UK

United Kingdom · Research and development · Principal/Manager (12-16 years)

Open Innovation Director

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  • Experience bandPrincipal/Manager (12-16 years)
  • Direct reports3-8 reports
  • Reports toDirector of Open Innovation
  • UK framework levelUsually someone running a function, or a director

Also advertised as Head of Open Innovation · R&D Partnerships Lead · Innovation Portfolio Manager · Senior Manager, External R&D

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

OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Business Administration OCN London · Level 4 · covers 1 of 3 standards
Focus Awards Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service (RQF) Focus Awards Limited · Level 4 · covers 1 of 3 standards
Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Care Professions (RQF) Open Awards · Level 2 · covers 1 of 3 standards

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

The units you would start with

Contribute to Innovation in a Business Environment OCNLR Level 4 Certificate in Business Administration
Encourage innovation Focus Awards Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Customer Service (RQF)
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

Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Foresight Fluency seeing round the corner
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for Open Innovation Director

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

  1. Contribute to Innovation in a Business Environment OCN London · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 4
  2. Encourage innovation Focus Awards Limited · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 4
  3. Research skills for health and social care NCFE · covers 1 of 3 standards Level 3
  4. Research Skills Open Awards · covers 1 of 3 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 an Open Innovation Director?

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

  • AI for Strategic Foresight & Trend Mapping
  • Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Science
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 Open Innovation Director plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

An Open Innovation Director builds and runs the process that brings external ideas into an R&D pipeline.

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, Planview) Strategic/Architect

Leads the selection, integration, and optimisation of the platform for your specific business unit or domain. Defines enterprise-wide innovation governance and data models, ensuring the platform supports strategic decision-making and reporting across your portfolio. You're making sure the system works for your team and for leadership.

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

Defines strategic search fields and parameters for your team's scouting efforts. Negotiates enterprise licenses and ensures the platforms are used to influence M&A or Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) strategy. You're using these tools to identify major trends and opportunities, not just individual startups.

Collaboration & Ideation Tools (e.g., Miro, Mural, MS Teams) Strategic/Architect

Champions the use of these tools across your team and with external partners to break down silos and foster effective remote/hybrid innovation workshops. Sets best practices for collaboration, ensuring your team can effectively co-create and problem-solve with diverse stakeholders.

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

Oversees the entire innovation portfolio, using these tools to balance risk/reward, track strategic objectives, and manage resource allocation across multiple projects. Creates executive dashboards for portfolio health, ROI, and progress against strategic goals, providing a clear view for senior leadership.

Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) (e.g., Icertis, DocuSign CLM, Ironclad) Advanced

Works closely with Legal and Procurement to design streamlined contracting workflows specifically for startup engagement and R&D partnerships. Evaluates and recommends CLM platforms to reduce legal friction and accelerate deal closure, ensuring your team can move quickly and compliantly.

Executive Dashboards & Reporting (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) Advanced

Works with data teams to define and architect the innovation data model. Uses these tools to build and present compelling data stories to the C-suite, tracking pilot metrics, pipeline health, ecosystem engagement, and the overall value of your innovation portfolio. You're turning data into strategic insights.

Board Reporting Tools (e.g., Diligent Boards, Nasdaq Boardvantage) Intermediate

Prepares and formats the innovation portfolio review and strategic outlook for inclusion in board decks. You'll ensure the data is accurate, the narrative is compelling, and the presentation meets the high standards required for board-level discussions.

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
Innovation Strategy & Focus N/A (executes defined searches) N/A (proposes solutions to identified needs) Recommends strategic focus areas for specific technology domains based on market analysis.
Budget Allocation & Spend No authority; adheres to project budgets. Manages project expenses within predefined limits (typically up to £5K). Approves project-level spend up to £25K; recommends larger budget requests to Lead.
Team Management & Hiring No direct reports; focuses on individual contribution. No direct reports; may informally mentor junior colleagues. Mentors 0-2 junior analysts; provides input on performance reviews.
External Partnership Agreements Submits standard NDAs; no negotiation authority. Drafts initial partnership terms; works with Legal on standard agreements. Negotiates non-material clauses in partnership agreements; seeks approval for key terms.

