Life Science Key Account Manager

Freeman Hospital

Carthage (MO)

On-site

USD 81,000 - 107,000

Full time

21 hours ago

Be an early applicant

Application generator

Turn this role into an interview — a resume and cover letter built around what this employer wants.

Get past ATS filters

Benefits offered by this job

Staff Benefits

Flexible working options

Job summary

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust seeks a Life Science Key Account Manager to act as the primary conduit for commercial partners, translating pipelines into actionable research plans and enabling delivery of high-impact clinical research across the UK.

The role requires senior stakeholder management within a national portfolio, with travel and a focus on One NIHR collaboration across the NHS and industry partners.

Qualifications

Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
Significant experience or knowledge in research and development (R&D), science or healthcare
Significant specialist knowledge of the NHS, R&D systems and the life sciences context

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary strategic lead for commercial partners, acting as their gateway to NIHR infrastructure.
Translate complex pipeline needs into actionable research plans and leverage business intelligence to drive growth.
Develop and manage relationships with Life Sciences companies and NIHR stakeholders to attract and grow clinical research delivery in the UK.
Travel nationally and internationally as required to manage key accounts and partnerships.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Project management

Deadline management

IT skills

Education

Masters level qualification

Tools

R&D databases

Job description

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

Employer heading

Life Science Key Account Manager

Band 8b

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion.

With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country.

As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team.

Job Overview

Join the NIHR in a pivotal senior leadership role designed to be the primary conduit for commercial partners. As a Life Science Key Account Manager, you will act as a single point of access for industry leaders, helping them explore their pipelines, plan effectively, and facilitate the delivery of high-impact clinical research across the UK. Hosted by the NIHR Research Delivery Network, you will bridge the gap between life sciences companies and the wider clinical research ecosystem, ensuring the UK remains a premier destination for commercial trial delivery.

We are looking for a visionary leader with deep specialist knowledge of the NHS and R&D systems. You should have a proven track record of managing senior stakeholder relationships and the ability to navigate complex matrix management structures. Success in this role requires a blend of strategic thinking, robust analytical skills, and the ability to inspire a national research delivery workforce to perform to the highest standards.

Interview Date Thursday 15 October 2026
37 Hours 30 Minutes/Week

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Main duties of the job

As a Life Science Key Account Manager, you will serve as the primary strategic lead for our commercial partners, acting as their single gateway to the NIHR’s extensive research infrastructure. Your day-to-day will involve translating complex pipeline needs into actionable research plans, leveraging business intelligence to drive commercial growth, and troubleshooting performance across the national portfolio. Success in this role demands a unique combination of commercial acumen, expert negotiation skills, and strategic stakeholder management. We are looking for an adaptive, visionary leader who can navigate complex matrix structures while championing an inclusive, "One NIHR" culture to ensure we deliver high-impact research for the benefit of the UK.

Working for our organisation

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from:

Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
Freeman Hospital
Newcastle Dental Hospital
Cramlington Manor Walks
Urgent treatment centres
Newcastle Fertility Centre
Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

At the NIHR, your work directly contributes to the health of the nation and the strength of the economy. You will be part of a collaborative culture that values equality, diversity, and continuous improvement. This role offers the unique opportunity to represent the UK on an international stage, involving national and international travel, while forming part of a national portfolio management function that shapes the future of healthcare. Join us to be at the forefront of clinical research innovation and make a tangible impact on patient care.

We would encourage all applicants to contact us by phone or email to discuss any queries they have about the role, job description, the application, flexible working options and shortlisting process or any other queries they have related to the role or working for the NIHR RDN.

The NIHR and DHSC vision is for this role being a single conduit for key commercial partners to explore their pipeline, plan, place and facilitate effective delivery of their studies.

The Life Science Key Account Manager, as a senior manager in the NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN), will work as part of a national NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) Industry facing team to develop and manage relationships with Life Sciences companies, and the NIHR wider stakeholders within the clinical research environment including non-commercial funders and other parts of the research ecosystem to attract and grow clinical research delivery in the UK. The Life Sciences Key Account Manager will work as part of a national portfolio management function coordinated by the NIHR Life Sciences Director through the NIHR Industry Hub.

Hosted by RDN, this role will work closely with Industry facing teams across the NIHR to ensure equality and consistency of service for all customers, nationally and regionally. Using horizon scanning data, business intelligence and NIHR expertise and relationships, the postholder will provide a tailored service to key accounts as a single conduit, representing the NIHR nationally. The post holder will promote NIHR services, ensuring that key themes and opportunities are communicated into the NIHR. The postholder will work closely with other key industry facing teams , External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships and the Department of Business and Trade to explore opportunities and enable access to NIHR infrastructure.

The postholder will support the marketing of NIHR services to Industry and contribute to the shaping of new projects and services that meet the needs of Life Sciences customers. The postholder will proactively develop a profile across the research infrastructure and work collaboratively with individuals and groups both internally, and with external stakeholders in a host of settings. The postholder will contribute to the positioning of the UK within the global programmes.

The post holder will be line managed by the RRDN Strategic Development Director but will operate within a dual reporting structure supported by a matrix management framework, with the NIHR Life Sciences Industry Director as Matrix Manager to ensure alignment of the role to the work of the NIHR Industry Hub. As part of the same matrix management framework, the postholder will provide line management of the Industry Manager in partnership with the NIHR Industry Hub Director of Operations as Matrix Manager. Together this team will support a culture of one NIHR to deliver the life science strategy as a whole.

This role requires national travel and international travel.

Person specification

Education And Qualifications

Essential criteria

Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
Significant experience or knowledge in research and development (R&D), science or healthcare
Significant specialist knowledge of the NHS, R&D systems and the context of the importance of the life sciences in this context

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of owning and writing complex business cases
Broad knowledge and experience of utilising information technology to provide management information reports, particularly financial and activity reporting
Experience at dealing with very senior people both internally and externally e.g operational management
Proven experience of working successfully as part of diffused leadership teams
Proven staff management experience with the ability to gain their support, motivate and develop them
Experience of managing a customer-focused service
Experience of working in healthcare in an operational management or business management or development capacity
Experience of working with the life sciences sector or working within R&D within the NHS/academic sector
Ability to negotiate commercial contracts and non-commercial agreements with the commercial sector, the public sector, universities and charities
Professional leadership at an operational level
Experience at project management, with a good understanding of the complexities involved
An understanding of business and marketing principles

Desirable criteria

Research management and administration including governance, sponsorship, costings, contracts, finance and clinical trial agreements
Appreciation of clinical research methodologies and trials organisation
Advanced experience of using R&D databases
Experience of working in the private healthcare sector and International business experience
Senior level experience of managing R&D activity in the health and social care/university sector
Demonstration of strategic thinking and strategy development
Experience of design management and delivery of completed research projects in the health, social care or university sector

Skills And Abilities

Essential criteria

Robust leadership skills
Ability to exercise initiative
Excellent organisational skills
Team building and staff training skill
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills
Ability to operate at all levels throughout an organisation
Evidence of strong analytical skills and high level of numeracy
Ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure
Experience of managing a wide range of complex duties
Good IT skills, particularly in use of Web applications, Google Workspace applications and MS Office applications and with respect to research databases
Ability to prepare and deliver presentations to a high standard
Ability to plan, manage and deliver projects and activities, involving multiple agencies and individuals to tight deadlines
Ability to manage challenging and stressful situations
Strong problem-solving skills

Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay.

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e‑mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download