Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Cluster Manager to lead the day-to-day operations and delivery of the CreaTech Frontiers creative industries Cluster.

Funded through a £7.2m AHRC/UKRI Creative Industries Cluster grant, the programme brings together universities, industry, businesses and cultural organisations to support innovation and growth of the creative and cultural sectors across the West Midlands.

Reporting to the Cluster Director, you will provide strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the programme delivers its objectives, KPIs and stakeholder outcomes. You will work across six core partners and a wide range of regional and national stakeholders, supporting an ambitious programme of business support, grants for R&D collaborations, internships, doctoral opportunities and training.

This is a 40-month externally funded role, running until 31 January 2030.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the day-to-day delivery of the CreaTech Frontiers Cluster.
• Chair the Cluster Management Team and work closely with the Cluster Director, Steering Board and Industry Advisory Board.
• Manage programme performance, budgets, risks, resources and reporting requirements.
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with universities, businesses, cultural organisations and regional stakeholders.
• Support SMEs and underrepresented communities to access programme opportunities.
• Lead and develop project team members, ensuring effective delivery against programme objectives.
• Monitor and evaluate activity against funder KPIs and programme outcomes.
• Support the delivery of responsible innovation, EDI and sustainability frameworks.
• Provide high-quality intelligence, advice and reporting to senior stakeholders and AHRC/UKRI.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve programme delivery and impact.

Essential Criteria

Experience

• Experience of managing large-scale programmes or projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Experience of working with funding bodies or agencies.
• Experience of developing and managing senior-level partnerships within Higher Education or a similar environment.
• Experience of leading and developing multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven experience of delivering projects from inception through to completion.
• Experience of working at pace and delivering measurable impact.
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

• Strong leadership, programme and operational management skills.
• Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to manage complex relationships and competing priorities.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making and risk-management skills.
• Ability to use data and evidence to monitor performance and inform decisions.
• Ability to motivate teams and deliver results in a complex environment.

Knowledge

• Knowledge or understanding of the creative and/or digital industries.
• Understanding of Higher Education, research and innovation environments.
• Knowledge of EDI and sustainability principles.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office and digital tools.
• Familiarity with LLMs and AI tools to support analysis, project management and reporting.

Special Requirements

• Willingness to travel to university campuses, partner organisations, meetings and events.
• Flexibility to work outside standard office hours when required.

We welcome applications from candidates with transferable skills and experience from relevant sectors.

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Prof Lamberto Coccioli, CreaTech Frontiers Director, at lamberto.coccioli@bcu.ac.uk

Closing Date: 24 Sep 2026

Department: Management

Salary: £52,462 to £60,842 per annum
Fixed Term (3 years and 4 months)