Director of GW4 Alliance

The role

The GW4 Alliance is a partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter – four of the UK’s leading research-intensive universities. Together, GW4 brings people together to tackle major global and societal challenges through collaborative research and innovation. The Alliance has built an impressive track record, securing significant funding and delivering projects with real-world impact, from developing the UK’s first hydrogen supercluster and building one of Europe’s most powerful supercomputers, to supporting the transition to Net Zero housing.

As Director of GW4, you will provide strategic leadership for the Alliance, working closely with senior leaders across the partner universities, funders, policymakers, and external partners. You will lead a dedicated team and oversee the delivery of GW4’s ambitious programme of activity, ensuring the Alliance continues to thrive and develop in an evolving research and innovation landscape.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Research, Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Bristol, you will shape GW4’s future direction, strengthen partnerships, and champion collaborative research at regional, national, and international levels.

The GW4 team are based across all four cities and their localities; this has multiple benefits in supporting local relationships and connections. GW4 staff are therefore predominately working in a remote manner but there is a monthly in-person all team day and opportunities to work more in-person if desired and as roles require. Much of the responsibility for attending external national meetings and events across the universities sits with the Director requiring the postholder to travel on average 2 days a week, predominately within region, and have sufficient flexibility to attend evening events as required.

What will you be doing?

• Leading the strategic development & operational delivery of the GW4 Alliance, ensuring its continued success and sustainability.
• Identifying and developing new opportunities for collaboration across the GW4 universities, fostering partnerships that build on shared research strengths and address regional, national and global challenges.
• Representing GW4 at the highest levels externally, building relationships with funders, government, industry and other partners.
• Working closely with the GW4 Board, Council, and senior university leaders to align GW4’s work with partner priorities and emerging opportunities.
• Leading and supporting the GW4 professional team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive working culture.
• Promoting GW4’s achievements and raising its profile within and beyond the partner universities.

You should apply if

• You have significant senior leadership experience within higher education, research, or a similarly complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• You have a deep understanding of the UK research and innovation landscape, including experience of working with funders, policymakers, and strategic partners.
• You have strong external networks and are skilled at influencing, negotiating, and building trusted relationships with senior leaders across diverse organisations.
• You have a strong track record of leading teams, managing resources effectively, and delivering strategic objectives.
• You are comfortable operating in politically sensitive environments and navigating governance structures to enable decision-making and collaboration.

Additional information

For informal queries about the role, please contact:

Sophie Collet, Sophie.Collet@bristol.ac.uk

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