Head of Syndicates

Based at Alderley Park, Medicines Discovery Catapult is a national facility connecting the UK community to accelerate innovative drug discovery.

We provide unique scientific capabilities and act as a gateway to UK resources and expertise, supporting UK SMEs to drive the development and industrialisation of new approaches for the discovery of new medicines.

By validating new ways of discovering medicines and driving key talent and expertise across the sector, we will support the UK life sciences industry, SMEs and innovators to deliver growth for the UK economy and maintain the UK’s heritage position as a global leader in medicines R&D.

Ultimately, new industrialised technologies are vital for delivering new medicines to patients, faster.

We are looking for the very best people to join the Medicines Discovery Catapult team in driving the UK to the forefront of commercial success for medicines discovery, committing to place the patient at the beginning of discovery and helping the sector move faster to the patient.

The values of the Catapult are:

- ** Excellence** - we continually strive to deliver the best solutions for our partners and for each other. In everything we do, we instil confidence.
- **Integrity** - Our strong commitment to what we do and why we are here drives us to do the right thing for our partners and each other.
- **Community** - We’re a strong team, we work well together, and we respect each other.
- **Innovation** - We’re driven by the need to make a difference. We constantly look for ways to drive change in our sector and how we work.

**Role purpose**:
The Head of Syndicates will lead and drive the strategic and operational delivery of the MDC Syndicates capability.
Syndicates are disease-based consortia which are reconfiguring medicines R&D in the UK through patient-focused collaborative R&D. Each Syndicate comprises a partnership between a disease-based medical research charity, clinical and academic experts, technologists, and industry (particularly SMEs). Syndicates source, develop, and deliver collaborative R&D projects centred around the needs of patients.

They identify failures in disease-specific R&D that can be tackled through collaboration. Charities are central to this work because they bring true patient needs to the fore. The industrial players provide a clear view on the areas where collaborative R&D will overcome technology and process barriers. Syndicates create a coordinated and risk-balanced portfolio of R&D projects, centred around bringing new and effective treatments to patients, faster. Projects generally focus on new potential medicines that can be both researched and financed, thereby increasing the chance that effective medicines will reach patients.

**Main duties and responsibilities**:

- Member of the MDC Discovery Leadership team, with accountability to the Chief Scientist for the Syndicate capability’s delivery, resources, and budget.
- Operational leadership of the Syndicates team, managing a portfolio of external collaborations and partnered projects, aligned to areas of unmet patient need, to deliver impact for the sector.
- Strategic leadership of the MDC Syndicates capability, utilising a deep understanding of the external environment and of MDC capabilities to develop, implement, communicate, and evolve MDC strategy in this area.
- Direct line management of individuals with a range of experience and technical background - including other line managers - providing ongoing coaching, development, and performance management.
- Promote and represent the capability in internal and external communications, raising awareness of Syndicates nationally and internationally as an effective model for patient-focused drug discovery and translation.
- Convene external stakeholders including medical research charities, key opinion leaders, industry, and government to debate, elucidate, and communicate the challenges and proposed solutions in areas of unmet patient need, resulting in actionable outcomes.
- Create national scale R&D programmes with targeted funding solutions in collaboration with external stakeholders and manage delivery through internal and external resources.
- Develop innovative and robust partnership models and agreement structures to ensure the greatest impact and return on investment.
- Personally lead large, complex collaborations to completion that involve multiple internal and external stakeholders.
- Liaise with colleagues in MDC Discovery, Operations and Commercial functions to ensure seamless working across the business and effective delivery.
- Active member of the MDC Discovery Leadership Team, contributing to or leading cross-MDC business initiatives as required.

**Qualifications, skills, and knowledge**:

- BSc (essential) and PhD (desirable) in a relevant discipline.
- Extensive experience of working in the Life Sciences sector, including experience of working in a commercial environment (essential) and with charities