UK

United Kingdom · Research and development · Director/VP (16-20 years)

Director of Open Innovation

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  • Experience bandDirector/VP (16-20 years)
  • Direct reports25-100+ reports
  • Reports toVP, R&D Strategy & Innovation
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Head of External Innovation · R&D Partnerships Director · VP of Innovation Scouting · Strategic Innovation Lead

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Care Professions (RQF) Open Awards · Level 2 · covers 1 of 1 standard
OCNLR Level 3 Award in Progression OCN London · Level 3 · covers 1 of 1 standard

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Research skills for health and social care NCFE CACHE Technical Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care
Research Skills Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Further Learning and Employment (RQF)

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Director of Open Innovation

2 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Research skills for health and social care NCFE · covers 1 of 1 standards Level 3
  2. Research Skills Open Awards · covers 1 of 1 standards Level 2
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Director of Open Innovation?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Ethical AI & Responsible Innovation Governance
  • Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Theory
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Director of Open Innovation plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

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3What this role really is

This role sets the open innovation agenda for a significant business division, shaping external partnerships and R&D investment decisions to drive growth.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Innovation Management Platform (e.g., Brightidea, Wellspring) Strategic/Architect

Leads platform selection/renewal, integrates it with enterprise systems (e.g., Jira, SAP), and defines enterprise-wide innovation governance. You're making sure the tool serves our strategic goals, not the other way around.

Scouting & Intelligence Platform (e.g., PitchBook, CB Insights, PatSnap) Strategic/Architect

Defines strategic search fields and parameters for your team, negotiates enterprise licenses, and uses the aggregated data to influence M&A or Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) strategy. You're translating data into strategic action.

Project & Portfolio Management (e.g., Aha!, Jira Align) Strategic/Architect

Oversees the entire innovation portfolio, using these tools to balance risk/reward, track strategic objectives, and create executive dashboards for portfolio health and ROI. You're managing the big picture, not just individual projects.

Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) (e.g., Icertis, Ironclad) Strategic/Architect

Designs streamlined contracting workflows for startup engagement, evaluates and recommends CLM platforms to reduce legal friction and accelerate partnership formation. You're optimising the process to enable faster innovation.

Executive Dashboards & Reporting (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) Strategic/Architect

Works with data teams to define and architect the innovation data model. Uses Tableau Server/Power BI Premium to provide self-service analytics to the C-suite, ensuring they have the insights needed for strategic decisions.

Board Reporting Tools (e.g., Diligent Boards, Nasdaq Boardvantage) Strategic/Architect

Directly uploads and presents the innovation portfolio review and strategic outlook to the board using the official platform. This is where you communicate your team's impact at the highest level.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Strategic Direction for Open Innovation N/A N/A N/A
Budget Allocation for Innovation Programmes N/A N/A N/A
Major External Partnership Agreements N/A N/A N/A
Team Hiring & Organisational Design N/A N/A N/A

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Innovation Portfolio Value (NPV)
The Net Present Value (NPV) of the entire open innovation pipeline, including active pilots and scaled projects.
Target · Achieve and maintain an NPV of £10M+ for the business unit's innovation portfolio.

If your portfolio's projected future cash flows, discounted back to today, sum up to £12M, you're hitting the mark. It's about demonstrating the long-term financial potential of your work.

Scaled Innovations Contribution
The actual revenue generated or cost savings realised from successful pilots that have transitioned into scaled business operations.
Target · Transition ≥2 successful pilots into scaled operations annually, contributing at least £1M+ in new revenue or cost savings.

A new material sourced via open innovation leads to a £750K cost saving in manufacturing, and a new software partnership generates £300K in subscription revenue. That's £1.05M total, hitting your target.

Strategic Alignment Score
The percentage of the open innovation portfolio that directly aligns with the top three corporate strategic pillars for the business unit.
Target · Maintain 90%+ of the innovation portfolio in direct alignment with the business unit's top 3 strategic pillars.

If the business unit's top priorities are 'Sustainability', 'Digital Transformation', and 'New Market Entry', then 95% of your active innovation projects should clearly contribute to one or more of these areas. It means you're not just chasing shiny objects.

External Partner Satisfaction (NPS)
Net Promoter Score (NPS) from external partners (startups, universities) on their experience working with us.
Target · Achieve an NPS of 70+ from external partners.

If partners feel we're easy to work with, fair, and provide clear communication, they're more likely to recommend us. A high NPS means we're seen as a partner of choice, not a bureaucratic nightmare.

