Head, Business and Innovation Group - Health

UCL is a world leading, global university with a community of more than 50,000 students from 150 countries and over 16,000 staff which pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries, and makes a positive impact on real world problems.
The Translational Research Office (TRO), an integral part of UCL's Innovation and Enterprise and UCL’s biomedical research powerhouse, supports researchers in turning their ideas into impactful healthcare solutions. With expertise in applied science and business development, we provide strategic advice, funding support, and industry connections to drive the development of new therapies, devices, and diagnostics.
The TRO’s Business & Innovation Group leads efforts to transform UCL’s approach to health innovation, fostering collaborations across academia, industry, and the healthcare community. By building meaningful partnerships, the team ensures UCL’s groundbreaking research translates into real-world benefits.

The role

This is a rare opportunity to join a high-performing team and play a leadership role in advancing biomedical innovation through creative partnerships and strategic collaborations.
In this senior role, you will shape and drive UCL’s strategic approach to building impactful relationships with industry and the biotech sector, aligning UCL’s therapeutic strengths with commercial opportunities to accelerate translation and deliver greater impact and patient benefit. You will champion UCL’s health strategy, working with key internal and external stakeholders to grow the number and value of industrial partnerships while identifying new opportunities for innovation and income generation.
Leading a talented team of Business Innovation and Partnership Managers, you will ensure they have the support and development opportunities to thrive, while promoting a business-focused, adaptive, and ambitious culture. Success in this role will be measured by a substantial and sustained increase in the value and impact of collaborations between UCL and the commercial sector.
This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 40% on site presence. Tuesdays and Thursdays are fixed team collaboration day when you'll be expected to attend the office in person, and a certain element of flexibility to meet partners and collaborators will also be necessary.

First round interviews are currently scheduled to take place w/c 20th January 2025.

About you

We are seeking an accomplished leader with substantial experience in the biotech or healthcare industry, or a comparable environment, ideally supported by a postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA, PhD, MD, LLM) relevant to biomedicine or equivalent commercial experience. You will have a strong track record in a senior role, demonstrating professional leadership and the ability to influence stakeholders to deliver strategic organisational outcomes.
You will bring proven expertise in identifying, initiating, and negotiating partnerships between academia and industry, as well as experience in managing and developing high-performing teams. Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills are essential, enabling you to build and maintain effective relationships, negotiate at a senior level, and clearly articulate complex ideas.
A results-oriented approach, excellent organisational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure are critical. You will be a confident leader who inspires others through a collaborative and emotionally intelligent style, while also being proactive and adaptable in achieving impactful outcomes.
We welcome applications from candidates who meet the Person Specification in the Job Description (which can be accessed at the bottom of this page), and who share the TRO’s passion for enabling the translation of UCL and its partner hospitals’ novel biomedical therapies, devices and diagnostics.

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