Location
London, UK (Hybrid – 50% office attendance)

Hours
Permanent, 37.5 hours per week

Salary
£84,080

About the Role
Too much good science stalls before it reaches patients, often due to lack of coordination, funding gaps at proof-of-concept stage, and a system where researchers, the NHS, industry and investors work in parallel rather than together. The Academy of Medical Sciences is building a new Research Translation and Enterprise function to change this, turning discovery into companies and products that reach patients. This role leads the enterprise side of that work.

Reporting to the Director of Translation and Enterprise, you will build and run the Academy’s commercial-focused activity: helping the best science from the Fellowship unlock investment to scale and reach the market, and developing the enterprise offer that supports it. You will also lead the work to determine whether and how the Academy might take equity when supporting science to become new ventures.

The Director leads the wider programme and carries it with Council and externally; your focus is making the enterprise strand work effectively and efficiently, in line with the Academy’s charitable status and wider organisational priorities. This is an opportunity to establish this new function, so you will be building as much as running. It requires someone who can do the work as well as lead it, staying focused on long-term goals while shaping something without a template.

The commercial ambition is real: working with venture partners to build companies around Academy science, supporting entrepreneurial researchers to realise their ambitions, and exploring an equity model that could, in time, give the Academy a sustainable commercial return.

You will work closely with colleagues across the Academy—especially Grants and Programmes, who will often deliver the schemes you originate, as well as Policy, Communications and Engagement, and Operations. Much of the value of this role comes from originating initiatives well and having clear handover mechanisms so that activities can be embedded across the Academy and delivered sustainably.

Key responsibilities include:
- Building and leading the function: develop and lead the enterprise function, ensuring work is well planned, governed, resourced and aligned with strategic direction; manage and develop a growing team, setting clear objectives and fostering a culture of high performance and accountability; deploy people, budgets and expertise effectively while escalating significant risks and dependencies.
- Bridging discovery to development: originate, design and secure support for new Enterprise fellowship schemes that build on the Academy’s Fellowship; collaborate with Grants and Programmes and other colleagues to ensure effective delivery, handover and assurance.
- Creating ventures and commercial pathways: work credibly with venture and industry partners to identify promising science within the Fellowship and shape propositions to reach patients or markets; support scientists in assembling scientific, clinical and business expertise through initiatives such as Demonstration Days; develop options for an equity model to inform decisions by the Director, Executive and Council; protect the Academy’s independence by maintaining control of processes, using Fellows as structured expertise sources, keeping partnerships non-exclusive, and separating commercial work from charitable activity.
- Building partnerships and funding: build and manage partnerships that bring in external funding and capability, including public funders, industry, health charities and venture partners; negotiate effectively to secure the right partners on appropriate terms while protecting the Academy’s independence and charitable purpose; provide clear reporting and assurance on funding, delivery, performance and risk, ensuring sustainable growth of the function.

Experience
- Deep expertise in life sciences enterprise with substantial senior management experience in the commercial side of UK life sciences, particularly where academic and commercial development intersect.
- Proven track record delivering complex, multi-partner projects rather than solely advising.
- Credibility with venture, investment and industry partners, with direct experience in life sciences translation, investment or commercial collaboration.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, sound judgement in weighing opportunities and trade-offs, and ability to grow commercial work without compromising the Academy’s independence.
- A strong record of building partnerships, influencing senior stakeholders, and negotiating effectively to secure commitments, funding and shared ownership across organisations with differing incentives.
- Experience leading and developing teams, setting priorities, managing resources well, and fostering a culture of high-quality work and continuous growth.
- Comfortable operating autonomously within the Director’s strategic direction, exercising judgement in complex situations and escalating appropriately.
- Understanding of the importance of cross-functional collaboration with Grants and Programmes, Policy, Communications and Engagement, Operations and the Fellowship.

About you
You are a confident and inclusive leader who can manage and develop a growing team, set clear objectives and priorities, and create conditions for high performance and accountability. You have the ability to build and maintain strong partnerships, negotiate effectively, and influence senior stakeholders. You are entrepreneurial, strategic and pragmatic, able to balance commercial ambition with the Academy’s charitable status and long-term goals. You thrive in a complex environment and are comfortable shaping a new function without a direct precedent.

Qualifications
While specific qualifications are not detailed, candidates are expected to have substantial relevant experience and a credible track record in life sciences enterprise, commercial translation, and partnership development.