Translational Partnerships Lead

Salary: £69,080

Role duration: Permanent (37.5 hours per week)

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

Purpose - What you will be achieving

Too much good science stalls before it reaches patients, and rarely for want of ambition. It stalls because the people and organisations needed to move promising research forward are not always aligned early enough: researchers, funders, the NHS, industry, regulators, investors and charities may each hold part of the solution, but not always a shared plan for delivery.

The Academy is well placed to change that. Its independence means partners trust it to act for patients rather than for any one institution. Its Fellowship reaches into every discipline and it can convene people who rarely share the same room.

The Translation Catalyst Programme is how the Academy turns that position into action, and this role leads it. It is about building the operating system around UK science -- the alignment and shared infrastructure that let research succeed -- and, over time, a national asset. It is a building role as much as a delivery one. The function is new, its scale is not fixed in advance, and much of the job is bringing in the partners and external funding -- from industry, venture capital, research councils, health charities and others -- that will decide how far and how fast it can go. Success here is measured by what changes in the system, not by what the Academy announces.

The Translational Partnerships Lead will help turn the Academy’s convening power into practical partnerships that accelerate translation. Reporting to the Director of Translation and Enterprise, this role leads a defined area of work where coordinated action could help the UK build translational advantage, such as genomic and precision medicine, advanced therapies, clinical trials innovation, health data and AI, or other priorities identified with Fellows and partners. You will help translate analysis into delivery plans, secure partner commitment, manage risks and dependencies, and provide clear advice and reporting to senior colleagues.

You will work at the interface of biomedical science, policy, programme delivery and stakeholder engagement. The role requires substantial professional experience of the UK research and the health system, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and the judgement to apply specialist knowledge to complex organisational and policy challenges.

The role combines partnership development with practical delivery, ensuring that opportunities are well evidenced, well governed and aligned with the Academy’s charitable purpose and wider organisational priorities.

What you will be doing

Leading a defined portfolio

● Lead a defined portfolio of translational activity with research and health system partners, ensuring workstreams are planned, governed and delivered to agreed objectives, timescales and resources.

● Manage day-to-day delivery, risks and dependencies across your remit, escalating issues and decisions to your Director as appropriate.

● Line manage and develop staff where required, setting clear expectations, supporting high performance and creating a collaborative working culture.

Convening the system to close translational gaps

● Lead deep-dives through workshops and round tables into defined areas where the UK can build advantage - a clinical domain, technology platform or underpinning capability - with honest analysis of where the translational system is failing.

● Work with partners to develop practical solutions and commitments to implement improvements, turning analysis into coordinated action that can be monitored and reported.

● Use evidence and insight to inform discussions with government, funders, Fellows, regulators, industry, charities and the wider research community.

Bridging discovery to development

● Support the design and development of Academy interventions that help promising science move from discovery towards development, including partnership propositions, pilot activity or programme models.

● Work closely with the Grants and Programmes team so that new schemes are deliverable, well governed and aligned with the Academy’s wider programme portfolio.

● Provide specialist advice on translational pathways, stakeholder needs and delivery risks, helping senior colleagues make informed decisions.

Developing translational pathways in collaboration

● Build effective relationships with partners across the health system, identifying opportunities where Academy convening and expertise can add value.

● Develop and support practical mechanisms for collaboration, such as workshops, roundtables or partnership propositions, working closely with Academy colleagues.

● Help shape propositions that connect scientific opportunity with development, adoption or commercial pathways, drawing on Fellows and external expertise as appropriate.

● Analyse complex evidence from a range of sources to identify the gaps and define the focus for implementing solutions, ensuring risks, benefits and governance implications are clearly understood.

● Protect the Academy’s independence by ensuring partnerships are transparent, well governed and consistent with the Academy’s charitable purpose.

Building partnerships and funding

● Develop and maintain partnerships that bring in external capability, insight, including from industry, public funders, research charities, regulators, and healthcare provider organisations that can support translational activity.

● Engage with judgement, pace and care, securing commitments and shared ownership while ensuring agreements are realistic, deliverable and proportionate.

● Provide clear reporting on progress, performance, resources and risk to the Director of Translation and Enterprise, escalating issues and dependencies appropriately.

● Collaborate with peers and Heads across the Academy so that partnership work supports wider organisational priorities and contributes to cross-Academy activity.

Requirements

1. Substantial experience in research translation

Substantial professional experience in a relevant area such as biomedical science, policy, programme delivery, grants management, stakeholder engagement, translational research or life sciences innovation. You will understand how promising research moves towards development, adoption or commercial application, and where that process can get stuck.

2. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

The ability to analyse varied and complex challenges, including issues without clear precedent, and develop practical solutions. You will be able to apply specialist knowledge to varied and complex challenges, weigh consequences and provide clear advice to support decision making.

3. Credibility with external partners

Credibility with stakeholders in the UK research, science, health, policy or life sciences environment. You may already be recognised externally as a knowledgeable practitioner, able to contribute evidence and insight to discussions with government, regulators, funders, Fellows, industry, charities or the wider health system.

4. Partnership development and delivery

Experience of building effective partnerships and turning shared ambition into deliverable plans. You will be comfortable managing partner expectations, negotiating contributions, identifying risks and dependencies, and maintaining momentum while working within agreed governance and resources.

5. Delivery, resources and risk management

Experience delivering programmes, projects or workstreams to agreed objectives, timescales and resources. You will be able to organise work effectively, manage risks and dependencies, provide clear reporting, and use delegated resources responsibly.

6. Leadership, autonomy and collaboration

The ability to operate with a good degree of autonomy within agreed objectives, priorities and governance frameworks, while working constructively with the Director of Translation and Enterprise and colleagues across the Academy, including the wider Fellowship. You will contribute to cross-Academy activity, support alignment with wider organisational priorities and, where applicable, lead and develop people in an inclusive and empowering way.

Closing date for applications is 2 August 2026 at 12.00

Interviews will likely be held between 10 August 2026 and 21 August 2026

Benefits

We offer a competitive and evolving benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, development and work–life balance, including:

• Competitive salary and pension 
• 26 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays 
• Option to buy or sell annual leave 
• Additional paid closure between Christmas and New Year 
• Hybrid and flexible working 
• Health, wellbeing and employee support programmes
• Cycle-to-work scheme and everyday benefits 
• Structured learning and development 
• Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity leave 
• Enhanced occupational sick pay.

A range of enhanced benefits become available once you’ve completed your probation period