Board & Executive Confidence
The level of trust and confidence the Board and C-suite have in your open innovation strategy and execution.
  • You'll know this is good when the Board actively seeks your input on strategic R&D investments, when your quarterly updates are met with thoughtful questions rather than skepticism, and when you're seen as a credible voice for future growth. They'll also be comfortable allocating significant budget to your programmes.
Internal R&D Collaboration & Adoption
How effectively your team integrates external technologies with internal R&D efforts, leading to genuine collaboration and adoption.
  • Internal R&D teams will proactively reach out to your group for scouting support. You'll see joint patent filings between internal and external partners. The 'Not Invented Here' syndrome will noticeably diminish, replaced by a culture of curiosity and co-creation. You're not just handing over ideas
  • you're helping them land.
Ecosystem Reputation
Our standing and reputation within the global innovation ecosystem (startups, VCs, academia).
  • We'll be invited to speak at top-tier innovation conferences. Promising startups will approach us directly, seeing us as a preferred partner. Key VCs will introduce us to their portfolio companies. This means we're not just looking for innovation
  • we're a recognised part of it.
Team Leadership & Development
The ability to inspire, develop, and retain a high-performing open innovation team.
  • Your team members will consistently hit their individual goals and show clear career progression. Retention rates within your direct team will be high. You'll be known for fostering a culture of psychological safety, continuous learning, and strategic impact, even when projects don't pan out.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Strategic Impact & Transformation

You'll get a real kick out of seeing your strategic vision for external innovation translate into actual R&D projects and, eventually, new products. It's about fundamentally changing how the business operates and grows, not just tweaking things around the edges.

Leading the charge on a new sustainable materials programme that not only reduces our carbon footprint but also opens up a £5M new market segment. That's the kind of impact that drives you.

Building & Leading High-Performing Teams

You'll find immense satisfaction in coaching, mentoring, and empowering your managers and their teams to excel. Seeing them grow, take on bigger challenges, and deliver impactful results will be a huge motivator.

Watching a manager you've developed successfully negotiate a complex, multi-million pound partnership and then seeing their team execute a flawless pilot. That's a win for you.

Navigating Complexity & Solving Big Problems

The messier and more ambiguous the challenge, the more energised you'll feel. You thrive on connecting disparate dots, making sense of complex market dynamics, and finding innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Being asked to find a breakthrough technology that addresses a looming regulatory challenge while also opening up a new revenue stream. That's your sweet spot.

What frustrates people
  • The Internal Sales Job: Spending 70% of your time convincing internal stakeholders to try an external idea and only 30% of your time actually finding and developing those ideas. It's exhausting.
  • Fighting the 'Not Invented Here' Bias: Constantly battling the perception that your team's work is a threat to the internal R&D department's budget, headcount, and ego. It's a cultural battle, really.
  • Procurement & Legal as Black Holes: Watching a promising startup partnership wither on the vine for 6 months while it's stuck in the standard corporate procurement and legal review process designed for billion-pound suppliers. It kills momentum.
  • The Tyranny of the Quarterly Report: Having to justify long-term, speculative R&D bets with short-term, predictable financial metrics. Promising projects are often killed to 'make the quarter,' which is incredibly frustrating.
  • 'Innovation Theatre' Mandates: Being forced by leadership to run high-profile but superficial events like ideation challenges that generate buzz but have no strategic follow-through, distracting from real work.
  • The Scaling Handoff Problem: Successfully proving a pilot's value, only to find that no business unit is willing to take on the risk, budget, and operational headache of scaling it. It's like running a perfect race only to trip at the finish line.
What this role does not give you
  • A predictable, linear path with guaranteed outcomes. Innovation is inherently messy.
  • Immediate gratification for every project. Many will fail or take years to mature.
  • A role where you can avoid internal politics. This job is all about navigating them.
  • A quiet, heads-down technical role. This is highly collaborative and outward-facing.
  • A role where you only deal with 'new and shiny.' You'll spend a lot of time on the practicalities of integration and commercialisation, which isn't always glamorous.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the strategic direction of a key business unit by identifying and integrating external technologies that drive future growth, market differentiation, and competitive advantage. You'll influence multi-million pound R&D investment decisions and significantly impact the company's long-term innovation pipeline and market relevance.

