Faculty Central (FEPS)

Location:  Highfield Campus
Salary:   £39,739 to £43,434
Full Time Fixed Term for 2 years
Closing Date:  Monday 11 October 2021
Interview Date:   Wednesday 27 October 2021
Reference:  1492221GN

Who are we? 

Future Worlds is the on-campus startup accelerator at the University of Southampton. We exist to help aspiring student and staff entrepreneurs change the world with their ideas, because we believe that if you want to make a difference, then launching a startup is one of the best ways you can make an impact in the world, and the University is one of the best places to start.

We’re a small team but with a network of mentors and investors we achieve big results. Since 2015 we’ve supported hundreds of aspiring startup founders at the University, from first year undergraduates to professors, begin journeys leading them across the world backed by millions of pounds of investment. 

Future Worlds engages the campus community through inspiring startup events, workshops and digital content and then accelerates new ventures through one to one support, its network of mentors, seasoned founders and multi-millionaire investors as well as promoting the start-ups on the world stage (for the last six years we’ve been the only UK university exhibiting at CES, the world’s most influential tech show). 

We’re proud to be ‘founder first’ in our approach. We don’t charge or take equity from the start-ups we support, but are working to create an inclusive start-up community on campus, which is enriched by the diversity of its members and dispels misplaced stereotypes of ‘typical’ start-up founders.  

Who are you and what will you be doing? 

You are an experienced business development professional with a demonstrable knowledge of and experience working in start-ups or in programmes supporting start-ups. You will be a rainmaker who uses your skills and experience to generate at step change in resources through engaging partners with Future Worlds

You will proactively work with the Future Worlds Director to develop the commercial, investor and grant funder engagement plan for Future Worlds and will lead the proposals and negotiations with external stakeholders and partners to secure funding for Future Worlds to ensure sustainable growth for Future Worlds and to enhance the investment and resources accessible to Future Worlds startups and spinouts.  

You’ll be excited by being able to support and accelerate the advancement of some of the most talented startup founders in the world, opening up life changing opportunities for them. You’re willing to learn fast, ask questions and embody the founder-first, inclusive culture we work hard to cultivate at Future Worlds.  

To be successful you will demonstrate skill level to achievement of a professional qualification, Master's degree or other postgraduate degree and extensive experience of business development at a senior level.

The post is full time and fixed term for 2 years. Interviews will be held via videolink on 27th October 2021

If you have specific questions about the role, you can contact the Future Worlds team via futureworlds@soton.ac.uk to set up an informal chat.  

You should submit your completed online application form at https://jobs.soton.ac.uk. The application deadline will be midnight on the closing date stated above. If you need any assistance, please call Lizzie Cessford (Recruitment Team) on +44 (0) 23 8059 2750, or email recruitment@soton.ac.uk. Please quote reference 1492221GN  on all correspondence.