Job: Innovation Specialist Broker - Preston, Jobwise Plc

Do you have good previous experience running a business and are you interested in passing on your advice and experience to SME’s in the North West?

Are you an ideas person who can bring innovation, new ideas and new contacts to help a company grow and develop?

If so, this could be the opportunity you've been looking for. We are recruiting for people based from home across the North West, covering small to medium size companies within various areas (Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria). You will be working for a government funded organisation offering free advice and guidance to companies. You will be building contacts via various means including networking, attending events and telephone calling to find opportunities to assist businesses who need assistance. The aim is to challenge and support SME businesses in the region to understand and appreciate the need for innovation in business practices and new product development. To help business engage with expertise and

solutions which will help them to deliver innovation in their products, business brand and processes resulting in a step change in their profitability and competitiveness. You will be liaising with internal contacts on the business as well as business customers in the region, external providers of knowledge and new approaches relevant to innovation and other organisations and business support partners. You will be going into businesses to act as an advisor and be confident dealing with the directors to offer help and advice. Using previous experience and network contacts you will be acting as a guide and advisor to help them succeed.

You will have good experience as a director or senior manager of a successful business. You will be able to demonstrate an "innovative" approach to business e.g. marketing, research and development, networking etc that have lead to success in growing your business. You will have experience of liaising "business to business" in previous roles and will be able to demonstrate in-depth knowledge and experience of the key issues facing businesses that are not innovating i.e. infrastructure problems, resource availability, sales and marketing, competitiveness vs. national and international SMEs. You will possess a thorough grasp of the key issues, threats and opportunities facing businesses in the region. You will be computer literate and possess a current full driving licence. Ideally (but not essential) you will be educated to degree level and/or working towards SFEDI (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative - accreditation for Business Advisers is a quality mark that confirms that business support professionals have the personal and technical skills required to provide effective support to entrepreneurs and the businesses that they run.)

You will have strong commercial business acumen and be able to instil trust and faith in a company director. You will be passionate about your work and helping others succeed and be a confident presenter. You will be a lateral thinker/problem solver and have good research skills. You will have a strong ability to build positive relationships and communicate and network well at all levels. You will be keen to learn and the ability to apply your skills and experience. You will have excellent decision making skills and planning and organisational skills.

There is a superb package on offer with an excellent salary, car allowance, home workers allowance, 25 days holiday + bank hols (increasing to 27 after 3 years), a non contributory pension scheme, life assurance, healthcare scheme, gym discount, childcare vouchers and free parking