Inside the business
  • VP, R&D Strategy & Innovation
  • Business Unit General Managers
  • Head of Product Development
  • Legal & IP Counsel
  • Head of Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)
  • Finance Leadership (CFO, Business Unit Finance Directors)
Outside the business
  • Startup Founders & CEOs
  • University Research Heads & Tech Transfer Offices
  • Venture Capital Funds
  • Industry Consortia & Accelerators
  • Strategic Technology Partners
  • Government Innovation Agencies

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Extensive experience (12+ years) leading complex innovation programmes or R&D partnerships in a large corporate setting, ideally within the Research and Development sector.
  • Demonstrable track record of successfully bringing external technologies from concept to commercialisation or significant internal adoption.
  • Proven ability to manage and develop large, geographically dispersed teams, including managers.
  • Experience presenting strategic recommendations and results to C-suite executives and/or Board members.
  • Significant P&L management experience, with a clear understanding of financial modelling and ROI for innovation investments.
  • A deep network within the global innovation ecosystem (startups, VCs, academia) relevant to our industry.
  • A strong understanding of intellectual property management and commercialisation strategies.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced AI/ML for R&D Decision Support

Beyond basic scouting, AI/ML is increasingly used for complex R&D decision support, such as predicting material properties, optimising experimental designs, or identifying drug candidates. As a Director, you'll need to understand how to apply these at a strategic level and evaluate vendor capabilities.

Generative AI for Design · Reinforcement Learning in R&D · AI Model Explainability (XAI) for Scientific Discovery · Quantum Machine Learning (QML) Potential

  • This quarter: Read a few white papers on AI applications in our specific R&D domain (e.g., material science, pharmaceuticals).
  • Next quarter: Engage with our internal data science team to understand their current AI capabilities and future roadmap.
  • Month 6: Evaluate 2-3 external vendors offering advanced AI/ML solutions for R&D, assessing their strategic fit and ROI.
  • Month 9: Propose a pilot project to apply advanced AI/ML to a critical R&D bottleneck within your business unit.

Quick win: Challenge your team to identify one R&D problem that could be significantly accelerated by an advanced AI/ML technique, and then find a potential external partner for it.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending and speaking at industry conferences (e.g., World Open Innovation Conference, TechCrunch Disrupt, Slush).
  • Maintaining an active network within the venture capital, startup, and academic communities.
  • Subscribing to leading R&D and innovation publications, both academic and industry-focused.
  • Mentoring junior talent within our organisation and externally.
  • Participating in executive education programmes focused on strategic leadership, M&A, or emerging technologies.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Ethical AI & Responsible Innovation Governance

As AI becomes more pervasive in R&D and product development, the ethical implications (bias, privacy, societal impact) are becoming critical. Regulators, customers, and investors are demanding responsible innovation. Ignoring this is a massive reputational and business risk.

  • AI Ethics Frameworks
  • Responsible AI Development Lifecycle
  • Bias Detection & Mitigation
  • Explainable AI (XAI)

Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Theory

Innovation is no longer about single companies; it's about interconnected ecosystems. Simply finding partners isn't enough; you need to actively design, cultivate, and orchestrate a network of collaborators to create exponential value. This is how you build a competitive moat.

  • Platform Business Models
  • Network Effects & Flywheels
  • Ecosystem Mapping & Analysis
  • Co-creation & Open Source Strategies

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Technology Scouting & Due Diligence (Strategic)
  • IP Strategy & Portfolio Management
  • Lean Startup Methodology (Corporate Context)
  • Stage-Gate® / Phase-Gate Process (Portfolio Level)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Open Innovation Manager (L5) to Director

    3-5 years as an L5 Manager

    Skills to master

    • Mastering portfolio management for a significant business area, building and leading a team of managers, consistently delivering scaled innovations, and developing strong C-suite communication skills.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully managed an innovation portfolio with an NPV of £5M+.
    • Consistently transitioned 1-2 pilots into scaled operations annually.
    • Received strong feedback on leadership, team development, and strategic influence.
    • Proactively identified and addressed significant market shifts or technological threats.
  2. 2

    Director of R&D Partnerships (from another large corporate)

    Direct entry, assuming equivalent experience

    Skills to master

    • Quickly understanding our specific industry sector, internal R&D capabilities, and corporate culture. Building immediate credibility with our executive team and key internal stakeholders.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Proven track record of leading similar-sized teams and managing multi-million pound innovation budgets.
    • Demonstrable experience in a highly regulated or complex R&D environment.
    • Strong network of external partners relevant to our strategic objectives.
    • Ability to articulate a clear vision for open innovation within our specific context during interviews.
  3. 3

