Operations Associate

Based at Alderley Park, Medicines Discovery Catapult is a national Life Sciences service dedicated to turning drug discovery into commercial breakthroughs.

We accelerate the development of science, and where there are areas of unmet patient need, we stimulate innovation.

By transforming drug discovery, we can improve patient lives, increase the impact of the UK Life Sciences sector, and create a healthier society and economy.

The Discovery Operations Associate will provide operational, planning and administrative support for the delivery of the Discovery portfolio.

This is a 12 month Fixed Term Contract Role, with hybrid working, minium 3 days a week on site.

A key focus of the role will be supporting the maintenance of accurate portfolio and resource information, enabling Discovery Operations and scientific teams to understand project demand, resource requirements, capacity and delivery performance.

Working across Discovery, the role will support resource planning, portfolio reporting, project mobilisation, governance and operational coordination.

The individual will work closely with project teams, capability teams and Discovery Operations colleagues to ensure information is accurate, current and available to support effective decision-making and delivery to quality, time, cost and scope.

The role will suit an organised and analytical individual who enjoys working with data, systems and people in a dynamic delivery environment.

Strong attention to detail, a collaborative approach and the ability to follow through on actions will be essential.

Main duties & responsibilities

• Support the maintenance of Discovery's portfolio and resource planning tools, ensuring project, resource, milestone and capacity information is complete, accurate and kept up to date.
• Work with project and capability teams to collect, validate and maintain resource forecasts, including planned demand, availability, allocation and changes to resource requirements.
• Support the production of regular portfolio and resource reporting, providing visibility of demand, capacity, resource allocation, delivery performance and emerging pressures.
• Identify gaps, inconsistencies and data quality issues within portfolio and resource information and work with relevant colleagues to resolve them.
• Support the timely and consistent reporting of project delivery against agreed milestones, quality, time, cost, scope and key performance indicators.
• Maintain key portfolio information including project plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, actions and governance records.
• Follow up with project and capability teams to ensure required portfolio and resource information is provided on time and to the required standard.
• Support Discovery governance activities, including preparation and coordination of information for portfolio and operational reviews, action tracking and maintenance of governance records.
• Support project mobilisation and operational planning, helping to ensure that required people, equipment, materials, samples, services and other dependencies are identified and coordinated.
• Work with Discovery Operations and scientific teams to identify potential resource conflicts, capacity pressures and operational constraints that could affect delivery, escalating these appropriately.
• Liaise with internal teams, procurement and external suppliers where required to support the timely resolution of routine operational issues affecting project delivery.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of Discovery Operations processes, tools, reporting and ways of working.
• Provide wider operational and administrative support to Discovery Operations as required to support effective delivery of the Discovery portfolio.

Experience, skills & competencies

Essential

• Experience of supporting project, portfolio, resource or operational planning within a complex delivery environment.
• Experience of maintaining planning systems, trackers, databases or other management information and ensuring information remains accurate and current.
• Experience of gathering, validating and coordinating information from multiple teams or stakeholders.
• Experience of reporting progress against plans, milestones, resources, budgets or key performance indicators.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to work confidently with resource, capacity, scheduling and project data.
• Good proficiency in Microsoft Excel and confidence working with data and digital planning or reporting tools.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple activities, priorities and deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high-quality, reliable information.
• Ability to identify inconsistencies, missing information and potential issues and work with colleagues to resolve them.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across different teams and levels of the organisation.
• Collaborative working style, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Solution-orientated, calm and organised, with the ability to work effectively in a dynamic and changing environment.

Desirable

• Experience of resource planning, capacity planning, demand forecasting or workforce scheduling.
• Experience of using project portfolio management, resource planning or similar enterprise systems.
• Experience of supporting portfolio or programme governance and reporting.
• Experience within life sciences, R&D, drug discovery or another technically complex environment.
• Understanding of laboratory operations and the operational dependencies associated with scientific project delivery.
• Experience of working with procurement, suppliers or external service providers.
• Relevant qualification in business administration, project management, operations, life sciences or a related discipline.
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