Chief Operating Officer

The Academy; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A leading medical sciences organization is seeking a Chief Operating Officer to build operational foundations for transformative work in health and research. This strategic leadership position involves overseeing operational excellence, governance, and fundraising while fostering a high-performing culture. The ideal candidate will have a strong track record in operational management and a passion for enhancing organizational effectiveness. Benefits include a generous pension scheme, hybrid working, and family-friendly policies.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Life assurance

Hybrid and agile working

Enhanced maternity and paternity leave

Wellbeing and development support

Qualifications

• Proven experience overseeing integrated operations across multiple functions.
• Strong commercial acumen and passion for mission-driven work.
• Track record of successful fundraising from diverse sources.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Operations Directorate and develop an organisational strategy.
• Drive operational excellence across key areas including finance and governance.
• Champion the use of technology and AI for business support systems.
• Create a thriving culture within the senior leadership team.
• Oversee risk compliance and business continuity.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Fundraising expertise

Governance and risk management

Operational excellence

Technology and AI optimization

Job description

Are you an exceptional operational leader who can turn strategic ambition into lasting impact? We're looking for a Chief Operating Officer to build the operational foundation that will enable us to deliver transformative work in health and research at a pivotal moment for medical sciences. Why this role matters The Academy of Medical Sciences is the UK's independent voice for biomedical and health research. We're at a turning point: we're putting prevention front and centre, accelerating innovation in the NHS, and shaping global standards for AI in healthcare. This newly created role sits at the heart of making it all happen—ensuring we have the operational excellence, systems and culture to deliver on our ambitions at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead our new Operations Directorate, developing and delivering a clear organisational strategy that meets the ambitions of our Council and Fellowship.
• Drive operational excellence across finance, fundraising, people and culture, governance, information management and property—bringing them together seamlessly.
• Own our income strategy, securing diverse funding from government, trusts, corporate partnerships and philanthropy to support our strategic priorities.
• Champion the use of technology and AI to optimise how we work, from data management to business support systems.
• Lead on governance, ensuring our Council, committees and processes run smoothly and support delivery.
• Create a culture where colleagues thrive, making the Academy a brilliant place to work as part of our senior leadership team.
• Oversee organisation‑wide risk, compliance and business continuity, protecting our reputation and financial stability.

Qualifications

A strategic leader with proven experience overseeing integrated operations across multiple functions, you will combine commercial acumen with a passion for mission‑driven work and balance financial sustainability with impact. You will have deep knowledge of governance and risk management, a track record of successful fundraising across diverse sources, and the ability to build inclusive, high‑performing cultures. Above all, you will thrive on making organisations work better and engage with people at all levels.

Benefits

We provide our staff with a comprehensive benefits package outlined as follows:

• Generous pension scheme with flexible contributions – we contribute between 8% and 13% of your gross salary (with employee contributions of 3%–8%)
• Life assurance at 3 times your annual salary
• Hybrid and agile working; 26 days' annual leave, plus Christmas closure days and bank holidays
• Family‑friendly policies including enhanced maternity and paternity leave (subject to a qualifying period) and coaching support for parents returning to work
• Wellbeing and development
• Support through tailored learning and development
• Additional benefits
• A range of enhanced benefits become available once you've completed your probation period.