Job Purpose

Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise are a strategic priority for the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences (MVLS) and the Translational Research Initiative (TRI) and remains critical in the growth and development of the College’s translational pipeline. The post holder will be accountable and responsible for the operational delivery of the College Translational Research Initiative (TRI).  As part of the College’s wider Industrial Engagement infrastructure, the post holder will drive growth and development of the University’s biomedical and life sciences translational pipeline by providing coordinated access to external partners (e.g., MRC and BBSRC ‘Impact Accelerator Accounts and providing expertise and project management support to maximise probability of success. The post holder will also manage the team, through a revision of College and Institutional Strategy.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.  To deliver and support the commercialisation of research within the College, which will involve working in close partnership with the MVLS Head of Innovation and Enterprise and senior academic and professional service colleagues across the University to implement a College-wide strategy for industrial engagement and commercialisation.

2.  To lead and deliver on the success of Translation Research Initiative (TRI), through day-to-day management and the maintenance of an effective oversight and governance structure.  Generating key deliverables including (but not limited to) formal report submissions, financial tracking, development and delivery of key performance indicators, Opportunity Development Reviews and web presence.

3.  Responsible for the effective development and delivery of initiatives planned with ~£2M of translational funding (MRC and BBSRC), ensuring the University maximises the benefits of the funds.

4.  Develop, plan and review systems to capture and maintain records of activities and outcomes from translational activities and support the identification of opportunities and development of future applications, to enable the College to expand its translational support funding.

5.  To actively engage and keep up to date on key areas of the research pipeline and proactively identify projects for adoption and opportunities for commercialisation-relevant funding.

6.  Develop, implement, and maintain a range of initiatives to engage academics with commercialisation and industry expectations, provide encouragement, expertise and guidance to facilitate engagement in innovation activities, increase knowledge exchange and research exploitation opportunities, and provide commercial guidance and assist in the completion of external funding applications.

7.  To work alongside the Lead of the Industry Partnerships Team to ensure seamless experience for researchers engaging with wider Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise Team as well as other relevant Professional Service Staff Teams.

8.  To work with others to support the delivery of agreed College strategic priorities, notably the current Innovation, Engagement and Enterprise strategy, future college strategies and developments at QEUH and / or similar large value initiatives. These projects will typically involve interactions and negotiations with key industry partners, SMEs, Scottish Enterprise etc; detailed project planning, management, and reporting against metrics, preparing funding proposals and reporting to College and University management.

9.  To contribute towards the delivery of Impact Case Studies for REF including supporting the delivery of impact from research and ensuring this is appropriately evidenced.

10.To develop and proactively enhance key business relationships within the College, (including, other Colleges, University Services and Impact and Business Development Teams) to learn and share from best practice elsewhere and to eliminate any internal barriers to manage risk, enhance collegiality and multi-disciplinary collaborations.

11. Operates within the University regulations for Equal Opportunities and Diversity and the implications of non-compliance on colleagues and co-workers.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

A1.  Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9 qualification within a related discipline.

A2.  Knowledge of project management techniques and tools and their application in a life science context.

A3.  Working understanding of the operation of translational projects from a research, business and regulatory requirements perspective.

Desirable:

B1.  PhD in a relevant scientific area is highly desirable

B2.  Formal project management qualification (eg PRINCE 2) and/or experience in project and portfolio management.

B3.  A working knowledge of University policies and procedures.

Skills

Essential:

C1.  An appropriate level of gravitas, technical insight and credibility to represent the TRI at a senior level and drive activities to deliver ambitious targets

C2.  Excellent communication skills both written and verbal with the ability to communicate authoritatively at all levels internally and externally.

C3.  Demonstrable ability to build and enhance relationships at multiple levels within the collaboration.

C4.  Ability to self-organise and manage multiple competing project activities across a multi-year basis with flexibility to meet varying deadlines and conflicting pressures.

C5.  Ability to influence, engage and lead at all levels involving internal and external partners and offering an effective and solution-focussed collaborative approach.

C6.  Negotiating skills with a proven track record in negotiating a way forward in a collaborative environment and securing agreement from the partner level teams.

C7.  High level of competence with a range of computerised systems, databases and data sources to support project management; improve team communications, information and data dissemination.

C8.  Ability to work under a minimum supervision.

C9.  Proven ability to solve problems creatively working in a technically complex area and working across a range of management functions.

Desirable:

D1.  Academic/Industry research skills and background in life sciences/biomedical/ genetics/molecular biology/clinical operations/pathology/biochemistry or relevant.

Experience

Essential:

E1.  Experience of managing multiple collaborative projects across a portfolio, including strategic foresight and risk mitigation.

E2.  Significant project management experience managing multi-disciplinary collaborations with clinical domain experts and academic/NHS/Industry research functions.

E3.  Experience of providing high calibre technical leadership and direction within a complex multi-stakeholder high profile context.

E4.  Direct managerial /supervision experience.

E5.  Experience of managing and controlling budgets; and analysing financial data and providing management information with a high degree of accuracy.

E6.  IT project management experience.

Desirable:

F1.  Background in pharmaceutical, biotech or CRO industries.

F2.  Experience in managing industry academia collaborative projects.

F3.  Experience of working with NHS Information Governance related projects.

F4.  Experience of Bioinformatics analysis and interpretation.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 8, £49,250 - £56,921 per annum.

This post is full time and fixed term until 30 September 2026.

Informal enquiries may be directed to Louise Mason, Louise.Mason@glasgow.ac.uk 

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.  If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

Closing date: 23:45 on Monday 3rd February 2025