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 aggregated Net Present Value (NPV) of all active pilot projects and scaled innovations under your management.
Target · Manage a portfolio with a target NPV of £10M+ within 18 months.

Your portfolio includes three pilots with a combined projected NPV of £6M and two scaled innovations generating £4.5M, totalling £10.5M.

Scaled Innovations Rate
The number of successful pilot projects that transition from your team's oversight into scaled business operations, contributing measurable revenue or cost savings.
Target · Transition ≥2 successful pilots into scaled operations annually, each contributing £1M+ in revenue or cost savings.

In Q4, a pilot for a new material sourced by your team was adopted by the manufacturing unit, projected to save £1.2M in annual production costs.

Strategic Alignment Score
How well your innovation portfolio aligns with the company's top 3-5 corporate strategic pillars, as defined by the executive leadership team.
Target · Maintain 90%+ of the innovation portfolio directly aligned with the top 3 corporate strategic pillars.

During the Q2 review, 10 out of 11 active projects were clearly linked to 'Sustainable Materials' or 'Digital Health Solutions', hitting 91% alignment.

Team Productivity & Pipeline Health
The efficiency of your team in moving ideas through the innovation funnel, from initial scouting to pilot launch, measured by cycle times and conversion rates.
Target · Reduce average 'Scout-to-Pilot' cycle time by 15% year-on-year; maintain a 20%+ conversion rate from 'Qualified Lead' to 'Pilot Project'.

Your team reduced the average time from identifying a promising startup to launching a pilot from 6 months to 5 months, and 25% of all qualified leads resulted in a pilot.

Internal Stakeholder Confidence
The level of trust and proactive engagement from internal R&D teams and business unit GMs, indicating they see your team as a valuable partner, not a threat.
  • Evidence: Proactively invited to strategic planning sessions
  • GMs approach your team with new problem statements
  • your team's input is sought for internal R&D roadmap decisions
  • positive feedback in 360-degree reviews from internal partners.
Ecosystem Reputation & Network Growth
Our standing within the external innovation ecosystem (startups, VCs, universities), measured by inbound interest and the quality of new relationships established.
  • Evidence: Increased inbound inquiries from high-quality startups
  • invitations to speak at key industry events
  • successful co-authorship of research papers with academic partners
  • positive feedback from external partners on our collaboration process.
Team Development & Retention
The growth and engagement of your direct reports and the broader team, ensuring they feel supported, challenged, and see a clear career path.
  • Evidence: High retention rates within your team
  • successful promotion of team members
  • positive feedback in team engagement surveys
  • direct reports taking on increased responsibility and leadership roles
  • successful mentorship of junior staff.
Strategic Foresight & Trend Spotting
Your ability to identify and communicate emerging technological trends and market shifts that could impact our business, well before they become mainstream.
  • Evidence: Your insights are regularly incorporated into executive strategy documents
  • you present compelling cases for new areas of R&D investment
  • you're seen as the 'go-to' person for 'what's next' in your domain
  • early identification of a disruptive technology that later gains market traction.

7Would you like it

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

What people enjoy
Shaping the Future of the Business

You'll feel a genuine buzz when your team identifies a new technology that could open up an entirely new market for us, or when a pilot project you've championed starts to show real promise. The idea of seeing your strategic vision for external innovation come to life and impact our long-term growth is what gets you out of bed.

Leading the team to identify a new sustainable packaging technology that eventually becomes a core part of our product line, significantly reducing our environmental footprint and attracting new customers.

Building and Empowering a High-Performing Team

You get a real kick out of seeing your direct reports grow, take on more responsibility, and succeed. You enjoy coaching them through tough negotiations, helping them refine their scouting strategies, and celebrating their wins. Developing their skills and seeing them thrive under your leadership is a huge source of satisfaction.

