Director of Preventative Health & Care Innovation

Interview date: Wednesday 11 February 2026

Guidance for International Applicants

Shape the future of preventative health innovation

The University of Bath is embarking on a transformative initiative in preventative health and care innovation. We are seeking a leader with exceptional interpersonal skills and cross-sector experience to shape and drive this new strategic priority in a role that represents a significant step-change in our ambition to enhance civic impact and contribute meaningfully to national health and care priorities. This is a unique moment. The UK Government's Life Sciences Vision and the NHS 10-year plan emphasise a profound shift towards preventative care, moving from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and treatment to prevention. The University of Bath is uniquely positioned to lead in this space. Without a medical school, we have the freedom to explore and enable health and care in new ways, drawing on our breadth of expertise across public health, sport and exercise science, psychology, life sciences, engineering and management.

As our inaugural Director of Preventative Health & Care Innovation, you will be a catalyst and pathfinder. Your mandate is to forge strategic connections between our world-class academic researchers and external partners including NHS Trusts, Integrated Care Systems, local authorities, and health and care companies operating in a range of sectors. You will translate academic excellence into practice-based solutions that address real-world challenges and make a positive impact.

This role demands more than technical expertise. We need a proven innovation practitioner who understands value propositions and can identify market opportunities where partners recognise the commercial and social value of collaboration. You will secure commercially viable partnerships, generate sustainable income streams, and match institutional capabilities with partner needs. Success will be tangible: establishing multiple significant contractual collaborations and demonstrating substantial growth in external income over the two-year period.

 Your role will be varied, involving:

• Leading strategic health innovation collaborations across NHS, local government, and commercial sectors
• Identifying and securing funding from NHS innovation sources, NIHR, Innovate UK, and other mechanisms
• Translating academic research into practice-based pilots and real-world solutions
• Building and leading a team of innovation practitioners to expand institutional capability
• Representing the University in national forums and regional health strategy discussions
• Developing new impact pathways and income sources including contract research, CPD, and consultancy
• Overseeing our inaugural strategic partnership with Bath, Swindon, Wiltshire Hospitals, serving as a blueprint for future partnerships

 About you:

• Proven experience in preventative health, public health systems and/or social care transformation
• Strong track record in service innovation and knowledge translation into practice
• Evidence of securing partnerships and understanding commercial viability in health and care contexts
• Excellent leadership and team-building skills, with the ability to inspire and galvanise academics
• Outstanding stakeholder management across academics, health systems, and commercial environments
• Experience in securing funding and delivering innovation projects that generate measurable impact
• Ability to translate between the different languages of academia, health systems, and business
• Understanding of NHS commissioning, integrated care systems, and community care delivery

Experience as a clinician or in health and care companies is highly desirable, bringing practical credibility and insight into how solutions are developed and commercialised.

Further information:

The role is based at the University of Bath with hybrid working options. Some travel will be required to engage with partners and stakeholders across the region and nationally.

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