Head of Investment: University of Strathclyde

Location: Glasgow
Salary: £60,905 to £64,605 per annum
Hours: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Placed on: 1st March 2021
Closes: 19th March 2021
Job ref: 289818

FTE: 1.0 (35 hours per week)

Term: Open

This is an exciting opportunity to work with cutting edge early-stage companies by leading the investment function within the University of Strathclyde – a leading international technological university that is socially progressive. Strathclyde has achieved significant success through the distinctive ‘triple helix approach’– the coming together of academia, business and industry, and the government and public sector, in common cause – and a determination to make a significant difference for students, the economy and wider society.

Innovation and Industry Engagement (IIE) is responsible for delivering a step change in Strathclyde’s already intensive programmes of innovation, entrepreneurship support, investment and industrial collaboration.

IIE staff work closely with staff from across the University and externally to identify, develop, protect, publicise and commercialise intellectual property (IP) arising from their world-leading research, to licence these technologies to commercial third parties or to create new spinout and start-up companies, and to invest into these spin-out and start-up companies, and into other companies locating with strategic alignment with the university.

In 2020 Strathclyde has launched a sector leading Entrepreneurship strategy-Strathclyde Inspire with the mission to be a partner of choice at any stage of entrepreneurial journey with one of the critical activities being addressing the early-stage funding gap.

The University currently operates two investment funds:

– Strathclyde Inspire Entrepreneurs Fund bridges the early-stage funding gap by providing investments of up to £100,000 alongside third-party, lead investors to University-related enterprises.
– Strathclyde Inspire Investment Fund has been operational since 2012 and the University has committed £7.5M to continue the investment for the period from 2020-2024. Investments are typically between £100,000-£400,000 as part of funding rounds led by established 3rd party lead investors.

The post-holder will be leading development of the investment strategy in support of the goals of Strathclyde Inspire.

The post holder will report directly to the IIE Director.

Part-time working and/or job sharing will be considered.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on 1 April 2021.

For informal enquiries, please contact Dr Olga Kozlova, Director of Innovation and Industry Engagement at olga.kozlova@strath.ac.uk