Business Engagement Manager - Band E
The Medical Research Council (MRC)
Exciting opportunity to join MRC’s newly established 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 and working across the breadth of MRC’s funding activities to identify opportunities to create and build partnerships and novel initiatives that foster interdisciplinary working to maximise innovation and impact.
As a business development manager, you will report to the Associate Director of Industry Partnerships and support MRC’s strategic engagement with businesses and other stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. We are seeking motivated and focused individuals who have an understanding of Life Sciences and an interest in working with universities, research organisations and businesses in a UK and International context.
Responsibilities:
- Support the planning, development and establishment of business engagement activities designed to increase MRC’s profile, partnerships and strategic relationships
- Oversee and if required assist the delivery and monitoring of business engagement initiatives
- Develop and maintain relationships with commercial stakeholders within a scientific portfolio
- Develop an understanding of the commercial opportunities and needs within a scientific portfolio
- Keep senior staff advised 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
- Build relationships with MRC research community, supporting them in achieving their aims for commercial 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 business development/engagement experience from working in relevant commercial, academic or non-profit roles
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal, presentational and written) with a proven ability to build credibility with relevant stakeholders across a range of areas
- Familiar with research and innovation landscape in 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
- Understand how and why MRC and UKRI works with commercial sector and the interactions between government, charity funders, industry, academia and the NHS
- Network of contacts across academic and commercial communities
- Understanding of the drug discovery/product development process and of the academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry marketplaces.
Additional information:
The roles will be based in either MRC’s Swindon or London office, with home working options also available. Successful applicants may be required to work in different office or remotely and be willing to occasionally 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.