Head of Centre Operations

About the role

The King’s Health Partners (KHP) Centre for Translational Medicine (CTM) is a strategic initiative to enhance translational research capabilities across the partnership, support innovation and accelerate better, more equitable outcomes for patients and communities served by KHP and beyond. The CTM is jointly funded by the King’s College London, Guys and St Thomas’s NHS foundation trust and Guy’s and St Thomas’s Charity.

The Head of Centre Operations for the King’s Health Partners (KHP) Centre for Translational Medicine (CTM) plays a pivotal role in driving the Centre’s mission to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into improved patient outcomes. Providing both operational and strategic leadership in a complex multi-partner environment, the postholder ensures the smooth, efficient, and forward looking management of all day-to-day activities. This role works across King’s College London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and wider KHP partners to support translational research infrastructure and integration across partners.

Working closely with the Centre Director, Prof. Phil Newsome, the Head of Centre Operations is responsible for overseeing programme delivery, managing operational frameworks, reporting to funders and stakeholders, and enabling a coherent approach to translational research development. This includes coordinating research initiatives, supporting the set up and management of flagship programmes, and ensuring that emerging opportunities—particularly in personalised healthcare, experimental medicine, and industry collaboration—are effectively scoped, communicated, and operationalised.

A central function of the role is relationship management. The postholder acts as a key liaison between academic teams, clinical services, funders such as Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity, and external research partners. By fostering seamless communication and collaboration, the postholder enables the Centre to maximise its impact and maintain alignment with strategic priorities across the partnership.

This is a full time (35 hours per week) role, and you will be offered a fixed term contract until 30th September 2027.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Hold a minimum Level 6 qualification (or equivalent) and substantial experience leading complex, multi-institutional programmes; ideally complemented by advanced study or professional development in research management or health systems
2. Proven track record of designing and scaling operating models, brokering institutional agreements, and embedding governance frameworks to deliver shared objectives across universities and NHS partners
3. Proven financial management and analytical skills to underpin strategic financial decisions and procedures
4. Experience in monitoring and completing complex projects and demonstrating ability to deliver and problem solve
5. Executive-level communication and influence skills, including negotiation, board reporting, and stakeholder engagement across senior academic, clinical, and professional audiences
6. Experience in leading the operations of large scale research bids, including with multiple internal and external partners
7. Evidence-based decision-making and insight generation, including interpreting complex data and presenting strategic narrative impact to diverse audiences
8. High autonomy and accountability, with ability to prioritise under ambiguity, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach and attitude

Desirable criteria

1. Postgraduate qualification (Master’s or Doctorate) in a relevant field such as translational research, health systems, or strategic management
2. Design and commissioning of capacity-building portfolios, with quality assurance, outcomes evaluation, and scaling across partner organisations
3. Ownership of institutional engagement strategies, including reputation management, audience segmentation, KPIs, and crisis/issue response

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