Business Engagement Manager: The Medical Research Council (MRC)
This is an exciting opportunity to join MRC’s Industry Partnerships team as a Business Engagement Manager. The Industry Partnerships team is within the Strategy and Planning directorate of MRC and is responsible for engaging with the commercial sector to maximise innovation and impact. The team works across the breadth of MRC’s funding activities to identify opportunities to create partnerships and novel initiatives that foster interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
The postholder will support MRC’s strategic engagement with businesses and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem as well as identifying and progressing potential partnership opportunities. We are seeking a motivated and focused individual who has an understanding of the Life Sciences sector and an interest in supporting the development of connections between academia and industry.
Responsibilities
- Support the planning, development and establishment of business engagement activities designed to increase MRC’s profile, partnerships and strategic relationships with industry
- Oversee and if required assist the delivery and monitoring of business engagement initiatives
- Develop and maintain relationships with a range of commercial stakeholders
- Support, as necessary, the MRC research community in engaging with industry
- Develop an understanding of the commercial opportunities and needs within particular scientific areas
- Advise senior staff on important commercial developments and other relevant matters connected with their scientific portfolio
- Build relationships with business engagement teams across UKRI to supporting sharing of information and identification of cross-UKRI opportunities for business engagement
- Act as a key knowledge holder and advisor in relation to intellectual property and subsidy control
Selection criteria
Essential
- Hold a degree in a relevant scientific discipline and/or have equivalent, relevant professional experience in clinical, academic or commercial setting
- Have at least 12 months experience of working with academia and businesses to support innovation and commercialisation
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal, presentational and written) with a proven ability to build credibility with relevant stakeholders across a range of areas
- Knowledge of the research and innovation landscape in the UK, including the role of knowledge-exchange, business engagement and translation/commercialisation approaches.
- Experience in market research and analysis and awareness of intellectual property management in collaborative projects/partnerships environment
- Able to work independently and proactively but also as part of teams where there may be multiple expectations and drivers.
Desirable
- Hold a post-graduate qualification in a relevant scientific discipline and/or have equivalent, relevant professional experience in clinical, academic or commercial setting
- Have experience of creating and developing communication materials for external audiences
- Network of contacts across academic and commercial communities
- Understand the development pathway for therapeutics, diagnostics and/or devices
- Understand how and why MRC and UKRI works with commercial sector and the interactions between government, charity funders, industry, academia and the NHS
Additional information
The role will be based in MRC’s Swindon office, with home working options also available. Successful applicants may be required to occasionally work in a different office or undertake UK & international travel, including overnight stays.
About MRC
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a publicly-funded organisation dedicated to improving human health. We support research across the entire spectrum of medical sciences, in universities and hospitals, in our own units and institutes in the UK.
For more information about MRC, please visit https://mrc.ukri.org/
How to Apply
Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit your CV and a covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for MRC and the role you’re applying for. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit your application without a covering letter may result in your application not being considered. You will only be assessed on the content of your CV and covering letter and not the ‘experience’ section of the application.
About UKRI
Launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, and a vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.
How we support EDI in the workforce
At UKRI we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to flourish and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’
Disability Confident Employer
As a Disability Confident employer, UKRI will offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job (this is the description of the job as set by the employer). To enable us to do this we ask the appropriate questions within the candidate application.
For more information on this scheme, click here.
Additional Information