Position Details
Applied Health Sciences, School of Health Sciences
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £36,636 to £46,049 with potential progression once in post to £48,822
Grade 7
Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to September 2028
Closing date: 7 th July 2026
Travel in the UK might be required for this role
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham
Background
Working on behalf of the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR) Research Support Service (RSS) , the role will provide expert industry advice to researchers nationwide who request support from RSS.
The NIHR RSS provides support and advice to researchers developing funding applications at all stages of the research pathway - from pre-application through to post-award support through collaboration with our clinical trials units (CTUs) and partners. Our service is delivered by eight ‘Hubs’, each a partnership of research groups, organisations and clinical trials units (CTUs) with expertise in applied health and care research. Some of these Hubs also host Specialist Centres for either social care or public health research, and there is also specialist support for industry research.
Role Summary
To act as the Industry Associate for the NIHR RSS Birmingham and Partners Hub, supporting the strategic interface between academic research and industry (particularly SMEs) in the health and life sciences sector. The post holder coordinates industry-related research support services, enhances research funding opportunities for SMEs, and brings insights from market analysis and industry policy to the broader RSS team, contributing actively at events and within professional networks.
Main Duties
- Serve as the main point of contact for all industry-focused project queries within RSS, responding independently and exercising judgment on daily unforeseen problems with limited guidance.
- Support ‘researchers’, particularly SME partners, by identifying and mapping SME funding opportunities across medicines, health tech, and med tech.
- Conduct market assessment research for projects and SME collaborators, including competitor analysis, gap analysis, regulatory landscapes, and potential market entry barriers in the life sciences sector.
- Translate researchers' briefs into actionable industry research support, gathering, synthesising, and presenting evidence to support funding applications (not developing applications, but assembling supporting materials and insights for the researcher).
- Work with senior RSS methodologists to provide an ‘industry lens’ across disciplines, deploying appropriate commercial terminology, references, and frameworks. Supporting Lead Methodologists in researcher meetings to take a brief, signpost and produce the industry actions.
- Attend and represent the RSS at industry conferences, networking events, and innovation forums, gathering and reporting insights and foresights, regarding the competitive landscape and evolving trends in health and life sciences.
- Research, analyse, and report on industry strategy, government policies, regulatory changes, and new standards, ensuring the RSS team remains informed and compliant.
- Prepare regular project and industry briefings for colleagues—including trend analysis, innovation updates, and horizon scanning—across target health sub-sectors.
- Liaise with external stakeholders such as regulatory authorities, standard-setting bodies, government agencies, and industry associations as required, representing RSS and projects with professionalism.
- Organise and contribute to cross-sector project management groups (e.g., advisory boards, interdisciplinary working groups) to foster collaborative innovation and operational effectiveness.
Develop best practice in industry engagement, contributing to process improvement and the SME service delivery output for RSS.
-
Provision of significant and high-level project management support. This may include some or all the following:
- developing project plans, identifying (as appropriate) key performance indicators and milestones
- reviewing and auditing progress on projects to identify and act on improvements to effectiveness, efficiency and delivery
- reporting on progress including the development of reporting mechanisms, writing reports (eg on project budgetary management), and presenting to appropriate meetings such as Project Board or to other key stakeholders
- providing executive support to Project Boards, work streams and working groups as required; setting agendas, collating and distributing papers and minutes and ensuring follow up action is taken
- Coordinate the organisation of conferences/ meetings/ workshops/ dissemination events if required.
- Develop communication material, which may include developing, for example, newsletters, briefings for stakeholders and/or content for the RSS website or other social media.
- Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
- Supports the University’s sustainability agenda through resource efficient working.
Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
-
Person Specification
- Experience of project management within research, with a clear track record of industry and health/life sciences sector engagement.
- Sound knowledge of UK health innovation funding structures, SME funding opportunities, and the regulatory environment.
- Demonstrable ability to synthesise large volumes of information on the Health & Life Sciences sector market and innovators, and to communicate findings in impactful written reports and presentations.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including concise communication, diplomacy, and ability to build effective relationships across academic and industry boundaries.
- High degree of personal responsibility, initiative, and professional discretion as an Industry Associate.
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience in a relevant discipline (health, life sciences, business analytics, project management).
- Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to produce and analyse information and data.
- Highly proficient IT skills, including the MS Office and website editing software. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship building and influencing skills with the ability to deal confidently with a range of internal and external stakeholders/contacts
- Excellent organisational and multi-tasking skills with a methodical approach to work and the ability to prioritise workloads in order to meet deadlines
- Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
Dimensions
Roles at this level will require a broad understanding and practical experience of an administrative or professional field which will be used to plan the running and development of services and/or lead shorter term projects or contribute to larger projects. You will work with information which needs interpretation and analysis; you will use your judgement to identify the best solution to differing problems and issues, offering recommendations for managing more complex situations. You are likely to be responsible for managing a team of staff, being accountable for recruiting and developing them and for managing performance. You may also need to liaise and/or co-ordinate activities across a number of different sections within the department or possibly with wider department or external bodies as appropriate.
Planning and organising
- plan the running and development of service(s), overseeing resources and inputting into resource planning as appropriate;
- develop, agree and implement standards for delivery for own area;
- manage a team of staff and review, develop and motivate them;
- plan relevant training and development;
- provide professional advice, guidance and support to others within and outside their immediate work area;
oversee resources and make recommendations about future resource requirements.
-
Problem solving and decision making
- review, develop and propose solutions for problems with (for example) staff, budgets, services and/or systems;
- deal effectively with unexpected issues, such as changing priorities;
- deal with sensitive people matters/issues;
provide specialist advice and recommendations to support decision–making of others.
-
Internal and external relationships
- understand their own and closely related working areas and how they contribute to the success of the University.
- understands how the University operates; actively seeks to share this knowledge with others.
- developing empathy with the academic endeavour.
- influence decision makers and win support for proposals;
- develop excellent working relationships within and outside of own area and potentially with external stakeholders;
co-ordinate activities across several areas.
-
Pre-employment DBS
The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.
CMH ONLY - Further particulars can be found here
Informal enquiries to Lindsey Cooke, email: [email protected]
View our staff values and behaviours here
Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .
