Associate Director, Rare Disease Network

Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

Embedded into LifeArc’s Ecosystem department, this role will lead the delivery of Ecosystem programmes and contribute to the development and execution of the relevant programme’s portfolio strategy, working in close collaboration with other members of the rare disease network team, as needed.

Working within a complex, multi-partner environment, and with a focus on rare disease translational research, the role is responsible for driving programme performance, coordinating multiple projects, and ensuring the successful delivery of outcomes aligned to organisational priorities across high-profile, external, rare disease ecosystem major programmes and strategic partnerships, spanning rare disease therapeutic development in key areas of focus, including respiratory, kidney, rare mitochondrial disease, and other areas within LifeArc rare disease portfolio, clinical trial delivery, regulation, market access, policy and data.

Key responsibilities include:

• Contributing to the development of Ecosystem strategy and priorities, translating direction into delivery plans

• Leading the delivery of programmes and multiple projects, ensuring alignment with agreed objectives, timelines, and quality standards, within the Ecosystem pillar, and across the preclinical and clinical pillars

• Provide scientific and delivery leadership across a portfolio, setting direction and ensuring coordinated execution

• Develope and oversee programme and portfolio plans, including timelines, budgets, risks, dependencies, and performance tracking

• Prepare and present project and programme proposals, including assessment of risks, opportunities, resources, and delivery considerations

• Actively contribute to portfolio management, providing clear reporting, insights, and recommendations to inform decisions and prioritisation

• Build and maintain strong internal and external partnerships, acting as a key point of contact and representing LifeArc in collaborative environments

• Lead matrix teams and contribute to line management, aligning team objectives with portfolio and organisational priorities

• Ensure effective governance and decision-making, preparing materials and engaging with appropriate oversight forums

• Monitor and optimise delivery performance, proactively identifying risks, dependencies, and trade-offs across programmes

• Critically review programme and project outputs, ensuring quality, impact, and alignment with objectives

• Drive continuous improvement of portfolio delivery, identifying opportunities to enhance effectiveness and efficiency

• Act as a role model for LifeArc’s principles and behaviours

Essential experience required:

• Significant experience in biomedical, life sciences, or translational and clinical research environments, with a focus on therapeutic and diagnostic development

• Understanding of infrastructure for translational research delivery, and the key challenges in funding and sustainability

• Demonstrated ability to lead programmes and multiple concurrent projects, delivering outcomes to quality, time, and budget

• Experience in portfolio planning, delivery oversight, and performance tracking

• Strong experience of matrix leadership, coordinating across teams, disciplines, and organisations · Proven ability to build and manage stakeholder relationships, internally and externally

• Strong scientific, analytical, and strategic thinking capability

• Excellent communication and influencing skills, including engagement with senior stakeholders. Experience of research and innovation policy would be desirable.

• Experience and/or knowledge in any of the following therapeutic areas would be desirable: rare respiratory, rare kidney, rare neuro.

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in a biomedical, life sciences, or related discipline

• Postgraduate qualification (e.g. MSc/PhD) desirable

• Strong programme and portfolio delivery leadership, managing multiple workstreams and priorities

• Ability to translate strategy into actionable delivery plans

• Effective leadership and influence in matrix environments, with or without direct line management · Highly developed planning, prioritisation, and organisational skills

• Robust risk management and decision-making capability

• Clear and confident written and verbal communication, tailored to a range of audiences

• High level of scientific judgement and critical thinking

• Adaptable and resilient, able to operate in dynamic, complex environments

LifeArc is a not-for-profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’.

LifeArc is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability or long-term health condition who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Please note that in certain situations, such as high volumes of applications, it may not be practical to interview all eligible candidates. In these cases, we may need to select those who best meet the essential criteria. (At LifeArc, the Disability Confident Scheme’s ‘minimum criteria’ is referred to as ‘essential criteria’).

Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days PLUS bank holidays.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds, for example, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At LifeArc we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so whatever your background or lived experience, if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. Our top priority is finding the best candidate, and you may be just right for this or other roles.

We all have potential. At LifeArc, you’ll discover what you can really do with it.