be responsible for creating and executing a business development marketing strategy, including developing internal support materials for your colleagues.

Research and Innovation: You will collaborate closely with academics to identify external opportunities, effectively showcasing the university’s research expertise to potential partners. You will be responsible for developing high-quality proposals for industry-focused projects and support bids to secure funding for research collaborations. To ensure a seamless and comprehensive service, you will work closely with the Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (RIKE) teams.

Building Relationships and Growing Partnerships: You will build and nurture strong relationships with potential clients and partners, driving the generation of new contracts and collaborative income. You will develop and grow strong external partnerships within the Physical Sciences / Biosciences sector. You will represent the university at industry events and conferences to promote our research capabilities. By leveraging knowledge of industry needs and market intelligence you will identify and create new opportunities.
Objectives and Reporting: Support the strategy and commercial objectives of the Business Development team. You will work with cross-functional teams to meet stakeholder needs and share best practices. You will Report on KPIs and manage data and metrics through the customer relationship management platform.

Shape the Future of Innovation at the University of York
The University of York is embarking on a bold new chapter. We are fundamentally transforming how we partner with business and industry to create a future where innovative collaborations ignite positive change in society, culture, the environment, and the economy. Our goal is ambitious: to be globally renowned for impactful partnerships that build a more sustainable world by 2030.

We’ve launched the Building Industry Engagement and Impact (BIEI) initiative to drive this vision. We’re not just looking for a new team member—we’re seeking a Business Development Manager to be a catalyst for this transformation. This is a pivotal role where your expertise won’t just support a mission; it will define it.

You’ll leverage your strategic business development skills to dramatically grow our industry partnerships and research impact, shaping the very future of our university. We need someone with a strong commercial mindset and proven success in the Physical Sciences or Bioscience sector.

We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Business Development Manager to join our team and drive industry engagement and income growth within either Physical Sciences or Biosciences;

Physical Sciences, specifically Emerging Technologies, supporting our research strengths across the School of Physics, Engineering and Technology (PET), Computer Science.

Biosciences including Bio Medical, Bio Economy, Environment & Sustainability, supporting our research strengths across Biology, York Bio Economy and York Biomedical Research Institute.

Your role is to build bridges between ground breaking academic research and the real-world needs of industry.

If you have the drive, business acumen, and relationship-building skills to identify opportunities, forge powerful partnerships, and accelerate engagement, we want to hear from you. This is your chance to play a central role in a team that values inclusivity, dedication, drive, and resilience. You’ll bring a strategic outlook, the ability to recognize emerging trends, and a knack for delivering critical insights to leadership.

Join us and help build a legacy of innovation and impact. The role is advertised as full time, or part time 0.8FTE. Hybrid working is supported.

We exist as a University for Public Good. Our founding values of excellence, equality and opportunity for all are as true today as they were when we opened our doors to 230 students in 1963.

Today we’re home to more than 20,000 students and 5,000 staff. Our diverse community fosters a sense of belonging and operates at the highest academic and ethical standards.

In times of uncertainty and global unrest, the achievements of our staff and students continue to inspire us and have a positive impact on local, national and global scales.

Our Culture
quality, diversity, and inclusion are central to our culture and we strive to provide a working environment which allows all staff and students to contribute fully, to flourish, and to excel. We aim to ensure that there is a supportive and egalitarian culture at all levels and across all staff groups and offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, campus facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds. Departments across the University hold multiple awards which are testament to our commitment to creating an equitable and fully inclusive environment in which staff and students can thrive.