Expired: Aerospace Wales: Space Wales Cluster Manager

APPOINTMENT OF SPACE WALES CLUSTER MANAGER

Aerospace Wales Forum Ltd was established in March 2002 as a member-based industry representative organisation. The company is now part of Industry Wales which also includes the Welsh Automotive Forum and Technology Connected. These organisations are part-funded by the Welsh Government (WG) and the Forum has a responsibility to provide specialist advice on sector related matters in aerospace, defence, aviation and space.

At the end of 2020 the Forum received funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) via Welsh Government to support the formation of a Space Wales Leadership Group (SWLG) and a Space Wales network of companies operating in the upstream and downstream elements of the space sector. A report on the sector “Wales – a sustainable space nation” was produced which included an overview of industry, academia and key clusters with recommendations and targets to support future growth.

The implementation of the report is being directed by the SWLG who now seek, through Aerospace Wales, to appoint a Space Wales Cluster Manager. The employment will initially run until 30 March 2024 but would hope to be extended if additional funding is subsequently obtained.

The successful candidate will report to the Chief Executive and Director of Aerospace Wales and the Co-Chairs of the Space Wales Leadership Group.

The Space Wales Cluster Manager will be responsible for:

• Working collaboratively with the Space Wales Leadership Group, members of the Space Wales network, other business sectors identified by Industry Wales and Welsh Government, members of the Wales Academic Space Partnership and other academic institutions and research centres such as AMRC Cymru and ATRC to develop and drive forward the recommended actions from “Wales – a sustainable space nation”.

• Work closely and proactively with Welsh Government, in close partnership with the National Project Manager, Defence & Space, Industrial Transformation Division to ensure that the space sector is embedded as a priority and focus for Welsh Government support and investment.

• Identify funding sources, both private and public, to support the delivery of space sector development plans within Wales, supporting business case development to secure additional investment for Wales when opportunities arise.

• Identify market opportunities, broker partnerships and build relationships between space and non-space businesses and organisations. Work with Welsh Government and UK Government to exploit these opportunities.

• Gather evidence to further understanding of Wales space sector capabilities, skills and assets, identifying strengths, gaps and addressable markets. This evidence should be used to identify new opportunities for Wales, inform decision making and direction setting for the Space Wales Leadership Group and support business case development- ultimately ensuring optimal alignment of the Wales space sector to the wider market.

• Use the UK Space Agency and Satellite Applications Catapult’s Space Enterprise Network and suite of support mechanisms to help broker partnerships, match businesses with opportunities or required expertise and provide business development support to enable local businesses to maximise the potential of these addressable markets.

• Engage proactively with Welsh Government teams, particularly the Innovation team, the members of the Wales Academic Space Partnership, other academic institutions and forums to encourage knowledge exchange between industry and academia.

• Act as the voice and champion for space within Wales, contributing to or hosting events and workshops to support local business needs and to promote the cluster nationally and internationally.

• Provide day to day space cluster management, coordinating and disseminating information to support delivery, gathering, storing and processing data in line with GDPR regulations.

• Monitoring and reporting on businesses within Wales, in partnership with Welsh Government and other agencies, to ensure that impact can be effectively measured by the Space Wales Leadership Group and UK Space Agency.

• Report against clearly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) focussed on increasing the number of businesses engaging with the cluster, increasing local and inward investment, increased presence of space within Welsh Government and local economic plans and increase in number of applications to local and national funding calls from space businesses in Wales.

The successful candidate will be home based and equipped appropriately with IT support etc. Travel within Wales, the UK and overseas will be an expected part of the job.

The position is being considered on a full time or part time basis and salary will be commensurate with skills and experience. This job description set outs the skills and experience we believe are needed to be able to do this job but, research also tells us women are much more likely than men to take this list of requirements as absolute and self-select out of the process. If you think you can deliver this role then we want to hear from you, regardless of the boxes you didn’t tick and we would love to hear about what else you can bring to the role.

If you believe you are the right person for this position, can demonstrate your passion for the industry and could work well in a small team to make a big difference, then please forward by e-mail to rachael@aerospacewales.aero your career details to date (CV) together with an appropriate covering letter setting out your relevant experience, details of your current/expected salary package, preferred working hours and what you could bring to the role. Applications will only be considered if you furnish us with all the details above.

CLOSING DATE 01.11.22

Please note that Aerospace Wales is currently trialling a 4 day working week