Chief Technology Officer

Reporting directly to the CEO and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Chief Technology Officer will provide strategic leadership for Digital Catapult’s Research, Development and Innovation function.

Leading a multidisciplinary team of approximately 40 researchers, technologists and innovation specialists, you will shape the organisation’s technology vision, research priorities and innovation agenda across artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced connectivity technologies, IoT, photonics and adjacent frontier technology domains.

You will oversee the development of our technology roadmaps, research programmes, specialist facilities and innovation portfolio, ensuring that investment and activity remain aligned to future market opportunities, industry demand, government priorities and measurable impact.

A central part of the role will be helping to translate emerging technologies into practical outcomes. Working across technology readiness levels, you will help create pathways from research insight and technical experimentation through to demonstrators, programmes, partnerships, commercial propositions and wider adoption.

You will build trusted relationships across industry, academia, government and the investment community, supporting the development of collaborative programmes and strengthening Digital Catapult’s position at the heart of the UK’s innovation ecosystem. Key stakeholders will include senior representatives from government departments, funding bodies, universities, research institutes, technology companies, investors and entrepreneurs.

The role carries significant external visibility. You will represent Digital Catapult in industry forums, advisory groups, strategic partnerships and public discussions, contributing informed perspectives on emerging technologies and helping shape conversations around future technology opportunities.

This is a role for someone who combines technical credibility with sound judgement, intellectual curiosity and a genuine interest in helping organisations navigate technological change., (b) copies of your CV, job application, a covering letter and supporting statements; and / or (c) suitable references from your employer or other third party referees. 3.3 We may also collect information on an ongoing basis about what pages you access or visit on the Websites and information about your use of the Websites including, for example, the job vacancies, sectors and locations you have viewed and any changes you make to information you supply to us, including by use of cookies (please see our Cookies Policy, set out in paragraph 9, below).

Sensitive personal information

3.4 In order to provide you with our Services we may also need to collect personal data which the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the UK GDPR regards as sensitive or special categories of personal data, such as information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health or sexual orientation (Background Information) and/or information relating to any criminal convictions you have or offences you may have committed (Criminal Records Information) (Background Information and Criminal Records Information, together, being Sensitive Data).

3.5 By completing our equal opportunities form (Equal Opportunities Form) which forms part of our online application process (in respect of your Background Information) and/or by providing us with any Criminal Records Information requested for the purposes of providing our Services you will signify your explicit consent to such Sensitive Data being processed by us.

3.6 Please note that answers to all questions on our Equal Opportunities Form are optional and you can always provide a “prefer not to say” response. However, we may be required to obtain Criminal Records Information from you in order to assess your suitability for certain job roles; if you do not wish to provide your Criminal Records Information then we may be unable to process your application (including dealing with any in-flight applications) any further.

4 What do we use your information for?

4.1 You have the right to be told the legal basis and purposes for the processing of your personal data. We are relying on your explicit consent to the processing of your personal data (including any Sensitive Data, as defined above). This means that if you exercise your right to withdraw your consent (please see paragraph 8 below) we will no longer be able to process your data (including dealing with any in-flight applications). Please note we may retain a copy of your data in accordance with our data retention policy.

4.2 We may use your information for the following purposes:

(a) to: (i) manage Your Account, process any information provided by you to us and to store your personal data in our databases;

(ii) process any applications made by you for job vacancies advertised on the Websites and manage the recruitment process, including contacting and liaising with employers in relation to your applications;

(iii) assess your suitability for any job vacancies for which you have applied via our Websites or for which we think you may be suitable;

(iv) allow us to analyse your employment preferences and personalise our recruitment services to you, (b) for our own market intelligence gathering purposes, to enable us to understand the recruitment market and prepare demographic, analytical, statistical or market information (which may include aggregating your data with, and benchmarking it against, data received from other individuals, clients and employers) and to improve our services (all on the basis that your personal data will be completely anonymised and you will not be capable of being identified from such information if we share it externally); (c) to contact third parties such as your employer/referees whom you have nominated to verify information about yourself. By providing us with your employer/referee details when registering Your Account and/or when applying for job vacancies advertised on the Websites, you are deemed to have provided us with your consent to us contacting such employer/referees; (d) for such purposes as are reasonably necessary to comply with any legal obligations to which we are subject in the performance of our Services; and (e) to communicate with you, including sending you information about job vacancies which we think may be of interest to you and to send you event invites, newsletters and updates on the basis that you have given your consent to such processing by opting-in to receiving marketing information from us on the My Account page on Your Account. You will be able to opt-out of such communications at any time by contacting us using the contact details in paragraph 11, below, or by opting-out of receiving marketing information from us via the “My Account” page on Your Account. 4.3 Please note that we may also use your personal data to prepare, use and disclose statistical and demographic information regarding use of the Websites for the purposes of improving the Websites (in pursuit of the legitimate interests of improving the Websites for the benefit of you and our other clients to whom we provide our Services) and for our marketing purposes (in no circumstances will you be capable of being identified from such statistical and demographic information)., (a) our data hosting/support service providers who process and store data on our behalf; (b) our professional advisors and consultants; (c) third party data providers for the purposes of validating the information provided by you and to check that the data we hold about you is accurate, consistent and up to date (including for the purposes of performing background/verification checks of the type referred to in paragraph 4.2(a)(v) above); (d) your current employer and/or any other individuals who you nominate as referees to verify certain information; (e) any of our group companies, including any companies which may be added to our group from time to time; (f) any of our business partners, employers and their stakeholders with whom we share information for the purposes of identifying suitable job vacancies in which we think you may be interested and assessing your suitability for any such role; and (g) our trusted third-party emailing service provider whom we use to upload and send email communications with you. 5.2 We may also share your personal information with third parties:

