Rail and Aviation Engagement Manager

Directorate: Engagement

Contract type/Duration: Fixed Term until 30th September 2025

Team: Engagement

Direct Reports: No

Band: 3.2

Salary: £57,000 - £63,000 (depending on location and proven ability)

Reports to: Head of Sales Engagement -Transport & Logistics

Closing Date: 8th October 2024

About Us

Connected Places Catapult is the UK's innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership. We provide impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. We connect businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets. We run technology demonstrators and SME accelerators to scale new solutions that drive growth, spread prosperity, and eliminate carbon.

The role

In your role, you will be working within the Transport, team, responsible for finding and closing new commercial opportunities identifying large-scale projects and programs that remove barriers to innovation and contribute to long-term impact around resilience, sustainability, and societal benefit.

The Transport and Infrastructure Business Development team focuses on various transport modes, including rail, air and multi-modal systems. This team engages with industry partners and stakeholders to addresses key challenges such as decarbonization, safety, accessibility, and the implementation of connected intelligent systems. By exploring and addressing these challenges the team, along with support from the wider business, drives and develops innovative proposals for projects to accelerate innovation to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of transport networks, making them more sustainable and user-friendly.

Your success in this role will be measured by your ability to strategically align CPC’s offerings with the needs of potential customers, driving growth to hit sales targets, and achieving impact through targeted initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute sales and account strategies within the railway and aviation verticals. Aligning opportunities with Connected Places Catapult's overall sales objectives and growth targets.
• Work in partnership with Connected Places Catapult Ecosystem Directors to target specific opportunities within rail and aviation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant clients, stakeholders, and decision-makers within the rail and aviation sector.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities, including potential partnerships and collaborations.
• Manage the sales pipeline effectively, from lead generation and qualification to contract negotiation and closure, ensuring timely follow-up and proactive engagement with prospects and clients.
• Be an advocate for best practices around sales processes and CRM management.
• Be a thought leader in the domain, staying abreast of relevant developments to support the advancement of connected places innovation.
• In your role, you will be working across the railway, aviation, and potentially other transport modes. While your initial focus will be on rail and aviation, this may evolve over time to meet changing business needs. Your ability to shift focus or specialise in one of these areas will be critical as opportunities and market demands developWork closely with CPC colleagues to produce high-quality proposals.
• Help foster and promote equity and diversity across the team.

Requirements

Requirements

• Knowledge of either the railway or aviation sector. Ideally both.
• Excellent teamwork skills, with an appreciation of working together to deliver overall organisational goals.
• Experience in growing a sales pipeline and targeting new clients by identifying their challenges and articulating the benefits that CPC can provide.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Successful customer strategy development and account planning.
• Understanding of financial and commercial agreements.
• Extensive experience with commercial bids, proposals, tenders and management of a CRM.
• Previous experience selling services to either the railway or aviation sector
• Ability to inspire and lead teams to achieve results.
• Knowledge of working with both commercial and government organisations.

Benefits

• 9 day fortnight for everyone, we have a full company shutdown 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.

Employment here is based solely upon individual merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. We strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by law. We also make all reasonable accommodations to meet our obligations under laws protecting the rights of the disabled.