Engagement Director (Energy Transition and Materials)

Job Title: Engagement Director (Energy Transition and Materials)

 

Based: Holborn, London – office first with some flexibility

Position: Engagement Director

Salary: Competitive base salary + performance related pay

Application deadline: 5^th December

Start date: 1^st February - 1^st March 2026

Please send your CV and a cover letter to christina@rapidinnovation.co.uk with the subject header "Engagement Director: [Name]".

 

Join a mission-driven, learning-oriented, sociable company doing work that matters.

About Rapid Innovation Group

At Rapid Innovation Group (RIG) we accelerate the adoption of transformative technologies for a better world.

We believe that many of the solutions to the greatest climate, industrial, and agricultural challenges the world faces, lie with existing technology. These technologies can only make a meaningful impact if they achieve widespread market implementation. It is at this juncture where we operate: working with visionary entrepreneurs, high-impact technology companies, and forward-thinking industrial corporates to catalyse the early adoption of transformative technology.

 

Within our business, we have seven core practice areas:

 

• Energy Transition
• Materials (including the Circular Economy)
• Industrial Decarbonisation
• Food
• Agriculture
• Biotechnology
• Human Health

 

We support a portfolio of early-stage technology companies operating in one or more of these areas as they navigate the journey from early development through to becoming a new industry standard.

 

We work with companies to discover the right first industrial applications, develop winning go-to-market strategies, and optimise value-based business models.

Where we focus most of our time, however, is on doing first commercial deals, including licensing, strategic partnerships, offtake agreements, as well as fundraising.

About the role

Our Engagement Directors are responsible for leading on the high-quality execution and delivery of client work. You will be acting as the day-to-day lead on multiple client engagements, working with the guidance of the firm’s Practice Directors and Partners, and managing a small team working on activities including market/application discovery and validation, business model development, deal structuring, negotiation, and client acquisition. Our Engagement Directors:

• Plan, lead, and execute across a portfolio of client work: effectively managing each client programme;
• Manage and participate in a team which researches and derives insight from quantitative and qualitative analysis to drive winning go-to-market strategies;
• Play a key role in managing and closing commercial deals (e.g. licensing, strategic industrial partnerships, offtake agreements, joint ventures) for our clients;
• Help to drive thesis development and participate in winning new business for the firm;
• Lead on many internal and external discussions, fostering the team’s ideas and perspectives, overseeing insights and conclusions;
• Actively contribute to the growth and development of the firm by building sector-relevant knowledge, as well as acting as a company culture carrier.

 

Why join us?

RIG offers the opportunity to work on strategic and execution challenges facing some of the most promising technology companies in the sustainable technology ecosystem. We provide the experience of working closely with entrepreneurs and CEOs, private and institutional investors, and a wide variety of commercial and non-commercial actors to enable client success across a wide variety of technologies.

Our portfolio today includes:

• A company producing sustainable fuels and chemicals made from recycled PVC
• A flow battery technology with a chemistry based on abundant materials, enabling energy shifting for a more renewable grid
• An accelerated carbonation process which uses CO2 to turn industrial alkaline residues into valuable construction materials
• A thermal energy storage solution which can store energy at temperatures between -20’C to +120’C across a wide range of commercial and industrial applications
• A client which can isolate materials from blended fibres (e.g. elastane), turning textiles back into mono-material feedstocks for a more sustainable clothing industry

 

Working at pace in small teams, we emphasise intellectual curiosity, fast development, and high levels of responsibility. We seek to complement our formal learning activities with continuous development via our apprenticeship-based learning model. We recognise there is no ‘one size fits all’ role and will support you in crafting your unique career journey at RIG around your skills and interests.

 

We are a group of diverse, sociable, passionate individuals who are motivated by high risk, high reward business. We foster an inclusive, non-hierarchical culture where the best ideas always surface, regardless of their source, and where seniority comes from success, not tenure.

What we look for

We are looking for:

• Strong leadership and organising capability: this role requires leading a team working across multiple clients, and we seek someone who has experience in managing parallel work streams in this way.

• Strong communication and strong interpersonal skills: much of our work focuses on interaction with people, so we are looking for someone with excellent written and verbal communication skills, and who is comfortable dialoguing independently to secure measurable commercial outcomes. The successful candidate will be comfortable leading engagement with corporates, industrial partners, as well as entrepreneurs.

• Interest in sustainability and countering climate change: as we work with companies making climate-positive impact, we seek someone who has a passion for climate technology and some knowledge of the area, with the ability to contribute to the formation of the team’s technology thesis.

• Grasps concept quickly with a drive to learn: our clients develop innovative, multi-faceted technologies, so we are looking for someone who is intellectually curious and has the ability to quickly grasp new commercial and technological concepts, able to use that knowledge to generate ideas and form client proposals. This does not mean that you need a STEM background, rather that you have the ability to understand a concept swiftly.

• A preference for collaboration and teamwork, and a demonstrated ability to lead : someone who is comfortable interacting with colleagues of all seniorities as part of a non-hierarchical culture, and who prefers working in a team rather than working alone. We seek candidates who have experience of management and can effectively and compassionately provide direction to their team.

• Adaptive and Resilient: the start-up environment is dynamic, with failures and successes. We look for individuals who are resilient to challenges and can quickly adapt to changing situations where needed.

• Interested in developing their commercial mindset: we work across multiple aspects of business including fundraising, business strategies, sales and negotiation, market research and more. The successful candidate should have experience in one or more of these areas, with an appetite to further develop their commercial acumen.

Essential qualification criteria:

• 5+ years of experience in a relevant commercial, industrial, or consulting role.

• Demonstrated ability to deliver commercial outcomes. Note, we will take a broad perspective on this, and relevant experience could include, but is not limited to:

· Winning new business

· Structuring partnerships

· Sales

· Fundraising

• Experience in managing a team.

• Preference for at least an undergraduate degree with a minimum 2.1 or equivalent classification. (If you are someone who has completed secondary education but did not go into further education and are interested in this role and believe you would make a strong candidate, we are still eager to hear from you.)

• Numerical fluency (GCSE grade 6 minimum and the ability to make and understand business and fundraising-related calculations).

• Native equivalent proficiency in English (CEFR C2 equivalent).

• Must have the right to work in the UK.

Additional skills:

 

• Experience in quantitative modelling (Excel or other programmes)

• CEFR B2 in at least one language in addition to English

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the qualification criteria. If you like the sound of this role, we encourage you to apply, as you could be the candidate we hire.

Benefits:

• Salary: Competitive base salary + performance related bonuses
• Holiday: 25 days of holiday and an additional gifted Christmas leave of 3 days alongside bank holidays (equivalent to 36 days’ holiday in total)
• One work away week each year to work virtually from any location
• “Office first” hybrid working (typically 4 days a week in the office) with a high degree of flexibility around important appointments and life events
• Mobile phone contract

 

Please send your CV and a cover letter to christina@rapidinnovation.co.uk.