Head of Enterprise

The Academy of Medical Sciences – an independent, expert voice of biomedical and health research in the UK – is looking for a Head of Enterprise to lead the enterprise side of a new Research Translation and Enterprise function at the Academy.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the function, ensuring that work is well planned, governed, resourced and aligned with the strategic direction.
• Manage, develop and get the best from a growing team, setting clear objectives, providing coaching and support, and creating the conditions for high performance, accountability and ownership.
• Deploy people, budgets and expertise effectively within agreed parameters, escalating significant risks, dependencies or choices to the Director while exercising judgement over day-to-day and programme-level delivery.
• Originate, design and secure support for new Enterprise fellowship schemes that build on the Academy’s Fellowship.
• Work credibly with venture and industry partners to develop an approach that will identify promising science within the Fellowship and shape propositions that could otherwise struggle to reach patients or markets.
• Support scientists to assemble the scientific, clinical and business expertise that new translational propositions need, through offers such as a Demonstration Days.
• Develop options for an equity model, drawing on legal and commercial advice, so the Director, Executive and Council can take informed decisions about whether and how the Academy should take a stake where its science becomes a business.
• Protect the Academy’s independence as this work grows: keep staff in control of the process, use Fellows as a structured source of expertise rather than investment decision-makers, keep partnerships non-exclusive, and separate the commercial work clearly from the Academy’s charitable activity.
• Build and manage partnerships that bring in external funding and capability, including public funders, industry, health charities and venture partners, working in full sight of the Director and the Chief Operating Officer’s lead on income strategy.
• Negotiate well and at pace, landing the right partners on the right terms while protecting the Academy’s independence and charitable purpose.