Overview
Research Manager – End to End Research Platform (Ipswich (4405), Ipswich, United Kingdom)
Why this role matters
This is a technical expert role in Research and Network Strategy where the individual will apply their key expertise within a clearly defined sphere of technical knowledge to complex business issues or opportunities. The role holder actively engages with colleagues to progress new research in important technical topics and supports the realisation of business value from research and innovation outputs.
This role is based in Ipswich and our hybrid working model means you are expected to be in the office 3 days per week.
You'll have the following responsibilities
• Leading and managing one or more related research projects and activities comprising of matrixed resources both inside and outside BT, including university students and vendors.
• Proactively leading engagement with working level stakeholders across the organisation as well as external partners as appropriate.
• Proactive engagement with the relevant business units to downstream strategic technologies for commercial realisation.
• Domain expert responsible for maintaining expertise in a specific technical domain.
• Accountable for helping create and deliver an E2E network environment to help researchers verify their research and enabling collaboration with industrial and academic partners.
• Supervision of professionals, graduates and post-graduate student placements and secondments
• Responsible for authoring thought leadership technical papers, capturing intellectual property
• Responsible for intellectual property creation, managing patent filing in their domain and supporting IPR exploitation where appropriate
• Depending on business needs, may manage Research Specialists, Professionals or other Team members.
You'll have the following skills and experience
Skills
• Technical domain expert: Deep technical or domain expertise. They continually develop their expertise in a key technical area so are recognised as a technical expert in IT and networking. Ability to capture requirements from customer and stakeholders and translate them to tangible solutions in support of research and collaboration.
• Qualifications: Strong academic record in technology specialism with post-graduate qualification(s) (PhD or equivalent research experience).
• Expert communicator: Regularly presents to peers and managers about their area of technical expertise
• Experienced in open innovation: Skilled in patenting, technical publications, conference presentations etc.
• Storytelling with data: strong skills in building the case for change, drawing on data and analytical techniques where appropriate, and communicating this to business audiences
• Concept Evaluation: ability to spot relevant innovations, horizon scanning, determine relevance for the business, develop an effective conceptualisation and build trials to test concepts
Experience
• Technical domain expert: evidence of significant knowledge and skill relevant to IT and networking environments and E2E Research Platforms, including: (MANDATORY unless otherwise stated)
• Proven track record of building and delivery of lab environments
• Detailed technical knowledge of lab engineering, cloudification and containerisation, APIs, test design and execution.
• Experience of execution and delivery of with collaboration project test environments
• Track record working in Telecommunication industry with operators, suppliers, academia
• Proven track record of managing security and data governance in test environments
• Proven record of organisational and project planning skills
• Evidence of delivery against budget (including budget management, review and execution)
• Proven experience/Understanding of TM Forum Catalyst projects (Preferred)
• Significant delivery: evidence of significant business impact through delivery of research
• Stakeholder management: evidence of managing project stakeholders across the business at a variety of grade and seniority levels
• Innovative Thinker: ability to spot and identify new innovations and act to bring them in and capitalise and create value
• Commercial Applicability: understanding the business case principals around relevant innovations and the real value to the business through value proposition build
• Excellent awareness of industry trends, future direction and opportunities
• Self-starter, pro-actively working with minimal guidance
• Problem solving, intellectually curious, comfortable taking ownership and responsibility
• Experience in managing several priorities
Benefits
• 10% on target bonus
• BT Pension scheme, minimum 5% Employee contribution, BT contribution 10%
• From January 2025, equal family leave: receive 18 weeks at full pay, 8 weeks at half pay and 26 weeks at the statutory rate. It’s for all parents, no matter how your family is made up.
• Enhanced women’s health support: including help with menopause symptoms, cancer screenings, period care and more.
• 25 days annual leave (not including bank holidays), increasing with service
• 24/7 private virtual GP appointments for UK colleagues
• 2 weeks carer’s leave
• World-class training and development opportunities
• Option to join BT Shares Saving schemes
Our leadership standards
Looking in:
Leading inclusively and Safely
I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.
Owning outcomes
I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.
Looking out:
Delivering for the customer
I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.
Commercially savvy
I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.
Looking to the future:
Growth mindset
I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.
Building for the future
I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.
About us
BT Group was the world’s first telco and our heritage in the sector is unrivalled. As home to several of the UK’s most recognised and cherished brands – BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet, we have always played a critical role in creating the future, and we have reached an inflection point in the transformation of our business.
Over the next two years, we will complete the UK’s largest and most successful digital infrastructure project – connecting more than 25 million premises to full fibre broadband. Together with our heavy investment in 5G, we play a central role in revolutionising how people connect with each other.
While we are through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, meaning we can reward our shareholders for their commitment and patience, we are absolutely focused on how we organise ourselves in the best way to serve our customers in the years to come. This includes radical simplification of systems, structures, and processes on a huge scale. Together with our application of AI and technology, we are on a path to creating the UK’s best telco, reimagining the customer experience and relationship with one of this country’s biggest infrastructure companies.
Change on the scale we will all experience in the coming years is unprecedented. BT Group is committed to being the driving force behind improving connectivity for millions and there has never been a more exciting time to join a company and leadership team with the skills, experience, creativity, and passion to take this company into a new era.
A FEW POINTS TO NOTE:
Although these roles are listed as full-time, if you’re a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please still get in touch.
We will also offer reasonable adjustments for the selection process if required, so please do not hesitate to inform us.
DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?
Studies have shown that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway – you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
