Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Post: COO, Adolescent Health Study

Location: Flexible working – remote/hybrid. Must be willing and able to travel to Edinburgh, London, and elsewhere across the UK (and occasionally internationally) to support business needs.

Salary: Circa £80-120k, subject to expertise and previous experience.

Reporting to: AHS Director

About Adolescent Health Study

The Adolescent Health Study (AHS) is an ambitious UKRI-funded initiative to establish a prospective, longitudinal population study that will generate a globally leading open science data platform and research resource. AHS aims to recruit at least 100,000 young people aged 8-18 years from across the UK and to follow their health and wellbeing over at least 10 years. It plans to collect data through questions and measures; to obtain bio-samples for genomic and other high-throughput assays; and to capture linked data relevant to health and wellbeing from participants’ health, education and other administrative records. Recruitment will take place mainly through schools. There will be a strong emphasis on engaging with and involving young people, schools, parents and other relevant stakeholders in the design and delivery of the study, as well as on including young people from as wide as possible a range of backgrounds, experiences and characteristics. AHS will focus on enabling a wide range of research, including studies of the biological and social developments that occur during the transition from childhood to adulthood and the determinants of both mental and physical health and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults. 

The AHS has recently been established as an independent not-for-profit company that will operate as a charity (similar to other major national longitudinal population-based data and bio-sample resources for research and innovation, such as UK Biobank and Our Future Health). It is currently in a rapid growth phase, establishing and expanding its business operations, company board, senior leadership and executive team, advisory structures, delivery partners and stakeholder networks. During 2025-2026, it aims to: lay out and implement its strategy for meaningful involvement and engagement of young people, schools, parents and others; develop its brand, internal and external communications strategy and online presence; develop its ethics and governance framework and its scientific and operational principles; develop a detailed scientific and operational protocol for the recruitment and baseline characterisation (through questions, measures and bio-samples) of young people in the study, designed to scale efficiently and optimise their subsequent retention and follow-up; establish acceptable, scalable and cost-effective bio-sample collection, handling and laboratory sample storage protocols, optimised for future, efficient sample retrieval for assays of all or subsets of participants for approved research projects; establish data systems, a database and secure data platform for the upload and storage of – and secure access to – study data, with strict, privacy-preserving protocols for handling identifiable and de-identified participant data; plan, conduct and report pre-piloting and end-to-end piloting of the baseline recruitment visit, in preparation for ramp up of participant recruitment, retention and follow-up from 2027. 

Purpose of the Role

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will play a key role in shaping AHS’s strategic vision and operational efficiency. They will ensure that the AHS achieves its objectives by leading key operational areas, encouraging a culture of innovation, driving efficiency, maintaining high standards of performance and ensuring sustainable growth. 

The COO will be responsible for ensuring a seamless and highly effective partnership between operational and scientific expertise in delivering the AHS resource – marshalling the resources of the organisation to deliver the scientific protocol and broader research needs of the AHS compliantly and as efficiently as possible, using applied operational design, testing and management principles to convert scientific requirements into a feasible, affordable process. 

Main Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Execution:

• Collaborate with leadership to design and implement strategic and operational plans.
• Translate vision into detailed operational goals with measurable outcomes.
• Monitor progress, manage risks, and adapt plans as needed.
• Oversee governance structures, including coordinating the board, committees, and various advisory and working groups.

Operational Oversight:

• Manage and ensure seamless coordination of core operations.
• Oversee procurement, contracts, policies, finance, health and safety, HR, culture, quality and performance functions.
• Implement robust systems and performance metrics for efficiency and effectiveness.
• Streamline workflows, reducing inefficiencies while maintaining high standards.

Financial and Resource Management:

• Oversee budgets, ensuring financial sustainability and accountability.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising quality.
• Work with the Head of Finance to forecast cash flow and manage capital expenditures.

Risk and Compliance Management:

• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks, implementing strategies to protect the organisation’s reputation and assets.
• Lead response to crises or unforeseen operational challenges.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Build and maintain strong internal and external relationships.
• Represent AHS in external forums, events, and negotiations.
• Engage with governance bodies, including the board and steering committees.

Innovation and Growth:

• Drive the adoption of new technologies and methodologies to enhance operational capabilities.
• Identify and capitalise on growth opportunities aligned with AHS’s objectives.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and adaptation.

Performance Measurement and Reporting:

• Develop and monitor KPIs to track operational performance.

• Provide regular reports to the Director, with insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Lead and coordinate regular reports for the company board and for AHS’s funders.

• Ensure transparent communication across all levels.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Lead and develop a high-performing operational team.
• Mentor emerging leaders and oversee professional development.
• Align teams with AHS’s mission and strategic goals.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Essential Criteria:

• Degree (ideally in life sciences), MBA, or equivalent.
• Proven ability to design and deliver large, complex projects with multiple stakeholders on time and to budget.
• Experience using operational design and management methodologies.
• Proven experience in a senior operational or similar leadership role within a health, educational, data and/or research-focused organisation.
• Strong track record in operational excellence and achieving organisational objectives.
• Expertise in stakeholder engagement across multiple sectors.
• Inclusive people leadership and teamworking skills, with experience of successfully managing diverse, multidisciplinary and geographically distributed teams.
• Experience working within ISO standards.
• Familiarity with board-level governance and committee structures.
• Experience with procurement, and contract management (including writing and running tenders e.g. for participant recruitment services, bio-sample handling, data platforms).
• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate vision into action.
• Large-scale budget management expertise.
• Strong communication, interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Strong commercial and business acumen.
• Capability in some or all of: finance and accounting, HR management and organisational culture, IT, legal services, internal audit (and sufficient working knowledge to engage with experts in areas where capability is more limited).
• Working knowledge across finance, HR, IT, legal, and internal audit functions.
• Results-orientated and solution-focused, able to multi-task and work within a fast-paced environment. 

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience developing strategies for scientific or research organisations.
• Understanding of health, research, and education sectors.
• Knowledge of UK charity law.
• Familiarity with ethical, legal, and regulatory considerations in population-based health research.
• Understanding of longitudinal health research studies and platforms.
• Experience with high-throughput bio-sample collection and processing.
• Familiarity with research data collection systems, databases, secure research data platforms, analytics tools, and AI applications.
• Knowledge of reporting requirements for major publicly funded research initiatives. 

Dimensions:

• Full-time role with flexible working across multiple locations in the UK.
• Travel required to AHS sites and partner organisations.
• AHS operates nationally across the UK. 

Application Process:

To apply, submit a CV and a cover letter (max. two pages) detailing your suitability for the role, including your current salary, to Jobs@gravitateHR.co.uk.

Closing date: 8 April 2025. Interviews: Week commencing 28 April 2025.

Equal Opportunities Policy Statement:

AHS is an equal opportunities employer, committed to fair treatment regardless of:

• Gender, including gender reassignment.
• Marital or civil partnership status.
• Parental status.
• Religion or belief.
• Race, nationality, or ethnic origin.
• Disability.
• Sexual orientation.
• Age.

We oppose all forms of unlawful discrimination. Decisions regarding recruitment, promotion, training, and other benefits will be made objectively and without discrimination. 

Values:

As we establish our senior leadership team in 2025, AHS’s values will be grounded in inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and collaboration.