Associate Director, Rare Disease Network

LifeArc; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 12%

Private health insurance

31 days leave + bank holidays

Flexible benefits

Job summary

LifeArc in London is seeking an Associate Director for the Rare Disease Network to lead delivery of Ecosystem programmes, shaping portfolio strategy and coordinating across preclinical and clinical pillars.

You will manage complex, multi-partner programmes in rare diseases, drive performance, governance, risk, and engagement with external partners, aiming to advance therapeutic development across respiratory, kidney, rare neuro areas.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in biomedical or translational research with therapeutic/diagnostic focus.
• Understanding of translational research delivery infrastructure and funding challenges.
• Experience leading programmes and multiple projects to quality, time, and budget.
• Experience in portfolio planning, delivery oversight, and performance tracking.
• Strong matrix leadership and stakeholder relationship management.

Responsibilities

• Develop ecosystem strategy and translate it into delivery plans.
• Lead programmes and multiple projects ensuring objectives, timelines, and quality.
• Provide scientific and delivery leadership across a portfolio.
• Develop and oversee programme and portfolio plans including budgets and risks.
• Present project proposals with risk, resources, and delivery considerations.
• Contribute to portfolio management with reporting and recommendations.
• Build internal and external partnerships representing LifeArc.
• Lead matrix teams and align objectives with priorities.
• Ensure governance and informed decision-making with oversight forums.
• Monitor delivery performance and identify risks and trade-offs.
• Critically review outputs for impact and alignment.
• Drive continuous improvement of portfolio delivery.
• Model LifeArc’s principles and behaviours.

Skills

Programme leadership

Portfolio delivery

Matrix leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Risk management

Education

Degree in biomedical/life sciences

Job description

Associate Director, Rare Disease Network

London

Full-time

Ecosystem

Hybrid

Job Title: Associate Director, Rare Disease Network
Location: London
Job Type: Permanent with hybrid working (3 days in the office required)

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

About the role:

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.

About you

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.

Education:

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

Skills & abilities:

• 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

About us:

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.

What we can offer you:

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.

At LifeArc, we commit to advancing equal opportunities and building a diverse workforce by ensuring a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment experience for all. We employ individuals based on their suitability for the work to be performed and their potential for development, regardless of age, sex, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or maternity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion, or belief. Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion includes creating a culture where everyone feels they belong, is valued for who they are and has the opportunity to translate their potential.

We want every candidate to do their very best. If you require special assistance or reasonable adjustments, please be sure to let us know in advance what will be most useful for you and / or to discuss your needs.

Please note we are actively recruiting, and the closing date may be brought forward if we find the right person for this role.