    Head of Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) or Venture Partner

    Direct entry, assuming strong operational R&D background

    Skills to master

    • Translating investment theses into actionable R&D collaboration opportunities, managing the relationship between venture capital and corporate R&D, and understanding the nuances of internal product development cycles.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Experience with both investment and operational aspects of innovation.
    • A deep understanding of startup ecosystems and venture deal flows.
    • Proven ability to identify and nurture high-potential technologies beyond just financial returns.
    • Strong strategic thinking combined with a pragmatic, results-oriented approach.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to a Chief Technology Officer or Chief Innovation Officer position, setting technology and innovation strategy across a whole organisation.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Director of Open Innovation is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Research skills for health and social care, worked against Director of Open Innovation.

Research skills for health and social care Level 3

Applied to your work in Director of Open Innovation

The objective of this unit is to enable learners to develop a comprehensive understanding of research principles and practices within the health and social care context. Learners will explore research approaches and methodologies, ethical considerations, and the key stages involved in planning, conducting, analysing, and presenting research. Furthermore, they will learn to reflect on the research process.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Director of Open Innovation
  • Technology Scouting & Due Diligence (Strategic)
  • IP Strategy & Portfolio Management
  • Lean Startup Methodology (Corporate Context)
  • Stage-Gate® / Phase-Gate Process (Portfolio Level)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Director of Open Innovation is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. VP, R&D Strategy & Innovation (L7)

    3-5 years in the Director role

    This is a significant step up to the C-suite level, overseeing the entire enterprise's R&D strategy and innovation portfolio.

    • Defining enterprise-level innovation frameworks and policies
    • Overseeing corporate venture capital strategy and investments
    • Leading M&A for strategic technology acquisitions
    • Representing the company's innovation vision to external stakeholders and media
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be honest, as a Director, your time is precious. You're juggling strategic planning, team leadership, external relations, and board presentations. The good news? AI isn't just for junior analysts anymore. It's a game-changer for senior leaders like you, freeing up valuable hours from the mundane so you can focus on what truly matters: driving breakthrough innovation.

Imagine cutting through the noise of market research, speeding up partnership negotiations, and getting clearer insights faster. That's what AI can do for you. We're not talking about replacing your strategic brain, but augmenting it, making you and your team significantly more efficient and effective. Here's how you'll use our AI Hub to get ahead:

Automated Strategic Scouting

Use advanced AI platforms, often integrated into tools like PitchBook or CB Insights, to automatically screen thousands of startups and emerging technologies against your complex strategic briefs. It'll filter by technology readiness, funding stage, team background, and market traction, giving you a highly curated list of potential partners in minutes, not weeks. This means your team spends less time digging and more time engaging with the right people.

AI-Powered IP & Market Landscaping

Leverage AI tools, like PatSnap's Discovery, to analyse vast patent databases and market reports. You'll identify 'white space' opportunities, map competitor IP strategies, and flag potential Freedom to Operate (FTO) risks in minutes. This dramatically accelerates a highly specialised and time-consuming task, giving you a competitive edge in strategic decision-making and M&A due diligence.

Rapid Executive Summaries & Insights

Utilise Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 or Claude, often fine-tuned on scientific data, to summarise dense academic papers, complex technical documentation, and lengthy market research reports. These tools can extract key findings, methodologies, and strategic implications, allowing you and your team to quickly grasp complex information and prepare concise briefings for the C-suite and Board, cutting down hours of reading time.

Intelligent Partnership Drafting & Review

Employ AI-powered Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tools or custom LLM prompts to generate first drafts of critical legal documents like NDAs, Material Transfer Agreements, and complex Pilot Project Charters. These tools can be tailored to predefined templates and risk profiles, significantly reducing administrative friction and accelerating the initial legal review process for new partnerships. It means you get to 'yes' faster, which is crucial in the startup world.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Director of Open Innovation?

Common routes in include Open Innovation Manager to Director (3-5 years as an L5 Manager), Director of R&D Partnerships (from another large corporate) (Direct entry, assuming equivalent experience) and Head of Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) or Venture Partner (Direct entry, assuming strong operational R&D background). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Director of Open Innovation progress to?

This role can lead on to VP, R&D Strategy & Innovation (3-5 years in the Director role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Director of Open Innovation?

Increasingly, Ethical AI & Responsible Innovation Governance and Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Theory. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in research and development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The strategic, leadership and partnership skills built in this role apply across R&D-intensive industries, including pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, energy and technology. The ability to drive innovation and manage complex partnerships transfers across sectors.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.