Mentoring a Lead Scout who successfully negotiates a complex partnership with a university, leading to a breakthrough in a critical R&D area, and then seeing them get promoted.

Solving Complex, Multi-Dimensional Problems

The trickiest part of this job isn't finding the tech, it's figuring out how to make it work inside a large, often resistant, organisation. You enjoy the challenge of connecting disparate ideas, navigating legal hurdles, securing internal buy-in, and crafting innovative business models. It's like a giant, strategic puzzle every day.

Designing a new contracting framework with Legal and Procurement that dramatically speeds up engagement with early-stage startups, cutting typical onboarding time from 6 months to 6 weeks.

What frustrates people
  • Dealing with 'Innovation Theatre' mandates from leadership that distract from real, impactful work.
  • Watching promising startup partnerships get bogged down for months in slow-moving Procurement and Legal processes.
  • The 'Not Invented Here' syndrome from internal R&D teams, who sometimes view external ideas as a threat.
  • Successfully proving a pilot's value, only to find no business unit is willing to take on the risk and operational headache of scaling it.
  • Constantly having to justify long-term, speculative R&D investments with short-term, predictable financial metrics.
  • The sheer amount of time spent on internal 'selling' and alignment, rather than hands-on innovation work.
What this role does not give you
  • A purely hands-on technical R&D role; you're more of an orchestrator and strategist.
  • A predictable, linear path where every project you start sees a clear, successful end.
  • A low-pressure environment; there's constant pressure to deliver against strategic goals with often limited resources.
  • A role where you can avoid internal politics and focus solely on external partners.

8Who you work with

You're shaping a significant chunk of our R&D strategy and capability. Your decisions directly influence which external technologies we invest in, which partners we work with, and ultimately, what new products or services we bring to market. You'll own a slice of the P&L (typically £500K-£2M) related to innovation programmes and external R&D spend, meaning your choices have real financial consequences for the business.

Inside the business
  • SVP of Research & Development
  • Business Unit General Managers (GMs)
  • Heads of Internal R&D Teams
  • Legal and Procurement Departments
  • Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) team
  • Product Development Leads
Outside the business
  • Startup Founders and CEOs
  • University Technology Transfer Offices
  • Venture Capital Firms
  • Industry Bodies and Consortia
  • Technology Scouting Agencies
  • Strategic Alliance Partners

9What you need before you start

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

  • Proven experience (8-12 years) in leading innovation programmes or complex R&D projects, ideally with a significant external component, in a large corporate setting or a high-growth startup.
  • Demonstrable experience in managing and mentoring a team of at least 3-5 direct reports, with a track record of developing their skills and achieving strong team performance.
  • A strong understanding of financial management, including budget ownership (at least £100K-£500K previously) and building compelling business cases for new initiatives.
  • Extensive experience in negotiating and managing complex external partnerships, including legal and commercial aspects, with a track record of successful deal closure.
  • A clear ability to translate high-level strategic objectives into actionable innovation initiatives and measurable outcomes.
  • A robust network within the startup, venture capital, or academic innovation ecosystems.

10What to practise next

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

Innovation Data Architecture & Governance

As our innovation portfolio grows, the sheer volume and complexity of data (startup profiles, pilot metrics, IP data, market trends) will explode. You'll need to move beyond just interpreting dashboards to defining the underlying data structures, ensuring data quality, and establishing governance rules so we can derive reliable, strategic insights.

Data Model Design for Innovation · Data Quality & Integrity · Data Governance & Access Control · API Integration for Innovation Tools

  • This month: Review the data model of our primary innovation management platform. Identify 3 areas where data capture could be improved for better strategic reporting.
  • Next 3 months: Work with our IT or Data team to understand their enterprise data governance standards and how they might apply to our innovation data.
  • Month 4-6: Lead a project to define clear data input standards and reporting requirements for all new pilot projects, ensuring consistent data quality.
  • Ongoing: Regularly audit your team's data entry and reporting practices, providing feedback and training to maintain high standards.

