Who we are

Sagentia Innovation provides independent advisory and leading-edge product development services to a broad range of companies from some of the world’s leading and best-known brands, to start-up disruptors. We operate projects ranging in scale from £10k to £10m and serve customers across the medical, industrial, chemicals and energy, defence, food and beverage, and consumer sectors. We are part of Science Group (AIM:SAG), which has more than ten offices globally, two UK-based dedicated R&D innovation centers and more than 400 employees.

What we do

Recent examples of our advisory consultancy work:

• Foresight: What will be the future of circularity of plastics and how can R&D ensure they have the strategy for operating in the circular economy of the future?
• Strategy: How can systems change be achieved in complex multi-stakeholder systems with the intent of unlocking sustainability?
• Benchmarking: How does our client compare to its peers in its packaging strategy? Which companies are driving innovation in the field, and how are they doing it? How could gaps/weaknesses in our client’s strategy be addressed?
• Appraising alternative technologies: What are the most applicable carbon capture & utilisation technologies for use with a specific industrial process, also considering demand, location and transport and applicable business models?

Key responsibilities

1. Account management and business development
2. Project delivery
3. Client and team interaction
4. Adherence to Group policies

1. Account Management and business development

Strategic Accounts and New Business (1 or 2 accounts):

• Take responsibility for maintaining and growing the business relationship with selected Strategic Accounts

Business development for own and other accounts, leading or supporting as appropriate: 

• Business development and marketing activities for the sustainability practice
• Work with account management to build rapport and promote our capabilities
• Build effective relationships with clients and help to identify their needs
• Account management/support and new business sales:
  • Find and close project sales
  • Meet client as senior representative of business and orchestrate sales activities
  • Frame proposals and challenges project brief (up-sell)
• Recognise and understand commercial drivers of the client and how these may impact the business, developing long term relationships and repeat business with key clients
• Visit prospects for lead generation and to identify potential client needs
• Present full range of Group services and case studies and ‘intro’ to group companies
• Own and coordinate the writing and delivery of compelling sales material (e.g. discussion documents, proposals, case studies, capability decks)
• Understands division position in the market and can differentiate it from the competition

2. Project delivery

Managing advisory projects as follows:

• Lead and deliver projects delivering business value to our clients.
• Effectively generate and communicate actionable recommendations and articulate key sustainability messages with clear strategic storytelling.
• Write engaging reports, drawing on expertise from across several internal and external Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
• Manage multiple projects independently across different clients with minimal supervision to meet tight and very often concurring deadlines.
• Efficiently and effectively coordinate and manage project teams allocating tasks, providing guidance and direction and monitoring delivery of the different workstreams.
• Manage project plans, including project set up, monitoring actual vs forecast budget and Earned Value (EV), invoicing and project closure to ensure project profitability and highest level of customer satisfaction.

3. Client and team interaction

• Recognise and understand the commercial, technical, and strategic factors and drivers affecting our clients and their potential impact on their current and future business.
• Develop long term relationships with clients becoming their trusted advisor.
• Confidently engage with a wide variety of client stakeholders at different levels from practitioner to C-Suite level executives leading and delivering meetings/facilitating workshops
• Clearly and articulately present project work at internal/external meetings
• Build effective working relationships with colleagues across Sagentia Innovation and its sister companies across the science group.
• Coach and mentor junior members of the team

4. Adherence to Group policies and process

• Maintain complete client confidentiality.
• Ensure adherence to group project management practices, policies, and processes to ensure delivery of projects on time, budget and quality

Experience & qualifications

• Minimum 5-year consulting experience with demonstrable track record selling and delivering innovation strategy applying sustainability in a business environment
• Strong knowledge of sustainability in a commercial context, particularly in the consumer, ingredients and chemicals sectors
• Master’s degree in a scientific subject (chemistry or life science preferred) and may also have a PhD or additional business qualifications.
• Able to understand client’s objectives to shape solutions
• Ability to explain ideas in a clearly and concisely, creating buy in to ideas and approaches
• Strong verbal and written communication, time management, and planning skills
• Experience of managing projects to tight timescales and budgets
• Strong interpersonal skills and attention to detail
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment leading multidisciplinary project team

Career development

We are committed to career development and make a focussed effort to offer bespoke training and mentoring to allow each individual to thrive within their environment and realise personal potential.

Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.