Salary: Starting from £67,217 + benefits (possibility to increase salary via incremental steps in the first 12 months)

Role duration: Permanent.

Summary purpose - what you will be achieving.

• Harnessing the Academy’s strengths (including our Fellowship and wider networks) to inform and drive change that supports our vision of good health for all supported by the best research and evidence.
• Building on our track record of influencing and informing policy and policy-makers across public, private and third sectors regarding health research and research careers, which underpins our mission and our reputation.
• Providing the evidence base, connections and coordination to inform the strategic priorities of organisations across the public, private and charitable sectors to ensure that the UK has a world-leading health research environment (“science base”), underpinned by research careers and a research culture that attracts and retains a diverse and effective research workforce.

About the role – what you will be doing.

• Leading the implementation (across the Academy) of our strategic priority to support UK biomedical and health research to strengthen its global competitiveness and reputation in a way that aligns with our values and exploits synergies with our other strategic priorities. Advising the Academy’s Council and SLT of key gaps and opportunities.

• Maximising the impact of our work to inform and influence evidence-based decision making in Government and other key organisations across the public, private and charitable sector. Including through thought-leadership, major policy reports, coordinating and convening the sector including via events, workshops and joint position statements. Areas of focus for the new postholder and their team will include: influencing the incoming UK Government’s support for health research; promoting a pro-research culture in the NHS; safeguarding clinical academic careers; promoting the recommendations of our report: Future proofing health research; and supporting cross-sector coordination as the new secretariat for the UK Clinical Research Collaboration.
• Leading the Science base and careers policy team of four staff that develop and deliver these programmes and working in partnership with other parts of the Academy that underpin our success, particularly the Careers Team (whose work informs and is informed by the policy team’s activities), the Engagement Team (who support the patients and carers who are involved in our work) and the Communications Team.
• Building strategic, collaborative and sustained relationships with individuals and organisations across the health and wider research sectors to maximise the effectiveness of our activities and promote the Academy’s policy positions. This includes harnessing the expertise and connections of our Council, the wider Fellowship and the researchers that we fund.
• Developing innovative approaches to the Academy’s work to support evidence-based decision-making and embedding new approaches to monitoring and evaluation. 
• As a member of the Academy’s Leadership Team (the Academy’s Directors and Heads), inform and deliver the Academy’s priorities, including our organisational change programme, measurement and reporting of impact and contributing to securing funding for the Academy’s activities. 
• Ensuring that the Academy’s SLT and Honorary Officers are engaging at the highest levels in Government, Parliament and with external stakeholders and that they are comprehensively briefed on complex issues and advised on opportunities and options for influence.  
• Representing the Academy externally (including on Government advisory groups) and deputising for the Director, Executive Director and the Academy’s Honorary Officers.

Closing date for completed applications is 5 pm on Monday 22 July 2024.

Interviews will likely be held online the w/c 29 July 2024 .

Requirements

About you

Role Specific – what you will bring to the role:

• Understanding of the UK science base and associated careers, ideally in health or life sciences, and the associated policy landscape.
• Ability to gather and synthesise complex information to support decision-making
• Experience of sustained and productive relationships with peers outside of one’s own organisation.
• An established reputation in health or research policy and/or experience of working within, or closely with, Government or research funders (including medical research charities) in a policy role would be an advantage.
• Experience of managing staff.

What we expect from our established Heads – we will look for evidence that you could meet these expectations :

• One Academy: working collaboratively with senior leaders across the organisation to promote and advance the Academy, its priorities and its reputation. 
• Strategy and planning: Developing, executing, and overseeing Academy strategy in your area of expertise and in collaboration with others, navigating uncertainty, and driving change. 
• Inclusive leadership: Role modelling Academy values, behaviours, and reflective practice to motivate and support individual and organisational development.   
• Performance development: Cultivating and nurturing high-performance teams, resolving conflicts, fostering growth, and learning in a supportive environment.  
• Financial and risk management: Identifying, mitigating, and overseeing operational, reputational, and financial risks.  
• Partnership working: Fostering external and internal connections, building networks that cultivate funding and opportunities for new partnerships. 
• Accountability: Taking ownership, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance, navigating governance and internal sign off, demonstrating financial responsibility.  
• Progressive: Ensuring continuous improvement and fostering innovation and new ways of working, particularly in environmental, social and governance sustainability. Have a learning mindset and the ability to support this in others.

Click here to access the complete job description.

If you like to discuss the role, please contact the People & Culture team by email: (email address removed).

Benefits

• Salary progression framework
• Hybrid and agile working
• 29 days annual leave including Christmas closure dates, plus bank holidays.
• Pension (the Academy contributes 7.5% of gross salary to a pension scheme, with an employee contribution of 3%).
• Life assurance
• Season ticket travel loan (interest free)
• Family friendly benefits (enhanced maternity and paternity leave, coaching for parents returning to work)
• Subscription to Headspace and Class pass
• Staff training to support your development including EDI training (you can see more information on our EDI values, principles, and behaviours here)

For information about the Academy and our strategy 2022-2032 click here.

Click here for information about working at the Academy and the agile and flexible working style available and the full range of staff benefits