Job Purpose

Science underpins the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) business, and growing our business is essential to unlocking its value and supporting future commercial success. This is an outstanding opportunity to lead in the Engineering Biology (EngBio) field, where you can make a real difference by promoting growth and strategic focus for a world-class organization.

Job Role

Work alongside the Commercial Director and the Commercial and Contract Management team to promote growth and value, initially focusing on the Engineering Biology (EngBio) sector. Lead engagement with interested parties, build credible consortia, manage and attend relevant events, and develop and submit high-quality, strategically aligned, and competitive funding proposals. This role is vital to the effective rollout of our business development strategy.

Key Responsibilities: 

Collaborator Engagement & Relationship Management

• Map and actively manage relationships across academia, industry, government, and regulators
• Act as a central coordination point for EngBio partners and collaborators (EngBio network)
• Support the development of new strategic partnerships aligned with national priorities
• Support engagement with funders (e.g., UKRI, DSIT, Innovate UK, EU).

Consortia Building & Partnership Development

• Find opportunities and bring together multidisciplinary consortia for funding calls that align with NML’s strategic goals and main research priorities, especially within the Engineering Biology field
• Facilitate alignment of technical and commercial components through coordination of inputs from internal teams and external partners
• Maintain a pipeline of partnership-led opportunities.

Proposal Development & Funding

• Take charge of drafting and coordinating top-tier proposals (UKRI, DSIT, OGDs, NIHR, EU or similar)
• Translate technical concepts into compelling, fundable narratives
• Manage timelines, inputs, and compliance requirements
• Support costing, partner contributions, and submission processes
• Track funding opportunities and agreed performance indicators.

Events, Visibility & Engagement

• Plan, join, and coordinate EngBio events, workshops, and collaborator meetings (EngBio network), in line with financial constraints
• Support preparation of panel discussions, conferences, strategic discussions, and government feedback
• Ensure strong differentiation and external visibility of NML in the EngBio field
• Capture, communicate, and proactively follow up opportunities arising from events.

Portfolio & Opportunity Management

• Maintain a structured pipeline of high-quality opportunities, assessed against strategic fit, partner strength, technical credibility, funding potential, and likely impact
• Provide regular reporting on activity, conversion, and impact
• Support strategic prioritization and decision-making.

Post Award

• Support Head of Contracts in negotiation of contractual terms (e.g., Grant Agreements, Consortium Agreements)
• Lead post-award compliance and reporting activities to ensure adherence to award Terms and Conditions – including cost eligibility, reporting, and audit.
• Success Measures
• Quality of consortia formed and number of strategically-aligned proposals developed
• Proposal success rate and funding secured
• Growth in strategic partnerships and collaborator network
• Long-term value of partnerships established
• Contribution to NML’s visibility, influence, and funded portfolio, especially in EngBio.
• Working Style
• Highly cooperative, collaborating across NML teams and external partners
• Proactive, problem-solver, and driven by new possibilities
• Judgement-led and selective, with the ability to distinguish high-value strategic opportunities from low-fit or transactional leads
• Structured, delivery-focused, and comfortable operating within a fast paced environment.