TheLeeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) is one of the largest NHS organisations in the UK with an established reputation as a centre of excellence for delivering high quality research and innovation.
We have an exciting opportunity to join the R&I Team as Community Manager – Innovation. This is a full‑time post (1.0 WTE), offered on a fixed‑term basis for 3 years.
We are looking for an energetic individual to help drive the new Health Innovation Leeds Incubator programme and the wider Innovation Pop‑Up offer.
In this fast‑paced, relationship‑driven role, you’ll build a vibrant community of innovators, acting as the go‑to connector for entrepreneurs, clinicians, academics and industry partners. You’ll spark collaboration, shape engagement programmes, and bring people together to support businesses in West Yorkshire grow and scale successfully.
You’ll support company engagement, events management and communications, ensuring every company gets the best possible experience.
Working across the Leeds City Region innovation ecosystem, you’ll represent LTHT at regional and national forums, championing innovation, forging partnerships and strengthening our role at the forefront of health tech.
If you’re proactive, people‑focused, brilliantly organised and passionate about innovation that changes lives, this is your chance to shape something exceptional.
If you are interested in the post, we would encourage you to contact the recruiting manager for an informal discussion.
Main duties of the job
As Community Manager – Innovation, you will play a key role in building, managing and growing the Innovation Pop‑Up community. You’ll be the primary point of contact for new and existing members, helping innovators, clinicians, academics and industry partners connect, collaborate and access the right support across Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the wider health‑tech ecosystem.
You’ll coordinate the delivery of programmes, events and engagement activities, supporting the new Health Innovation Leeds Incubator programme and the wider Innovation Pop‑Up offer. Working across multiple stakeholders and key partners at the University of Leeds (Nexus) and Leeds Beckett University, you’ll help triage new companies and their technologies, gather and analyse information, and support decision making on business support needs.
You’ll manage membership processes, maintain CRM systems, develop communities of interest and produce reports, communications and promotional materials to showcase activity and impact. The role also includes contributing to budget management, supporting invoicing processes and ensuring smooth operational running of the Innovation Pop‑Up facility.
You will represent the Trust in local, regional and national innovation networks, building strong professional relationships and fostering an inclusive, collaborative innovation culture that accelerates health‑tech development and adoption.
About us
Research is at the heart of our Trust. Leeds Teaching Hospitals is involved in research at all levels, developing and trialling new treatments for patients. We believe that being involved in cutting‑edge research helps us provide better care to our patients.
Over the next 5 years, we aim to be the best Trust to deliver high‑quality clinical research and to champion research among our staff. We also aim to support and grow our world‑class clinical infrastructure and assets for research and innovation.
We have a very proactive Research Academy. It offers an extensive programme of education and training tailored to meet the needs of individuals, teams involved in clinical research delivery in Health and Social Care.
Job responsibilities
Building on the Trust’s substantial track record of excellence in research and innovation, the Innovation Pop‑Up focuses on testing and evaluating new ideas and technologies, supporting the development of collaborations with clinical innovators, entrepreneurs, small and medium‑sized businesses, large pharmaceutical and medtech companies.
In the centre of the Leeds City Region health‑tech industry and academic cluster, the Innovation Pop‑Up aims to strengthen the innovation culture within Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as part of the journey towards establishing the new Innovation Hub in the Old Medical School.
The Old Medical School in Leeds is being redeveloped as a vibrant Health‑Tech Innovation Hub at the heart of the City’s Innovation Arc. It will be a place where innovators and businesses collaborate with LTHT and its core research partners to transform scientific research into products and services that will advance healthcare and drive economic growth, as a catalyst for West Yorkshire’s thriving Health‑Tech ecosystem.
Working effectively and proactively with agreed internal and external stakeholders and collaborative partners, the individual will adhere to agreed processes and comply with all relevant data protection and legal requirements when managing projects and supporting a community of Innovation Pop‑Up company members.
The post holder will have excellent IT skills with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. Previous use of Customer Relationship Management systems would be an advantage, as these are used to track business engagement. The postholder should be passionate about innovation, collaborative in their approach, and possess excellent communication, relationship management and organisational skills. Working autonomously, using own initiative as well as possessing strong team‑working skills and an ability to motivate staff is essential.
The post holder will be responsible for managing and growing the Innovation Pop‑Up community and supporting the delivery of its key programmes of activity, including the planning, organising and delivery of internal and external engagement events and programmes of activity supporting the Health Innovation Leeds Incubator. They will be the prime point of contact for new and existing members, supporting them to connect with the Trust, Partners and each other, identifying collaborative opportunities. This will also include the development of key working relationships within the Research and Innovation Department and with external stakeholders from across the Leeds City Region innovation ecosystem.
The post holder will be required to work alongside academic, clinical and industry partners, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Yorkshire and Humber Health Innovation Network, University of Leeds, Nexus, Leeds Beckett University and colleagues in neighbouring NHS organisations, attending and supporting regional and national meetings to represent the Trust as required.
Person specification
Qualifications
- Educated to degree level or equivalent, or able to demonstrate relevant experience commensurate with this post.
- Project management / Business administration qualifications.
Experience
- Experience within a research, innovation and/or clinical trials setting.
- Experience of project management.
- Experience of staff supervision.
- Experience of relationship management with partners.
- Business development and/or business engagement experience.
- Experience in providing support for the planning, promotion and organisation of internal and external events as required.
- A proven track record of matching customer needs to product/service capability.
- Experience in supporting internal and external communications activity relating to Research and Innovation (e.g. producing newsletters, internet content, screensavers and using social media).
- Knowledge of social media channels and experience of using them corporately and identifying and writing material in the appropriate tone.
- Experience of writing briefings for visits, events and issue management.
- Evidence of working in an organisation which includes interaction with multiple departments or organisations.
- Understanding of the key issues facing the NHS.
- Knowledge of data protection issues and Information Governance.
- Knowledge of medical terminology.
- Experience of dealing with complex situations.
Additional Requirements
- A willingness to undergo personal development and learn new skills.
- Flexibility to work across different sites if required.
- Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post (with reasonable adjustments if necessary), including clearance on blood‑borne viruses in compliance with Trust Policy.
Skills & behaviours
- Professional attitude to work, diplomatic and calm under pressure.
- Ability to work as a team in a busy working environment or autonomously and use own initiative.
- Strong interpersonal skills, motivated, friendly personality.
- Effective organisational skills and ability to prioritise and manage time effectively.
- Proactive and flexible approach.
- Commitment to personal development.
- Working knowledge of and experience in the effective use of Microsoft Office software including Excel and PowerPoint.
- Effective communication skills, able to communicate at all levels and ability to provide and receive highly complex information in relation to study design and health‑tech innovation in general.
- Ability to pay attention to detail.
- Previous use of a Customer Relationship Management system would be an advantage.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Head of Business Development and Innovation
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