Quick win: Create a simple 'data dictionary' for your team, defining key terms and how they should be entered into our innovation management platform. Share it and get feedback.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly attending and speaking at industry conferences on innovation, R&D, and strategic partnerships.
  • Participating in executive education programmes focused on corporate strategy, digital transformation, or innovation leadership.
  • Mentoring junior professionals in the R&D or innovation space, sharing your expertise and building the next generation of leaders.
  • Publishing thought leadership pieces (articles, whitepapers) on emerging trends in open innovation or R&D strategy.
  • Engaging with venture capital firms and startup accelerators to stay abreast of the latest market developments and talent.

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.

AI for Strategic Foresight & Trend Mapping

AI isn't just for automating tasks; it's becoming a powerful tool for predicting future trends and identifying 'weak signals' of disruption. Competitors are already using advanced AI to map market shifts, anticipate technological breakthroughs, and identify non-obvious opportunities. If we don't, we'll be playing catch-up.

  • Predictive Analytics in R&D
  • Weak Signal Detection
  • Scenario Planning with AI
  • Ethical AI in Scouting

Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Science

Innovation is no longer a linear process; it's a complex network of partners, startups, academics, and even competitors. Simply managing individual partnerships isn't enough. We need to actively design, grow, and orchestrate our innovation ecosystem to maximise collective value. This requires a new level of strategic thinking about relationships.

  • Network Mapping & Analysis
  • Platform Strategy for Innovation
  • Incentive Design for Collaboration
  • Trust & Governance in Open Ecosystems

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Technology Scouting & Due Diligence (Strategic Oversight)
  • Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) & De-risking
  • IP Strategy & Portfolio Management
  • Lean Startup Methodology (Corporate Application)
  • Business Model Canvas / Value Proposition Design (Strategic)
  • Stage-Gate® / Phase-Gate Process (Governance)

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

    Lead Open Innovation Scout / Principal Specialist (Internal)

    3-5 years at L4

    Skills to master

    • Mastering strategic programme design and execution, building a strong internal network, developing junior team members, and demonstrating consistent delivery of high-impact innovation initiatives.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully designed and led 2-3 significant innovation programmes (e.g., a corporate accelerator track, a major scouting initiative).
    • Consistently exceeded performance metrics for pilot launch rate and ecosystem engagement.
    • Demonstrated strong leadership potential by mentoring junior colleagues and taking on informal leadership roles.
    • Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and secure resources for complex initiatives.
  2. 2

    Senior R&D Manager (with External Focus)

    5-7 years in senior R&D roles

    Skills to master

    • Deepening commercial acumen, understanding the full innovation lifecycle from lab to market, developing strong external partnership capabilities, and translating technical insights into strategic business opportunities.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully managed major R&D projects with significant external collaboration components.
    • Demonstrated ability to identify and integrate external technologies into internal R&D roadmaps.
    • Proven track record of managing a budget and delivering against strategic R&D objectives.
    • Strong understanding of our core R&D domains and how external innovation can accelerate them.
  3. 3

    Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) / Venture Builder (External)

    4-6 years in CVC or venture building

    Skills to master

    • Adapting to corporate governance and internal stakeholder management, understanding the nuances of large-organisation R&D, and leveraging a startup mindset within a corporate context.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully identified, invested in, and nurtured a portfolio of startups relevant to our industry.
    • Strong understanding of deal flow, due diligence, and venture investment processes.
    • Proven ability to work with startup founders and integrate their solutions into larger organisations.
    • Demonstrated commercial acumen and ability to assess the market potential of early-stage technologies.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This role can lead to a VP of R&D Strategy and Innovation, or a Chief Innovation Officer role overseeing innovation 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 Open Innovation Director 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 Contribute to Innovation in a Business Environment, worked against Open Innovation Director.