(a) in the event that we or any of our group companies, our business, or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party (in which case personal information about customers will be one of the transferred assets); (b) if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply any contract with you or to protect our rights, property, or safety of our employees, customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction; or (c) if such disclosure is necessary in connection with any law (including any investigation or complaint regarding your use of the Websites).

A strong track record within research, innovation or advanced technology environments, with recognised expertise in at least one of Digital Catapult’s core technology domains, ideally artificial intelligence, quantum technologies or advanced connectivity technologies. You will possess the credibility to engage with leading researchers, academics, industry leaders and policymakers.

Technology Strategy and Foresight

Experience of defining technology strategies, innovation priorities and long-term roadmaps, informed by a deep understanding of emerging technologies, market trends and future opportunities.

Research Translation and Innovation

A proven ability to connect research excellence with practical application, creating pathways that enable technologies to deliver commercial, industrial or economic value.

Partnership and Ecosystem Leadership

A strong track record of building trusted relationships across government, industry, academia and funding organisations, together with the ability to convene stakeholders around shared innovation challenges and opportunities.

Leadership and Organisational Development

Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and developing senior technical leaders, fostering cultures that encourage collaboration, innovation, inclusion and high performance.

Communication and Influence

The ability to communicate complex technical ideas clearly and credibly, influencing a wide range of audiences and representing an organisation effectively at senior levels., If you are an accomplished technology and innovation leader who combines technical depth with strategic perspective and are motivated by the opportunity to help organisations realise the potential of emerging technologies, we would welcome a conversation.

Digital Catapult exists to accelerate the adoption of the advanced digital technologies that will drive economic growth, productivity and competitiveness for decades to come. Working at the intersection of industry, academia and government, we help transform emerging technologies into practical applications that create value for businesses and UK plc.

As our next Chief Technology Officer, you will be one of the most influential technology leaders in the UK’s innovation ecosystem.

Leading our Research, Development and Innovation function, you will set the direction for our technology strategy, identify the opportunities that matter most, and help build the partnerships, programmes and capabilities needed to bring transformative technologies into mainstream adoption. Your judgement and leadership will influence how emerging technologies such as AI, quantum and advanced connectivity create impact across the UK economy.

If you are motivated by the opportunity to combine world-class technical leadership with national impact, there are few roles that offer a platform of this scale.

About Digital Catapult

We partner with businesses, investors and academia to identify valuable opportunities and create market pathways. We enable our partners to think creatively, build resilience and grow by using our expertise to equip them with deep tech capabilities and help them adopt innovative solutions. We focus on significant challenges and opportunities facing the UK’s economy and society, where technology can play a major role in providing solutions.

Digital Catapult is part of the Innovate UK Catapult Network. Catapults provide a unique combination of cutting-edge R&D facilities and world-class technical expertise to support UK business innovation.

Our work spans artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced connectivity including private 5G and Open RAN, IoT and cyber-physical systems, photonics and immersive technologies, supported by specialist labs, testbeds and demonstrators. Around 260 colleagues work across London, Belfast and a growing national footprint. We are recognised for our technical authority, for de-risking early adoption, and for convening organisations that would not otherwise sit at the same table., Why join Digital Catapult?

• Lead one of the UK’s most respected research, development and innovation functions focused on frontier technologies.
• Work at the forefront of artificial intelligence, quantum technologies and advanced connectivity.
• Engage with government, industry, academia, investors and entrepreneurs across the UK’s innovation ecosystem.
• Influence technology roadmaps, research priorities and innovation programmes of national significance.
• Help create pathways that accelerate the adoption and commercialisation of emerging technologies.
• Join an organisation with a clear public purpose, strong technical foundations and a distinctive role within the UK’s future growth agenda.