Director, Preclinical Strategy and Portfolio, Diagnostics in London

Location: London

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent, hybrid working environment.

Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you.

About the role

As Director of Diagnostics, you will define and lead the organisation’s diagnostics strategy across rare diseases and anti‑infectives, with a focus on translating cutting‑edge scientific innovation/biomarker identification into clinically deployable, regulatory‑compliant diagnostic solutions. This role is central to enabling early detection of disease, patient selection using precision medicine approaches, and real‑world implementation across healthcare systems. You will operate at the interface of science, preclinical development, regulatory strategy/clinical testing, and external partnerships, shaping a high‑impact diagnostics portfolio aligned to therapeutic pipelines and unmet patient need in LifeArc’s focus areas.

Key responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end programme and portfolio delivery for preclinical diagnostic development, aligning strategic priorities with LifeArc’s mission and ensuring multiple programmes are executed on time, within budget, and to high scientific standards, with clear plans, milestones, and pathways to clinical implementation.
• Provide strategic leadership across the portfolio, shaping prioritisation and decision‑making to ensure scientific focus, resource allocation, and programme progression align with organisational strategy and maximise patient impact.
• Lead scientific excellence and translational strategy across diagnostic programmes, providing expert guidance to translate innovation into high‑impact solutions, establishing end‑to‑end development strategies (biomarker to implementation), and ensuring rigorous, high‑quality, and forward‑looking scientific delivery aligned to external advances.
• Lead governance, committee participation, and external engagement, providing expert oversight on programme performance and investment decisions, supporting due diligence and partnerships, and representing LifeArc externally to build strategic networks and promote its scientific portfolio.
• Lead and develop high‑performing teams while fostering an inclusive, collaborative culture, providing clear direction, supporting professional growth, and role‑modeling LifeArc’s values to drive excellence and a strong delivery mindset.

Essential experience required

• Significant leadership experience in diagnostics development, ideally in biotech, pharma, or translational research environments.
• Proven track record of leading and delivering diagnostic programmes from assay development through to clinical validation and implementation.
• Deep experience in at least one of Rare disease diagnostics or anti‑infective diagnostics (e.g. microbiology, AMR, Molecular pathogen detection).
• Strong understanding of diagnostic regulatory and QMS/compliance frameworks (e.g. UKCA, IVDR and FDA pathways including CDx and LDT, ISO 13485).
• Substantial experience of integrating diagnostics into therapeutic development and/or clinical trials.
• Experience leading, managing and resourcing portfolios with multiple stakeholders, including external partners and as part of collaborations or consortia.
• Significant experience as a line manager, encompassing performance and goal setting and the successful development of team members.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with proven ability to work with senior R&D leaders, Board and Executive Level.
• Experience as a respected leader in the diagnostics field with a mature network in the UK and internationally.

Desired experience

• Experience with host‑response biomarkers and/or multi‑omic diagnostics.
• Exposure to population‑scale or decentralised diagnostic approaches (e.g. home sampling, screening programmes).
• Experience working within or alongside UK healthcare infrastructure.
• Prior experience in companion diagnostics co‑development with therapeutics.

Education and/or Certifications

• PhD in a life science discipline, preferably with additional relevant post‑doctoral research experience.

Skills & abilities

• Sharing knowledge of, and contributing to, current scientific literature and development within the area of expertise.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate scientific innovation into impactful diagnostic solutions.
• Ability to inspire direct reports and cross‑functional teams, influence stakeholders, and drive strategic initiatives.
• Deep scientific excellence, critical and analytical thinking, experienced problem solver.
• Skilled at building relationships and fostering cross‑functional teamwork in a matrix environment.
• Ability to align scientific priorities with organisational goals and anticipate future needs.
• Exceptional planning skills and execution of projects with a delivery mindset and excellence attention to detail.

About us

LifeArc is a not‑for‑profit life science organisation, leading the way for change in rare diseases in the UK and supporting promising initiatives in global health. We seek out research in areas of unmet need that has great potential, providing support to help it become breakthroughs that change lives.

What we can offer you

Focused on finding life changing solutions for underserved patients, our people thrive in an inclusive, and supportive environment that prioritises their health and wellbeing. Our multidisciplinary approach guarantees our people growth opportunities, while our culture of innovation and collaboration drives the impact we make delivering on our purpose of ‘putting patients at the centre of everything we do’. LifeArc is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible and developing a culture that values differences. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability or long‑term health condition who meet the essential criteria for the role. Salary will be determined by qualifications and experience along with other exceptional benefits. Because we understand everyone has different requirements, our flexible benefits allow you to choose those which are important to you. Our pension scheme offers employer contributions of up to 12%, private health insurance, and annual leave of 31 days plus bank holidays.

Please note that in certain situations, such as high volumes of applications, it may not be practical to interview all eligible candidates. In these cases, we may need to select those best meeting the essential criteria.