Consultant (Venture Growth Consultant

This is a unique opportunity to play a central role in the Freight Innovation Fund's Venture Growth Programme, supporting high-potential scale-ups and later-stage businesses growth, investment readiness and adoptions within the freight and logistics sector. The role will focus particularly on businesses with existing propositions, customers, pilots, revenues or clear investment potential. The role will focus on managing the delivery of structured support that helps participating businesses sharpen their growth plans, evidence market traction, engage investors and partners, and progress towards commercial adoption. The role spans three critical areas: identifying and selecting high-potential freight innovation businesses, managing the delivery of structured growth and investment-readiness support, and enabling commercial progression through investor, customer and industry engagement. This is primarily a programme management role. The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating the programme, maintaining delivery momentum, managing stakeholders, supporting governance and reporting, and ensuring participating businesses receive a high-quality experience. They will work closely with colleagues and specialist partners who provide direct business support to SMEs, and may contribute to that support where their experience allows. We are looking for experience in: ·

• Designing and managing open calls, assessment frameworks, and due diligence processes
• Managing SME onboarding, engagement, and progression across trial and commercial pathways
• Coordinating specialist support for SMEs, including commercialisation, investor readiness, market access and go-to-market activity.
• Engaging industry partners, investors and potential customers to support programme outcomes and shape pipelines
• Monitoring performance and ensuring impact, learning and outcomes are captured
• Translating outputs into evidence packs, case studies, and adoption-ready insights
• Coordinating stakeholder engagement, events, community-building, and programme visibility
• Developing repeatable playbooks, methodologies, and delivery approaches that can Improve future programme design, Support revenue targets .
• Spot opportunities.
• Contribute to bids and proposals.
• Support client confidence in and building credibility of CPC.
• Ensure CRM system is updated with stakeholder contact and any other account information.
• Support scoping and delivery of streams of work .
• Deliver plans as designed .
• Implement effective project management process .
• Organise your own contribution to the work stream.
• Collaborate effectively across the work streams/project team .
• Provide excellence in delivery .
• Meet (or exceed) utilisation targets .
• Promote innovative and professional delivery focus across project team.
• Support buy in across a range of stakeholders through professional and technical expertise .
• Accountable for timely and high-quality actions/tasks and updates .
• Update CRM system with contact of client information
• Maintain own professional development.
• Ensure an ethos of equity, inclusivity and diversity underpin your work activity, contribute to inclusive innovation across all Catapult activities.
• You may be required to undertake any other reasonable duties to support the Catapult in achieving its strategic outcomes and ensure effective business operations.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
• Identify new methodologies or approaches.
• Identify solutions beyond the tried and tested methods.
• Collaborate effectively across teams and disciplines.
• Influence effectively in projects and tasks.
• Customer perspective is understood and applied.
• Uses multi-channel communication to ensure clarity and connection on activities.
• Able to plan and deliver on multiple activities.
• Respond to and learns from change with ease.
• Embed inclusive and sustainability practices in planning and delivery.
  
  We are looking for someone who is highly organised, delivery focused and confident managing complex innovation programmes with multiple stakeholders. The Ideal candidate will comfortable operating in a fast-paced programme environment, balancing structure and flexibility, and ensuring activity moves forward in a clear, professional and well-governed way.
The successful candidate will need to engage credibly with founders, leadership teams, investors, partners and colleagues delivering specialist support. Experience working with growth-stage businesses, investment-readiness programmes, accelerators, venture support, venture building, or commercialisation activity will be highly valuable. They will be a strong communicator who can build confidence with clients, internal teams, delivery partners and participating businesses. The role will suit someone who combines strong programme management discipline with commercial awareness, an interest in business growth and an ability to work collaboratively with colleagues providing specialist support. Direct experience supporting scale-ups or SMEs would be a bonus, but the core requirement is the ability to manage a high-quality programme that enables the support to be delivered effectively.


• 9 day fortnight for everyone, every other Friday.
• 23.5 holiday entitlement for everyone, with pro-rata calculations for part-time employees, along with a Christmas shutdown period for additional days off.
• Competitive pension, up to 10% company contribution to help you save for your future.
• Two paid days of volunteering leave per year (pro-rata for part-time employees) to support charitable activities.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providing 24/7 confidential work/life support services to you and your immediate family members.
• Cycle to Work Scheme encouraging a healthy and sustainable commute.
• Cash Health Plan, offering reimbursement for a wide range of essential and everyday healthcare expenses, promoting your well-being.
• Payroll Giving scheme, allowing regular charitable contributions from pre-tax income, maximizing the impact of your donations.
• Discounts and offers from a wide variety of retailers, enhancing your purchasing power and providing savings opportunities.
• Mortgage Advice benefit, delivered in partnership with Charles Cameron & Associates - provides employees with free, expert mortgage advice and end-to-end mortgage support from the application process through to completion.
Connected Places Catapult is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to ensuring a fair and inclusive recruitment process. If you require any adjustments during the application or interview process, please let us know and we will be happy to support you