Main Duties

• Serve as the main point of contact for all industry-focused project queries within RSS, responding independently and exercising judgment on daily unforeseen problems with limited guidance.
• Support ‘researchers’, particularly SME partners, by identifying and mapping SME funding opportunities across medicines, health tech, and med tech.
• Conduct market assessment research for projects and SME collaborators, including competitor analysis, gap analysis, regulatory landscapes, and potential market entry barriers in the life sciences sector.
• Translate researchers' briefs into actionable industry research support, gathering, synthesising, and presenting evidence to support the development of funding applications.
• Work with senior RSS methodologists to provide an ‘industry lens’ across disciplines, deploying appropriate commercial terminology, references, and frameworks. Supporting or leading researcher meetings to take a brief, signpost and produce the industry actions.
• Research, analyse, and report on industry strategy, government policies, regulatory changes, and new standards, ensuring the RSS team remains informed and compliant.
• Liaise with external stakeholders such as regulatory authorities, standard-setting bodies, government agencies, and industry associations as required, representing RSS and projects with professionalism.
• Organise and contribute to cross-sector project management groups (e.g., advisory boards, interdisciplinary working groups) to foster collaborative innovation and operational effectiveness.
• Develop best practice in industry engagement, contributing to process improvement and the SME service delivery output for RSS.
• Represent the RSS at industry conferences, networking events, and innovation forums, gathering and reporting insights and foresights, regarding the competitive landscape and evolving trends in health and life sciences.

Provision of significant and high-level project management support. This may include some or all the following:

• Developing project plans, identifying (as appropriate) key performance indicators and milestones,
• Reviewing and auditing progress on projects to identify and act on improvements to effectiveness, efficiency and delivery,
• Reporting on progress including the development of reporting mechanisms, writing reports (e.g., on project budgetary management), and presenting to appropriate meetings such as Project Board or to other key stakeholders,
• Providing executive support to Project Boards, work streams and working groups as required; setting agendas, collating and distributing papers and minutes and ensuring follow-up action is taken.
• Coordinating the organisation of conferences/ meetings/ workshops/ dissemination events if required.
• Developing communication material, which may include developing, for example, newsletters, briefings for stakeholders and/or content for the RSS website or other social media.
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Have an in-depth knowledge of NIHR industry focused research funding programmes, their eligibility requirements, application processes and be able to evidence experience of supporting funding applications to a number of these funding programmes in a working environment.
• Working knowledge and experience of navigating the Medical Device and IVD regulatory processes and NHS adoption pathway.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including concise communication, diplomacy, and ability to build effective relationships across academic and industry boundaries, particularly with those unfamiliar with the UK research funding application process.
• Sound knowledge of UK health innovation funding structures, SME funding opportunities, and the regulatory environment.
• Experience of project management within research, with a clear track record of industry and health/life sciences sector engagement.
• Demonstratable ability to synthesise large volumes of information on the Health & Life Sciences sector market and innovators, and to communicate findings in impactful written reports and presentations.
• High degree of personal responsibility, initiative, and professional discretion as an Industry Associate.
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in a relevant discipline (health, life sciences, project management).
• Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data.
• Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office and website editing software. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship building and influencing skills with the ability to deal confidently with a range of internal and external stakeholders/contacts.
• Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to prioritise workloads in order to meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.

Further particulars can be found here

Informal enquiries to Neil Thomas, email: g.n.thomas@bham.ac.uk