Business Development Manager

UKHSA’s mission is to make the nation health secure. We provide strategic leadership and vision for protecting and improving the nation’s health, by preventing, detecting and mitigating eternal threats to health. Our ambition is to lead health responses nationally, and enable locally, in partnership with local authorities, the NHS, academia, industry and others. We will achieve this through the application of research, knowledge and skills. As an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, UKHSA is a distinct delivery organisation with operational autonomy to advise and support government, local authorities and the NHS in a professionally independent manner.

This role sits within UKHSA’s award-winning Commercial Directorate, which played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Truly dynamic, our teams operate at a significant pace in a commercially complex environment to procure a diverse range of goods and services in a highly competitive global market.  

UKHSA’s Commercial teams continue to play a central role in priority activity, supporting responses to health threats as they occur, and ensuring enduring, resilient scientific and technical capabilities that secure the UK in the strongest position to protect the public from future threats to health. 

About the team:

The Business Development Department supports the achievement of UKHSA’s goals by helping win external funding for research, and commercialising services created through the agency’s wide-ranging scientific and public health expertise. In particular, the department manages and exploits the agency’s strong Intellectual Property portfolio, realising a financial return on the investment of public funds to generate high-quality public health interventions and assets, and reducing the cost to the government of cutting-edge public health capabilities.

Business Development must constantly adapt to meet the changing needs of the organisation and, in particular, continually seeks to strengthen its skills base in the spectrum of capabilities represented by UKHSA. The team aligns with the Department of Health and Social Care and HM Treasury commercial policies related to managing public money and knowledge asset management, thus ensuring the organisation meets its obligations under the current legislation and case law.  The team also coordinates the response to external audits and external enquiries related to income generation fulfilling statutory requirements such as freedom of information requests.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

As one of our Business Development Managers, your key duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Contributing to and implementing business strategy, including external partnerships where appropriate.
• Protecting and exploiting Intellectual Property assets within delegated portfolio.
• Liaising with UKHSA’s operational and scientific, legal and regulatory leads, helping in the development of business cases and formulation of income proposals.
• Negotiating and signing contracts fully delegated to define UKHSA’s commitments, conduct relevant due diligence activities that mitigate risks, and maximise return on investment.
• Reporting to the Head of Business Development on a regular basis to evaluate critically the results of activities and key issues in areas of responsibility.
• Developing and managing a portfolio of assigned projects, primarily with the objective of acquiring and retaining business.
• Developing with operational managers the delivery of their assigned business and budget targets in accordance with UKHSA’s Standing Financial Instructions and Income Generation Framework.
• Providing input into UKHSA business strategies for short and long-term plans.
• Be willing to travel and able to obtain security clearance as required to participate in external meetings, exhibitions and conferences that promote UKHSA in order to identify and develop new income opportunities.
• Supporting implementation of the UKHSA Income Generation strategy, setting in place arrangements to facilitate business aspects of cross-Directorate and external partner working as appropriate.
• Maintaining timely, accurate and up to date bid, risk management and contracting records in the BD record/filing systems, including liaison with operational managers in relation to the progress of active proposals.
• Through effective communication, influencing and negotiation skills, delivering UKHSA revenue-earning objectives within the governance framework.
• Liaising with and supporting UKHSA Project leads and scientific, financial, legal and regulatory functions in crafting competitive tender proposals for externally funded activities.
• Developing and managing a portfolio of other assigned business projects as directed by line manager and Head of BD, including input to UKHSA strategies and policies for short and long-term plans.
• Able to undertake planned and occasionally ad-hoc National and International travel. Holding a valid UK driving licence would be advantageous to visit some locations.

Each of our Business Development Managers (BDM) is responsible for a portfolio of work supporting the Deputy Director proactively to develop and promote externally business opportunities, generating additional income from UKHSA’s scientific and technical capabilities. BDM’s can be specifically responsible for one or more sectors of UKHSA’s intellectual property portfolio, as delegated.

The BDM contributes to and co-ordinates the income generation strategy and priorities for assigned areas, gaining ownership from internal and external stakeholders and presenting portfolio business income plans up to Board level. As senior managers in UKHSA, BDMs lead and drive projects and portfolios related to commercial strategy, continuous improvement and positive stakeholder engagement, as well as data analysis and market research.

The post holder will:

• Work with other teams and functions across UKHSA to support their successful engagement with clients and funding bodies.
• Co-ordinate and develop the income opportunities for assigned areas across UKHSA, gaining ownership from internal stakeholders and supporting their strategies and business plans as required.
• Support the Deputy Director to engage effectively with external organisations across the health/life science landscape and so help UKHSA to take opportunities that support delivery of its remit.
• Support the leadership of Business Development and the broader Commercial Directorate, including continuous improvement of business processes.

The post holder is expected to contribute to and when required lead on marketing and exhibition activities, develop and maintain strong working relationships with a wide range of individuals, clinical, non-clinical and technical, internal, and external to UKHSA.

Essential criteria:

• Strong honours degree in a relevant subject (technical, scientific or business) or equivalent knowledge and experience
• A track record of research and/or business-related outputs in an academic, life-science or healthcare environment.
• Experience of achieving business objectives working with internal and external partners, including planning and reporting.
• Understanding of the principles of information governance and confidentiality.
• Holds a UK driving licence and able to undertake national/international travel, working irregular hours when required (by agreement).
• Significant experience in business development and business planning at a senior level.
• Skills for delivering results by managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.

Desirable criteria:

• Post-graduate qualification in any Life Science, Business Management or health-related discipline, or equivalent experience to negotiate complex and detailed issues and to influence and persuade on a range of issues at a senior level.
• ATTP Registered Technology Transfer Professional
• Experience of working in an academic institution, public sector or other large organisation that undertakes or supports research, preferably through the allocation of funding.
• Experience of managing, protecting or exploiting intellectual property and negotiation of licences or technology transfer.
• Good understanding of the current UK health research landscape, including research governance e.g. UK ethics arrangements.
• Demonstrable experience of coordinating/delivering projects in complex environments.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team 3
• Email : recruitmentteam3@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitmentteam3@ukhsa.gov.uk