Open for hire at one of the following locations –  London. - Job ID: 6697 

Become a member of the BioNTech Family!
 

 As part of our team of more than 5,000 pioneers, you'll play a central role in solving some of the greatest scientific challenges of our time. In less than a year, we were able to develop our COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to the highest scientific and ethical standards – by far the fastest vaccine development in the history of medicine. We believe our biggest impact is yet to come. BioNTech is investing heavily in its pipeline of cutting-edge treatments for cancer and infectious diseases. The goal is to try to turn many currently incurable cancers into treatable conditions, and prevent deaths from diseases that need not be fatal.

Guided by our three corporate values: innovation, passion and cohesion, we have set audacious goals to accelerate and increase access to our groundbreaking clinical trials for patients in the NHS, with a headline aim of treating 10,000 NHS patients with personalised cancer immunotherapies by 2030. To achieve this, we signed a landmark partnership with the UK Government, NHS England and Genomics England in July 2023 to mobilize the unique span and capabilities of the NHS, the genomics infrastructure, the forward-thinking regulator and the world-class life sciences sector. Our partnership with the UK will encompass numerous clinical trials across many different cancers, from phase 1 through to registrational.

To be successful, BioNTech needs to build brand new delivery structures and ways of operating in the UK, in concert with existing global teams. This role will be part of a small, UK-based team that will need to move rapidly and operate on many different levels at once: working with operational teams and NHS trusts to deliver our ambitious clinical trial plans right away; working with NHS England and Government to build future structures to improve recruitment, such as the NHS Cancer Vaccines Launchpad (CVLP), unified contracting for clinical trials, and a shared genomics pathway; designing and agreeing long-term strategic partnerships with hospitals and other important stakeholders; and designing, implementing and continually improving our UK strategy, governance and operating model.

Associate Director*, UK Partnership Delivery (Hospital Partnerships) 

This role will focus in particular on designing, agreeing and implementing clinical trial partnerships with individual NHS trusts, which will be a crucial part of our UK operating model.

As well as world-class operational delivery capabilities, this role will require flexibility, proactivity, creativity and, crucially, an ability to engage, lead and influence across team, functional and organizational boundaries. It is safe to say there will be scope to shape our strategy and ways of working, and indeed to further shape the role itself as our exciting UK work progresses. If you also want to contribute to giving hope for a healthy future to many people, then we should get to know each other!

Your main responsibilities are:

• Programme manage our work to design, draft and negotiate clinical trial partnerships with 15+ NHS trusts in England, following through on the detailed recommendations from an externally-commissioned report. This will include: identifying and agreeing the scope of the partnerships; working with legal and other internal BioNTech teams to draft the agreements; and leading and project managing the engagement with sites, ensuring it remains focussed at all times on the bigger picture of the exciting clinical and scientific work we will do together.

• Manage delivery of the partnerships, acting as the key point of contact externally for sites and internally within BioNTech to ensure that we meet our partnership goals and maximise benefits to both parties. This will include monitoring and tracking trial delivery, leveraging relationships and our agreements to ensure there is accountability for performance; proactively identifying issues that need to be resolved and also opportunities for improvements and sharing of best practice; ensuring there is regular, positive clinical and scientific engagement and achievements are recognised; and ensuring that partnership agreements link into BioNTech’s clinical trial processes as intended.

• Build close relationships with global BioNTech teams, including relevant clinical trial teams and legal, regulatory and quality assurance teams, to ensure that they have sufficient awareness of the role of our UK trials network how it can enhance execution of global trials, and any additional requirements it generates, while being sensitive to the multiple demands on their time. This will include coordinating regular meetings as needed.

As this is a fast-moving programme, requirements of the role may shift or expand at the discretion of the line manager to cover other delivery programmes that are key to the success of our BioNTech’s UK clinical trials partnerships. This could include, for example, work to develop the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launchpad; or unified contract and budget negotiation.

What you have to offer:

This role carries significant responsibility and also the opportunity to shape and lead our unique UK partnership as it develops. As such, your attributes and mindset (demonstrated by the outcomes you have achieved and how you have achieved them) matter as much for this role as your specific experience.

Essential:

• Engaging, leading and influencing across team, functional and organizational boundaries, demonstrating leadership to improve performance and achieve specific objectives.
• Creative problem solving and a demonstrable record of creating new strategies, structures and operational solutions for others to follow. Candidates should be able to evidence how they have grown/transformed a service or initiative to solve a specific challenge.
• Willingness to challenge the status quo / traditional approaches.
• Operating with a start-up mindset and dealing with ambiguity. This is a first of a kind programme and we are building in-flight – flexibility coupled with a relentless focus on outcomes will be essential.
• Project management and effective prioritization in managing multiple competing priorities
• Experience of partnership working (i.e. working to deliver projects or achieve outcomes in close partnerships across organisational boundaries).
• Senior level experience of operational delivery of clinical trials and/or clinical services or service improvements within the NHS, with substantial responsibility for outcomes and resources.
• Commercial experience in the negotiation, agreement and management of service delivery contracts or partnership agreements, ideally within an NHS setting.

Desirable (but not pre-requisites for this role):

• Track record of working in or in partnership with NHS organisations, with evidence of outcomes achieved. Experience of engagement and close working with senior NHS clinicians would be an additional advantage.
• Track record of delivering clinical trials in a commercial or academic sponsor, CRO or site, with evidence of outcomes achieved.
• Natural/ life sciences or medical background (university degree and/or experience in a healthcare profession)

Location: you will be based in the UK (working remotely), with regular travel to the London office and semi-regular travel to UK clinical trial/ CVLP sites. You may have to travel to Mainz intermittently to visit global teams (all travel and expenses will be reimbursed).

Benefits for you

BioNTech is committed to the wellbeing of our team members and offers a variety of benefits in support of our diverse employee base. We offer competitive remuneration packages which is determined by the specific role, location of employment and also the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

Click here to find out more about what we do, the careers we offer and also the benefits we provide.
Note: The availability, eligibility and design of the listed benefits may vary depending on the location. The final requirements for the individual use of our benefits are based on the company's internal policies and applicable law.

Have we kindled your pioneering spirit? 

This vacancy is to be hired at one of the following locations – London. Apply now for your preferred job and location through our careers site.

*BioNTech does not differentiate on the basis of race, colour, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex (including gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Most important – it’s a match!