EXPLOITATION & INNOVATION MANAGER – MILAN OFFICE

ENCO is a well-established consultancy and trusted partner in EU-funded research and innovation projects, supporting private companies, universities, research organisations and public bodies throughout the innovation management cycle. With more than 30 years of experience in European funding, ENCO works across sectors including bioeconomy, advanced materials, circular economy, agri-food, health, energy and industrial sustainability.

To support the growth of ENCO’s Milan office, we are looking for an Exploitation & Innovation Manager able to combine EU project management, exploitation and business planning with proposal development and business development.

The selected candidate will manage and contribute to Horizon Europe and other EU-funded R&I projects, working with companies, universities and research centres across Europe. A central part of the role will be the ability to rapidly understand complex scientific, technological and industrial concepts and translate them into robust exploitation strategies, market and business analyses, project deliverables and competitive proposals.

The position will also contribute to the commercial development of ENCO’s Milan hub by strengthening relationships with companies, research organisations and innovation actors, identifying new consultancy and project opportunities, and supporting the conversion of these opportunities into proposals, partnerships and client assignments.

EU R&I project management

• Manage assigned EU-funded R&I projects and ENCO work packages/tasks, including planning, deadlines, partner coordination, deliverables and reporting.
• Monitor project progress, risks, action points and contractual commitments, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.
• Develop exploitation strategies and plans for scientific and technological project results.
• Identify and characterise Key Exploitable Results (KERs), assess maturity, application potential, barriers and possible exploitation pathways.
• Carry out market, competitor, value-chain, stakeholder and regulatory analyses relevant to innovative technologies and industrial applications.
• Define go-to-market strategies, replication models, business models and business plans.
• Support IPR management, innovation positioning, impact assessment and post-project sustainability strategies.
• Translate complex technical evidence into credible value propositions and commercially relevant recommendations.
• Contribute to the preparation of new EU R&I proposals, particularly for technical-scientific and industrial innovation topics.
• Analyse calls and expected outcomes, contribute to concept development, state-of-the-art and innovation positioning, methodology, work-plan design and pathways towards impact.
• Work directly with scientific, technical and industrial partners to understand their technologies, capabilities and ambitions and convert them into coherent proposal content.
• Map and develop relationships with companies, research organisations, universities, innovation ecosystems and other relevant stakeholders in Milan, Lombardy and beyond.
• Contribute to meetings with prospects, needs assessment, preparation of technical-commercial offers and follow-up of business opportunities.
• Support the development of strategic partnerships and networking activities capable of generating new projects and consultancy assignments for ENCO.

• Approximately 2–5 years of relevant professional experience in EU R&I projects, innovation consulting, exploitation, market/business analysis, proposal development or related activities.
• Master’s degree in economics, management, innovation management, engineering, scientific/technical disciplines, social sciences or another relevant field.
• Proven ability to understand and critically analyse complex scientific, technological and industrial information.
• Experience in market analysis, business modelling, strategy and/or exploitation of research and innovation results.
• Strong writing and synthesis skills, with experience in project deliverables, technical reports, proposals or strategic documents.
• Excellent written and spoken English (minimum C1) and fluency in Italian.
• Good command of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines and priorities.
• Confidence in interacting with senior researchers, industrial partners, clients and institutional stakeholders.

• Direct experience with Horizon Europe, CBE JU, PRIMA or other EU-funded R&I programmes.
• Proven contribution to EU proposal writing, especially on industrial, technical or scientific R&I topics.
• Experience in project or work-package managemen