The posting
At Our Future Health, we're working to transform the prevention, detection and treatment of disease by building the UK's largest ever health research programme. Our ambition is to recruit five million volunteers, creating a world-leading resource that enables researchers to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat disease.
Delivering a programme of this scale requires more than recruiting participants. Behind every appointment is a complex network of clinical services, logistics, laboratories and sample storage facilities that must work together reliably, efficiently and at scale.
We're looking for an experienced Director of Clinical Network & Supply Chain Integration to bring these services together into a coherent, resilient and scalable national model.
This is a senior, hands-on assignment for someone who can quickly get to grips with a complex operational environment, identify what needs to change and take practical steps to make it happen.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Develop an end-to-end view of the clinical and sample pathway from participant appointment and phlebotomy through sample transport, laboratory processing and storage.
- Translate agreed participant recruitment targets, geographic plans and demographic requirements into forecasts of clinical and sample-processing demand.
- Map existing phlebotomy, logistics, laboratory and storage capacity against forecast recruitment demand by geography and over time.
- Identify current and future capacity gaps, operational dependencies, bottlenecks and single points of failure.
- Develop an integrated UK-wide clinical network model capable of supporting recruitment across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and across urban and rural communities.
- Ensure the network design supports OFH’s objective of recruiting a cohort that reflects the diversity of the UK population.
- Review existing supplier arrangements, contractual commitments, contract expiry dates, capacity and service performance across the pathway.
- Work closely with Commercial/Procurement colleagues to translate future operational requirements into appropriate contracting and procurement strategies.
- Develop recommendations for the future supplier model, including opportunities to improve resilience, flexibility, scalability, performance and value for money.
- Support the transition, procurement and mobilisation of new or extended supplier arrangements required to maintain continuity of the participant and sample pathway.
- Develop scenario and contingency plans to respond to changes in recruitment volumes, geographic priorities or supplier capacity.
- Establish integrated demand-and-capacity planning processes, KPIs, governance and reporting across the end-to-end pathway.
- Working directly to the Chief Health Officer, work across Participant Recruitment Operations, Commercial/Procurement, Finance, PMO and other relevant functions so that recruitment demand, clinical service capacity and the end-to-end sample supply chain are planned as an integrated system.
- Work in close partnership with the Executive Director, Participant Recruitment Operations, using agreed recruitment targets, geographic priorities and diversity requirements as demand inputs while maintaining clear accountability between the two roles.
- Provide clear recommendations to the Executive Team on network design, supplier strategy, capacity, investment requirements, risks and key decisions.
By the end of the assignment, you'll have:
- Established a comprehensive understanding of our existing clinical and sample supply chain, including its capacity, costs, commercial arrangements and risks.
- Built an integrated UK-wide demand and capacity model, identifying immediate and future requirements across the participant sample pathway.
- Developed a recommended 2–3 year clinical network and supply-chain model that supports our recruitment ambitions, geographic coverage and diversity objectives.
- Defined clear commercial and supplier requirements to inform procurement, contracting and investment decisions.
- Created and progressed a prioritised mobilisation roadmap, addressing immediate risks alongside longer-term network development.
- Established an enduring approach to demand planning, performance management and governance that can be transitioned into our ongoing operations.
Requirements
- Significant senior leadership experience in healthcare, clinical services, diagnostics, laboratories, life sciences or a similarly complex operational or supply-chain environment.
- A strong track record of designing, integrating or transforming large-scale, multi-supplier service networks.
- Substantial experience in demand forecasting, capacity planning and operational network design, ideally across multiple geographic locations.
- Strong commercial and procurement expertise, including supplier strategy, contracting requirements, supplier management and mobilisation.
- The ability to work confidently with operational, financial, geographic and performance data, developing robust analysis and translating findings into clear, actionable decisions.
- Proven experience leading complex change and implementation, with the ability to navigate competing priorities and deliver results across organisational boundaries.
- Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and communication skills, including the confidence to advise and challenge executive-level colleagues.
- The ability to establish credibility quickly, work independently and maintain pace in a complex, evolving environment.
It would be particularly valuable if you also have:
- Experience of phlebotomy, pathology, diagnostics, laboratory operations or biological sample management.
- Knowledge of time-critical biological sample transportation and logistics.
- Experience working with biobanks, large-scale research studies or national clinical programmes.
- An understanding of healthcare delivery across the four UK nations.
- Experience designing services that reach geographically dispersed, rural or underserved populations.
Closing date for applications: 9am, 16th October.
Benefits
- Salary from £100,000.
- Generous Pension Scheme – We invest in your future with employer contributions of up to 12%.
- 30 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays – Enjoy a generous holiday allowance with the flexibility to take bank holidays when it suits you.
- Enhanced Parental Leave – Supporting you during life’s biggest moments.
- Cycle to Work Scheme – Save 25-39% on a new bike and accessories through salary sacrifice.
- Home & Tech Savings – Get up to 8% off on IKEA and Currys products, spreading the cost over 12 months through salary sacrifice.
- £1,000 Employee Referral Bonus – Know someone amazing? Get rewarded for bringing them on board!
- Wellbeing Support – Access to Mental Health First Aiders, plus 24/7 online GP services and an Employee Assistance Programme for you and your family.
- A Great Place to Work – We have a lovely Central London office in Holborn, and offer flexible and remote working arrangements.
At Our Future Health, we recognise the importance of having a diverse workforce and ensuring that all candidates, regardless of their background, have equitable access to our application process. We proactively encourage applicants who identify as having a disability, neurodiversity, or long-term health conditions to let us know if they require any reasonable adjustments as part of their application process.
If you do require any reasonable adjustments, please email us at [email protected]
