Director of the Office for Life Sciences

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government department seeks a Director for the Office for Life Sciences to lead strategic initiatives in the life sciences sector. The role requires effective collaboration across departments and partnerships with industry to drive innovation and investment. The ideal candidate will possess a strong strategic vision and a track record in nurturing multidisciplinary teams. While experience with the NHS is advantageous, it is not essential. The position involves high-level responsibilities and the opportunity to impact the future of health and science in the UK.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to set a strategic direction for a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to engage with senior leaders in the life sciences sector.
• Experience working in or with the NHS is beneficial.
• Strong credibility as a government leader championing UK life sciences innovation and investment.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for the UK life sciences sector.
• Oversee the implementation of the Life Sciences Sector Plan.
• Lead a trilateral unit across DSIT, DHSC and DBT.
• Promote the UK as a destination for life sciences innovation.
• Lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team.
• Make a wider contribution to the leadership of at least one host department.

Skills

Strategic Leadership

Collaborative Influence

Innovation and Foresight

Decisive and Inclusive Leadership

Decisive and inclusive leadership

Job description

Location: London, Manchester and Birmingham

Job summary

The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is a trilateral unit working across the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and, since July 2025, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). It plays a central role in delivering the UK Government’s ambition to be a global leader in life sciences, one of the eight priority Industrial Strategy sectors—driving economic growth, improving health outcomes, and ensuring the UK remains at the forefront of scientific innovation. OLS works at the intersection of health, science, and industry, shaping policy and delivery. This is being readvertised as a result of unforeseen changes in the availability of the original appointee.

As Director of OLS, you will lead the cross-government delivery of the recently published Life Sciences Sector Plan, part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. You will also have responsibilities stemming from the innovation aspects of the recently published 10 Year Health Plan. This is a delivery-focused role at the heart of government, translating strategic commitments into real-world impact—accelerating innovation into the NHS, unlocking investment, driving the reform of regulation, and supporting the UK’s thriving life sciences ecosystem.

Working closely with the Executive Chair for the Office for Life Sciences who will lead on international and media engagement, you will be responsible for ensuring the UK is on track to be the third most important life sciences economy globally by 2035. The role requires a strategic, collaborative, and delivery-minded leader who can navigate complexity, build coalitions, and maintain momentum in a fast-moving and high-profile environment. You will need to broker strong partnerships with a wide range of pharma and med tech companies, as well as securing significant high-value manufacturing and R&D investments into the UK. You will also need to be a close partner with NHS colleagues and across the wider health system.

To ensure OLS can make the most of being a trilateral unit, it has one set of objectives agreed by the three Director-Generals working with the Executive Chair. Monthly governance meetings are opportunities to review progress against those objectives and identify any areas where further support is needed from the departments, Exec Chair or DGs. The DG for DSIT provides line management support, working closely with the other DGs.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Set the strategic direction for the UK life sciences sector, ensuring alignment with government priorities on economic growth, health innovation, and science and technology.
• Policy Implementation: Oversee the implementation of the Life Sciences Sector Plan, both the 11 commitments for which you are personally responsible and delivering through others.
• Cross-Government Coordination: Lead a trilateral unit across DSIT, DHSC and DBT working closely with partners across Government and in the NHS, ensuring that you are making the most of being in all three departments and are truly a trilateral organisation.
• Industry Engagement: Act as a senior interface with global and UK-based life sciences companies, investors, and trade associations to promote the UK as a leading destination for life sciences innovation and investment.
• Team Leadership: Lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary team, fostering a culture of inclusion, innovation, and excellence.
• Corporate contribution: Make a wider contribution to the leadership of at least one of the host departments.

Person specification

• Strategic Vision and Leadership under Scrutiny: Demonstrated ability to set a compelling strategic direction for a multidisciplinary team, providing clarity, motivation, and support to deliver shared objectives in a complex and evolving political and policy environment.
• Innovation and Foresight: Ability to assess and respond to emerging scientific, technological, and regulatory developments in the life sciences sector, and to translate these into strategic opportunities for the UK.
• Collaborative Influence: A strong track record of building effective partnerships across government departments, the NHS, regulators, academia, and industry—demonstrating an understanding of the interconnected nature of health, science, and economic policy.
• External credibility: Ability to engage confidently and constructively with senior leaders in the life sciences sector, earning trust and credibility as a representative of government and a champion for UK innovation and investment.
• Decisive and Inclusive Leadership: Capacity to make bold, strategic decisions—sometimes in the face of competing interests—while fostering a culture of creativity, inclusivity, and openness to diverse perspectives.

Experience working in or with the NHS, health innovation systems, biomedical research, or the international life sciences industry is beneficial but is not essential for the role.