Contribute to Innovation in a Business Environment Level 4

Applied to your work in Open Innovation Director

This unit aims to provide learners with an understanding of the role of innovation in a business environment and the methods for researching and developing new approaches and solutions. Learners will be able to apply appropriate tools and techniques to research and develop ideas, and understand how to present suggestions for new approaches.

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
Open Innovation Director
  • Technology Scouting & Due Diligence (Strategic Oversight)
  • Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) & De-risking
  • IP Strategy & Portfolio Management
  • Lean Startup Methodology (Corporate Application)
  • Business Model Canvas / Value Proposition Design (Strategic)
  • Stage-Gate® / Phase-Gate Process (Governance)
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

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

  1. Director of Open Innovation (L6)

    3-5 years

    Move from managing a specific portfolio/business unit to setting the enterprise-wide open innovation strategy, influencing overall R&D investment decisions, and managing C-level stakeholder relationships. Your P&L responsibility will grow significantly (typically £2M-£10M+).

    • Defining enterprise-level innovation data architecture
    • Leading global innovation ecosystem development
    • Driving multi-year R&D transformation programmes
    • Advanced IP portfolio strategy at a corporate level
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

As an Open Innovation Director Manager, you're juggling strategic oversight, team leadership, budget management, and complex partnership negotiations. The reality is, a lot of your time gets eaten up by mundane tasks or sifting through mountains of information. What if you could reclaim a significant chunk of that time, not just for yourself, but for your entire team?

Our AI Productivity Hub isn't just for individual contributors; it's designed to empower leaders like you to drive strategic impact. Imagine your team spending less time on manual scouting and more time on high-value partner engagement. Think about getting strategic insights from patent data in minutes, not weeks. This isn't about replacing your expertise; it's about amplifying it, giving you the bandwidth to focus on what truly matters: shaping our future.

Automated Strategic Scouting

Use AI platforms (like Zirra or advanced features in PitchBook/CB Insights) to automatically screen thousands of startups and emerging technologies against your complex strategic briefs. This frees your team from manual database searches, allowing them to focus on deeper due diligence and partner engagement. You'll get highly filtered, relevant leads, faster.

AI-Powered Market & IP Foresight

Leverage AI tools (like PatSnap's Discovery) to rapidly analyse vast patent landscapes and market reports. Identify 'white space' opportunities, map competitor IP strategies, and flag potential 'Freedom to Operate' risks in minutes. This gives you and your team a strategic edge, informing your portfolio decisions with unprecedented speed and depth.

Rapid Technical & Commercial Summarisation

Utilise LLMs (e.g., GPT-4, Claude) trained on scientific and business data to quickly summarise dense academic papers, technical documentation, and complex market research reports. Extract key findings, methodologies, and commercial implications for executive briefings, saving your team countless hours of reading and synthesis. This means faster, more informed decision-making.

Intelligent Partnership Agreement Drafting

Employ AI-powered Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tools or custom LLM prompts to generate first drafts of common legal documents like NDAs, Material Transfer Agreements, and complex Pilot Project Charters. This significantly reduces administrative friction and wait times for initial legal review, accelerating your partnership pipeline and freeing up your team's time.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become an Open Innovation Director?

Common routes in include Lead Open Innovation Scout / Principal Specialist (Internal) (3-5 years at L4), Senior R&D Manager (with External Focus) (5-7 years in senior R&D roles) and Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) / Venture Builder (External) (4-6 years in CVC or venture building). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can an Open Innovation Director progress to?

This role can lead on to Director of Open Innovation (3-5 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for an Open Innovation Director?

Increasingly, AI for Strategic Foresight & Trend Mapping and Ecosystem Orchestration & Network Science. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

Or try another one

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 6

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 skills involved, strategic foresight, ecosystem building, negotiation and leading innovation, transfer to other R&D-intensive industries such as pharma, automotive or aerospace. They can also lead into venture capital, startup accelerators or innovation-focused consultancy.

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.