Job Description

Medical Research Council

Salary: 84, 001 per annum

Band: UKRI Band H

Contract Type: Open ended

Hours: Full-time/ Part Time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)

Location: Polaris House, Swindon - Hybrid working available

Closing Date: 4th August 2025

About the role

Working in partnership to fund and support biomedical research across the UK is essential to deliver impact for the UK population. Working with the Deputy Executive Chair of MRC, the Director of National Partnerships will ensure that MRC has an effective approach to collaboration across academia, the charity sector, industry, commercial and public sector (including government departments and UK wide NHS and wider care setting).


Alongside developing external partnerships, the role requires working in partnership across UKRI as appropriate and extensive collaboration with other members of the MRC's Senior Executive Team, supporting their portfolios through partnership.


The role will draw together strategy from across MRC and URKI and operations to ensure MRC is an active partner across the UK delivering against research and innovation priorities to improve human health.

Your responsibilities:

To provide leadership to teams in the Strategy and Partnership Group in support of the Deputy Executive Chair. Lead teams in building partnership and engagement strategies for MRC to connect with collaborators like public/patients, academia, charities, and industry. Responsible for developing the MRC's approach to UK based partnering activities including finding opportunities for formal partnerships and collaborations to fund and support biomedical research. Establish key collaborations across UK Government to support delivery of MRC and wider UKRI research and innovation, to ensure MRC can inform and influence policy. Develop new collaboration models to support research across MRC and UKRI funding. Lead on the development of frameworks to support MRC wide teams to engage with our UK partners. Drive greater system alignment and coordination across the health and life sciences sector to promote pull through from discovery research to implementation of innovations. Ensure UK partnerships deliver on government, MRC and UKRI priorities including supporting the NHS, increasing productivity and promoting growth. Representing UKRI and MRC at national and international levels, deputising for the MRC Deputy Executive Chair as needed.

Personal Specification

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

Essential

Extensive experience of leading teams and delivering a portfolio of work at national levels. (S)


Significant experience of building partnerships and collaboration in the medical and healthcare sector, with government, academia, charities and industry at a very senior level. (S/I) A developed understanding of the role of research and innovation in delivering UK strategic research and innovation objectives, with experience of developing strategy in the medical research and healthcare sector. (I) Management of diverse and complex stakeholders and with the ability to negotiate successfully to meet the needs of individual parties within the experience of agreeing deals in the medical and healthcare sector, with government, academia, charities and industry. (S/I) A developed understanding of the international research funding landscape. (I)

Desirable

Experience of senior management in public, private or charity sector with business development leadership. (S) Experience of supporting and managing discovery and applied research funding, focused on outcomes. (S) Experience of working with senior civil service policy professionals. (S) Experience of interdisciplinarity. (S) Experience of policy development and evaluation. (S)

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and strive to provide a favourable pay and rewards package. We are committed to supporting employees' development and promote a culture of continuous learning!

A list of benefits below:

An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme 30 days' annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent) Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice Flexible working options
Plus many more benefits and wellbeing initiatives that enable our employees to have a great work life balance!

For further information on our benefits please see:

Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)



Please apply online, if you experience any issue applying, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org


Please note, if you will require sponsorship to work in the UK, as part of your sponsorship application, you and any dependants travelling with you, will be required to pay costs directly to The Home Office for the application before you start your role with us. UKRI is normally able to reimburse some, or all of these fees after you have become an employee and this can be discussed with the Hiring Manager. For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-it-costs or contact Recruitment@ukri.org .



We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers, technicians and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.


What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible.