Opportunity Development Manager

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow's power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding  defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate  bonus scheme up to 7%  and a  Relocation  allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options  including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment. 
• Employee Assistance Programme  and trained Mental Health First Aiders, 
• Generous annual leave  allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• Wide range of  career development opportunities
• A vibrant  culture  committed to equality and being fully  inclusive

What to expect in our recruitment process:
For a step-by-step overview of how we hire from application to offer please see our Recruitment Process page: careers.ukaea.uk/join-us/recruitment-process

Job Description

The salary for this role is £57,117 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance) . Onsite working is expected for 3   days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. 

This role can be based at any of the following sites  Culham, Oxfordshire with occasional domestic travel.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) , including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data. 

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. 

As Opportunity Development Manager, you will support the Head of Programme Development in identifying, developing and securing strategic funding and commercial opportunities that drive growth for the Technology Division. Working across industry, government, academia and international partners, you will help build consortia and shape opportunities from early engagement through to successful proposal submission, ensuring alignment with the Division's strategic objectives and supporting sustainable long-term growth. 

You will lead opportunity capture activities, coordinate multidisciplinary technical teams and develop compelling funding and commercial proposals that convert UKAEA capabilities into funded programmes and sustainable commercial growth. This role combines opportunity development, stakeholder engagement and bid leadership, with a strong emphasis on partnership building and external engagement. 

Additional Responsibilities:

• Lead the development, coordination and submission of high-quality bids, funding proposals and commercial opportunities aligned to the Division's strategic objectives.
• Coordinate the Division's Bid Viability Assessment (BVA) process, supporting robust Go/No-Go decision making, identifying opportunities to refine bid management processes, and ensuring resources are focused on the highest-value opportunities.
• Build consortia and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, acting as the lead contact for complex bids and supporting the identification and development of strategic opportunities.
• Oversee the bid lifecycle from opportunity qualification through to submission, ensuring proposals are robust, compliant, competitive and delivered to deadline.
• Monitor and report on commercial activity, opportunity pipelines, partnerships and business development data, maintaining accurate CRM, SharePoint and proposal records to support informed decision-making.
• Maintain proposal libraries, reusable content, lessons learned, bid processes and opportunity tracking systems to drive continuous improvement and increase bid effectiveness. 
• Promote UKAEA's values by fostering a culture of safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, continuous improvement and compliance with organisational policies. 
• Contribute to the development of strategic funding and commercial opportunities, supporting opportunity assessment, planning, and proposal development. 
• Develop relationships with customers, collaborators, funding organisations and strategic partners, helping to shape opportunities before formal funding calls are launched. 
• Represent UKAEA at stakeholder meetings, consortium workshops, conferences and industry engagement activities. 

Qualifications

Essential:

• Experience leading complex multidisciplinary bids, funding proposals or commercial opportunities from opportunity qualification through to successful submission. 
• Experience identifying, qualifying and developing new funding opportunities before formal procurement or calls are launched. 
• Demonstrable ability to identify, shape and develop strategic opportunities by bringing together customers, partners and technical teams to create compelling collaborative propositions. 
• Able to work effectively with incomplete information to develop opportunity strategies, challenge assumptions and translate technical concepts into compelling commercial propositions. 
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing competing priorities to deliver high-quality proposals within challenging timescales. 
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to build productive relationships with customers, collaborators, funding organisations and internal technical teams. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical information into compelling commercial proposals, funding applications and business cases. 
• Strong understanding of opportunity development, bid governance, opportunity qualification and proposal development processes. 
• Experience engaging directly with customers, strategic partners or funding organisations to support opportunity development and business growth. 
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple concurrent opportunities in a fast-paced environment, exercising sound judgement and effective decision-making. 
• Proactive, organised and detail-oriented, with strong problem-solving skills and a commitment to continuous improvement. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in business development, bid management, commercial management or a related discipline. 

Desirable:

• Experience working within engineering, science or technology organisations. 
• Experience within one or more of the fusion, nuclear, defence, aerospace, advanced manufacturing or energy sectors. 
• Experience developing collaborative proposals involving industry, academia, government and international partners. 
• Knowledge of UK and international funding mechanisms, including Innovate UK, UKRI, EPSRC, Horizon Europe, DESNZ and DSIT. 
• Understanding of technology commercialisation, intellectual property management and collaborative research and development. 
• APMP qualification or another recognised bid or proposal management qualification. 
• Experience using CRM systems, SharePoint or similar opportunity and knowledge-management tools. 

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here

UKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit.

UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email View email address on jobs.smartrecruiters.com if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.