Direct Tissue Sourcing & Partnerships Lead in Portishead

If you are passionate about enabling high quality human tissue research, enjoy building meaningful partnerships with clinical sites, and thrive in a fast moving and collaborative environment, we would love to hear from you.

Who we are

We are a contract research organisation (CRO) providing scientific solutions and resources to clients outsourcing research in the preclinical drug discovery space. We work in close collaboration with our clients to solve complex scientific problems and accelerate their path to the clinic. Our focus is the human immune system across areas such as autoimmunity, inflammation, neuro‑inflammation, and immuno oncology, as well as emerging therapeutic approaches including vaccines, cell therapies and gene therapies. As a growing CRO working with both biotech and pharmaceutical clients, access to high quality human biospecimens is central to delivering meaningful and translational science.

The role

We are seeking a driven and strategic individual to lead our tissue sourcing function. This is a critical role focused on building and scaling direct access to human tissue through hospitals, clinics and biobanks. While Nexus BioQuest already works with many commercial providers, the primary value of this role is to establish and manage direct sourcing channels, enabling higher quality samples, greater control, and improved responsiveness for client programmes. You will be responsible for identifying and developing partnerships with clinical sites, leading on contractual and ethical frameworks, and building robust end to end logistics for tissue collection and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, engage and establish partnerships with hospitals, clinics and biobanks to enable direct access to human tissue.
• Build and scale a network of clinical sourcing sites, with a focus on quality, reliability and long term strategic value.
• Lead contract negotiation with clinical partners, including commercial terms, governance structures and service agreements.
• Own and manage ethical approval processes, ensuring all sourcing activities meet regulatory and institutional requirements.
• Develop and oversee end to end logistics for tissue acquisition, including collection pathways, processing, storage and shipment.
• Work closely with scientific teams to translate project requirements into feasible and effective sourcing strategies.
• Act as the internal expert on direct tissue sourcing, advising on feasibility, timelines and associated risks.
• Implement quality control and traceability systems to ensure sample integrity and consistency.
• Maintain a limited oversight of existing commercial providers where needed, but with a clear focus on reducing reliance on these routes over time.

Additional aspects of the role

• Develop a long term strategy for direct clinical sourcing, supporting company growth and international expansion.
• Build trusted, repeatable relationships with clinicians and site leads, positioning Nexus BioQuest as a preferred partner.
• Explore innovative sourcing approaches such as prospective collections, rare disease cohorts and bespoke patient sampling.
• Introduce systems and processes to manage site performance, compliance and sample tracking.

Who you are

You are highly organised, commercially aware and comfortable operating at the interface of science, clinical environments and external partnerships. You are proactive in building relationships and confident working with complex governance and ethical frameworks.

You should have:

• Direct experience working with hospitals, clinics or biobanks in the context of tissue sourcing or clinical research.
• Strong understanding of ethical, legal and regulatory requirements for human tissue acquisition and use.
• Experience negotiating agreements with clinical or institutional partners.
• Ability to design and manage complex logistics involving biological samples.
• Strong communication and relationship building skills, particularly with clinical stakeholders.
• A scientific or clinical background in a relevant life sciences field.