Deputy Executive Chair, Medical Research Council (MRC)

The Medical Research Council (MRC)

Salary: from £87,565 per annum, dependent on skills and experience
Hours: Full time 
Contract Type:  Open Ended
Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire or Caxton House, London with travel to both 

Closing Date: Thursday 9 May 2024 (23:59), Interviews are expected to be held on 20th or 22nd May 2024

Purpose of the Role
A key element of the role will be working closely with the Executive Chair, Chief Operating Officer, Directors, and Associate Directors to deliver the MRC’s strategy, while specifically overseeing MRC’s Strategic Partnerships and initiatives, Business Intelligence, Strategic Evaluation and Insight.

You will play a lead role collaborating and influencing within academia, government, industry, charities and other external stakeholders on behalf of MRC, acting as an ambassador for MRC’s strategic direction. You will champion and integrate the development and delivery of cross-cutting strategies, associated funds and programmes. The role will include the requisite delegated authority to formally deputise and represent the Executive Chair as required.  You will also be responsible for the MRC’s contribution to the UKRI strategic objectives of Ideas and Place.

Key Responsibilities

• Deputise for the MRC Executive Chair, including representing MRC at UKRI and Government fora. Engaging with and influencing stakeholders at the most senior levels outside and across the organisation and in government departments, to build support and confidence in MRC’s delivery plans and activities.
• Drive and deliver the vision of the MRC across the health and life science research and innovation sector, nationally and internationally.
• Drive opportunity identification and exploitation for the MRC using a range of tools to capitalise on short-, medium- and long-term opportunities.
• Lead the development and delivery of evidence-based strategy and the MRC strategic delivery plan to address the diverse policy, healthcare, science and industry drivers aligned to the MRC strategy.
• Position the MRC as a leading voice in the national and international life science sector.
• Lead integrated planning across the UKRI councils to optimise pan UKRI and cross council opportunities.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships at a senior level across the public and commercial sector to enhance engagement, consultation and negotiation on strategy related work.
• Lead the MRC’s contribution to UKRI collective research and innovation strategic themes, programmes and associated funds with a particular focus on UKRIs ‘Ideas’ strategic theme, the Cross Council Responsive Mode scheme, and other cross UKRI strategic initiatives relevant to health.
• Act as UKRI liaison for the spending review process.
• Oversee the team responsible for strategic evaluation and insight generation, ensuring that MRC’s activities align with its long-term goals and contribute to impactful outcomes.
• To lead for the MRC on the UKRI Strategic Objectives: Ideas and Place.

You will be expected to:  

• Work closely with the research community and external partners to build commitment to the MRC strategy and collaborate on key areas
• Embody the ethos, vision and mission of MRC & UKRI, taking individual and collective professional responsibility for championing the MRC agenda within UKRI and proactively implementing initiatives which secure the organisation’s mission.
• Work at all times with integrity and to the highest professional standards
• Build co-operative team-based relationships with relevant colleagues across and outside the Research Councils as required.
• Champion MRC diversity policies and behave in a professional manner.
• Commit continually to developing personal understanding of serious and complex fraud and system security in the context of research funding and shared services.
• Line Manage.

About you
You will be assessed against the following throughout the recruitment process:

• A sustained first-class track record of employment within multiple organisations that are key partners of the MRC. This could include government departments and agencies, UK science funders such as Wellcome and/or major charities, NIHR and NIHR research infrastructure, universities, the NHS or the commercial sector.
• Substantial and diverse experience of working across the UK science funding landscape.
• A deep understanding of biomedical science and its applications relevant to the MRC mission.
• An ability to lead the integration of evaluation, partnership and strategy insight to develop and deliver an evidence-based strategy and delivery plan to address the diverse policy, healthcare, science and industry drivers.
• An ability to position MRC as a leading voice in the national and international life science sector.
• An ability to drive opportunity identification and exploitation using a range of tools to capitalise on short-, medium- and long-term opportunities.  
• A proven track record of strategic planning and policy development and an ability to take a broad view across the MRC portfolio in formulating future strategy and priority areas for future investments.
• Political understanding and the ability to understand and respond to the wider political environment in which MRC operates
• To work effectively within the governance framework of the MRC
• An ability to make decisions in a transparent, objective and impartial basis.
• A developed understanding of the pharma and biotech interests, and commercialisation strategies and the role of research and innovation in delivering UK strategic health and economic objectives
• Strong emotional intelligence, excellent listening skills; good relationship and influencing skills and the ability to reach out and build consensus and trust.
• Proven strategic and analytical skills with the ability to analyse and make sense of complex and potentially conflicting information in order to devise effective strategies to deliver desired outcomes and set priorities.
• Considerable experience of stakeholder management including the ability to work with partners to build effective relationships for mutual benefit, reconcile potentially conflicting interests and influence others not in their management line to achieve desired outcomes.
• Broad understanding of the research funding system in the UK, including knowledge of the activities and priorities of the other UK Research Councils and Innovate UK.

This is an outline description of the key responsibilities and accountabilities involved in the job. It is not exhaustive and may be revised from time to time.