Consultant working on Strategy, New Ventures & Emerging Technology
(Cambridge – UK / Europe with international travel)

Our client is a specialist consultancy operating at the intersection of strategy, technology, and new venture creation. They work with established, often global organisations to answer difficult, high-stakes questions such as:

• What should we build next — and why?
• How do we structure and fund innovation when the risk is real?
• Which ideas are worth taking to market, and which are not?

Their work spans defence, industrial, consumer, FMCG, medical, and technology-led businesses, often at board or executive level. Some engagements remain firmly strategic; others progress from insight → concept → prototype → delivery, working closely with deep engineering and technical teams.

They are now looking to bring in a Consultant to help develop and grow this capability.

This is not a predefined role. You’ll be joining a small, senior-led innovation practice with genuine scope to influence its direction, offerings, and commercial growth.

Depending on your background and seniority, the role will include a mix of:

Strategic Innovation & Problem Solving

• Leading early-stage innovation work: framing ambiguous problems, defining opportunity spaces, and stress-testing ideas.
• Translating market insight, customer research, and technology landscapes into clear strategic options.
• Shaping concepts across products, services, business models, and organisational design.

Client Leadership

• Working directly with senior stakeholders (VP, Director, C-suite) to guide decision-making.
• Owning client relationships end-to-end on selected engagements.
• Acting as a trusted advisor rather than a delivery-only consultant.

Commercial Development

• Contributing to business development through networking, lead generation, proposals, and presentations.
• Potentially bringing an existing network — or building one rapidly.
• Helping grow a sustainable innovation pipeline rather than one-off projects.

Collaboration & Delivery

• Working closely with designers, technologists, and engineers to progress ideas where appropriate.
• Knowing when innovation should remain strategic — and when it should move into build and execution.
• Supporting the development of innovation processes, methods, and internal capability.

Backgrounds are deliberately open for this. Strong candidates may come from consulting, technology, engineering, strategy, or design-adjacent roles.

You are likely to:

• Have 5+ years’ experience in relevant environments (consulting, advanced engineering, corporate innovation, strategy roles, or similar).
• Be intellectually curious, rigorous, and comfortable operating without a template.
• Enjoy asking how and why — not just what.
• Be commercially minded and confident engaging clients.
• Be comfortable operating at the thinking-first stage of innovation.
• Be open to international travel.
• Have experience in defence, industrial, medical, or regulated sectors (useful but not essential).

This role could suit:

• A technically trained professional who has moved into strategy or innovation
• A consultant looking for a more entrepreneurial, less structured environment
• Someone already operating — or ready to grow into — a senior, client-leading role

What Makes This Different

• You won’t be joining a large, established innovation team — you’ll help build one.
• You’ll work closely with the practice lead and senior technical leaders.
• There is real scope to shape offerings, positioning, and future growth, including team expansion.
• Compensation will reflect experience and contribution; commercial impact is recognised.
• This is a long-term opportunity, not a fixed project role.

The process is intentionally informal and exploratory:

• An initial conversation to understand mutual fit
• Follow-up discussions with senior members of the wider organisation

If you’re excited by complex problems, commercial responsibility, and building something meaningful, please get in touch with Alex Flory @SoCode Recruitment to discuss the details.