Research Fellow in Cultural ; KTP Associate – UoB​/Blanc Aero Industries Ltd - College

Position Details

College of Social Sciences

Location:

University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049.

Grade: 7

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to November 2028

Closing date: 5th January 2026

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Birmingham Business School at the University of Birmingham and BLANC AERO INDUSTRIES UK LIMITED (LISI Rugby). The Knowledge Transfer Partnership project aims to implement a management toolkit (Culture Lab) to trigger human-centric holistic change. The vision is to instil a culture of continuous learning and growth at LISI Rugby to achieve enhanced agility and sustainable productivity through its people.

Please note that the successful applicant will be employed by the University of Birmingham but will be primarily based at BLANC AERO INDUSTRIES UK LIMITED premises in Rugby.

Located in the historic town of Rugby, Warwickshire, Blanc Aero Industries UK Ltd (LISI Rugby) is part of the LISI AEROSPACE division and became part of the LISI Group in 2000. Originally founded in Coventry in 1939, they supply titanium fasteners for the airframe of aircraft.

A multi-award‑winning site with national awards in categories including training and development, health and safety, wellbeing and EDI, LISI Rugby has a strong track record of working with leading academic institutions and innovators towards creating a world‑class manufacturing environment with a highly people‑centric culture. In 2024, they were awarded the Make UK Manufacturer of the year, recognising their sustained strong performance, innovative approach and contribution to UK manufacturing.

LISI AEROSPACE is a world‑class leading manufacturer of assembly solutions and high‑value‑added components for the aerospace industry. These include fasteners, structure assemblies and components, equipment and engine components, as well as componentry for the defence and space industries. The company also assists the main aircraft manufacturers and aircraft systems manufacturers in the development of major innovation programmes towards building the aircraft of tomorrow, which will be safer and more environmentally friendly.

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme is a government‑funded technology transfer initiative that supports partnerships between business and universities, placing graduates on challenging, high‑profile projects. Further information is available at:

The role of the KTP Research Fellow in Cultural Change is instrumental in transferring academic knowledge from The University of Birmingham to LISI Rugby. The successful applicant will be responsible for leading and delivering a challenging change management project with direct impact on the business and its people. The role holder will have the opportunity to:

• Develop both industry and research skills to boost your career
• Access a dedicated training and development budget
• Work across all aspects of the project including research and business activities

• Solve challenges and develop your own learning
• Manage your own workload to deliver project objectives
• Contribute to the project’s direction

• Benefit from continuous support from your academic and company supervisors
• Work with innovative and ambitious company staff including contact with senior management
• See the real‑life impact of your work and research for the company

The responsibilities may include some but not all of the responsibilities outlined below

• Translate academic research into practical application
• Apply the Culture Lab methodology to real‑world scenarios for concrete outcomes
• Triangulate data from multiple sources (employees, managers, productivity measures, and KPIs) using multiple collection methods (surveys, interviews, observations) and quantitative and qualitative analytic techniques
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as employee surveys and research interviews
• Analyse and interpret data
• Apply…