Director of Innovation Development (Hiring Immediately)

The Role The Director of Innovation Development is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping how innovation need is identified, prioritised, developed and assured across UCLPartners. Operating horizontally across invention and other directorates , the postholder will lead a set of core cross-unit capabilities that ensure UCLPartners’ work is strategically aligned to system need, underpinned by robust processes, measurable in its impact, and supported by sustainable grant funding. The role will oversee four core areas, each delivered through specialist leads or principals within delivery teams. The Director will set direction, define methods, establish cadence and provide assurance enabling delivery units to operate at pace while maintaining consistency, quality and strategic coherence across the organisation. This role requires strong leadership, strategic clarity and operational discipline, with credibility across NHS providers, academia, funders and regional stakeholders. Key responsibilities Demand Signalling and Innovation Strategy Own and evolve UCLPartners demand-signalling approach, defining how innovation needs are identified, articulated and prioritised across invention and other directorates. This will require collaborative working with existing leadership, teams and capabilities within the organisation. Design and deliver a clear, repeatable demand-signalling method and cadence, supporting consistent application across delivery teams. Design and run frameworks for demand signaling, prioritisation and selection, ensuring focus on the highest-value opportunities. Lead an annual cross-UCLPartners demand-signalling event, engaging NHS partner leadership teams and senior system leaders, producing a clear written output to inform organisational priorities. Support delivery teams to apply demand-signalling approaches for individual programmes and initiatives, ensuring alignment with system need and organisational strategy. Cross-Pipeline Capabilities and Processes Support the develop ment and continuous improvement of cross-pipeline capabilities and processes (e.g. ideation assessment/ prioritisation, prototyping, testing, solution sourcing, market-readiness assessment, progression criteria). Ensure these processes are robust, class-leading and kept up to date, drawing on best practice and system learning. Work with teams across UCLPartners’ to establish close partnership working with NHS partners. Supporting UCLPartners’ teams in collecting data from NHS partners around core capabilities and processes, and to develop innovation units within NHS partners with standardised, streamlined processes to support innovators. Work closely with leadership across delivery units to embed consistent approaches while allowing appropriate local flexibility. Partner with the Director of Education to ensure these capabilities are embedded into staff development, training and organisational learning. Performance Measurement, Reporting and Assurance Own the development of cross-delivery unit performance frameworks, ensuring clear KPIs and outcome measures are defined and consistently applied. Oversee portfolio tracking, performance reporting and corrective action where progress is off track. Oversee the production of performance reporting for the CEO and Board, providing insight into progress, impact and areas of risk. Ensure appropriate national commissioner reporting and regional assurance requirements are met across invention and other directorates. Use performance insight to support organisational learning, improvement and strategic decision-making. Grant Fundraising and Funding Alignment Lead grant fundraising strategy across directorates with a focus on: invention and commercialisation grants (e.g. UKRI), and adoption and evaluation grants (e.g. SBRI). Coordinate bids and submissions with delivery teams, providing strategic oversight, prioritisation and quality assurance. Work with colleagues to align grant funding with pipeline priorities and delivery capacity. Ensure clarity of distinction between grant-funded activity and competitive commissioned work, which will typically be led by delivery teams. Stakeholder Engagement & External Representation Build and maintain strong relationships with NHS Trust innovation leads, academic partners, industry and investors. Enable effective collaboration, joint working and knowledge exchange across the innovation ecosystem. Leadership and Ways of Working Provide clear, visible leadership for cross-cutting innovation development functions. Build, lead and develop a high-performing multidisciplinary team Lead and support a team delivering the four core areas, setting expectations and enabling high performance. Work collaboratively with delivery function directors to support coherence without duplication or overreach. Promote inclusive, collaborative and values-led ways of working across UCLPartners. Promote high standards, accountability and continuous professional development. Exercise judgement in complex, ambiguous situations involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. You Qualifications Educated to postgraduate level or equivalent senior professional experience in a relevant field such as healthcare, research, innovation, public policy, business or a related discipline. Professional qualification or leadership training in innovation, strategy, management or organisational leadership or equivalent senior professional experience. Experience Significant senior leadership experience within healthcare, research, innovation or related sectors. Demonstrable experience shaping and delivering strategic programmes or organisational initiatives involving multiple stakeholders. Experience developing and implementing frameworks, processes or systems that support innovation or programme development. Experience working collaboratively with senior leaders across organisations, including NHS providers, academic institutions and other partners. Experience developing and overseeing complex programmes or portfolios with multiple workstreams and stakeholders. Experience working in innovation development, translational research or health system improvement. Experience working across NHS, academic and industry partnerships. Experience overseeing funding programmes or supporting grant development activity. Experience representing an organisation externally within innovation or research ecosystems. Knowledge Strong understanding of the health and care system and the challenges facing the NHS. Understanding of how innovation can support system improvement, service transformation and improved patient outcomes. Knowledge of innovation development processes, including identification of need, solution development, testing and implementation. Understanding of programme governance, performance management and organisational assurance processes. Knowledge of the UK research and innovation funding landscape. Understanding of adoption pathways and evaluation approaches within healthcare. Familiarity with national policy and strategy relating to health innovation and data-enabled research. Skills & Competencies Strong strategic leadership skills with the ability to set direction and align teams around shared priorities. Ability to design and implement organisational frameworks, processes and governance mechanisms. Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the ability to build trusted relationships with senior leaders across organisations. Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences. Ability to analyse complex information and translate insight into strategic action. Strong organisational leadership skills, including the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and foster collaborative working. Experience developing and leading organisational performance frameworks. Experience coordinating complex funding bids or supporting grant development processes. Experience working across innovation ecosystems involving academia, NHS and industry partners. Personal Attributes Strategic and systems thinker with the ability to see connections across programmes, organisations and priorities. Credible and confident leader able to influence senior stakeholders across the health and innovation ecosystem. Collaborative and inclusive leadership style, fostering partnership working and shared ownership. Comfortable working in complex and evolving environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. Strong judgement and decision-making capability in situations of uncertainty or ambiguity. Commitment to improving health and care outcomes through innovation. Entrepreneurial mindset with interest in developing new programmes and partnerships. Enthusiasm for building organisational capability and supporting the development of others. Terms and Conditions Job details The Director of Innovation Development will report to the Chief Research Officer with a secondary reporting line to the Chief Executive Officer. The role is a full-time permanent position, with a 37.5-hour work week. The remuneration for this post is competitive. We offer flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working at UCLPartners. All staff will typically spend a minimum of 40% of their working time at the UCLPartners office i.e. for a minimum of 2 days/week if full-time or 40% of your working time for part-time staff. This can be averaged over a 3-month period. As part of our benefits package, employees are entitled to 27 days of annual leave (plus bank holidays), company pension (employer contribution 10% of annual salary), life assurance coverage, cycle to work scheme and flexible working. If you require this information in a different format, please let us know by emailing [email protected] Diversity and Inclusion We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We aim for our workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve; for those w