Lead Technical Adviser, Solutions

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships. We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.

We are looking for an experienced Lead Technical Adviser to join our team (internally, this role will be known as a ‘Lead Adviser’). You will be working in the Executive Office of the Solutions Department, reporting to the Executive Director of Solutions. The Solutions Department leads Wellcome's impact focused strategic programmes on:

• Climate and Health - Putting health at the heart of climate change action.
• Infectious Disease - Accelerating interventions that reduce the impact of infectious diseases.
• Mental Health - Driving new and better interventions for anxiety, depression and psychosis.

As the Lead Technical Advisor to the Executive Director of Solutions, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Executive Director of Solutions, shaping and advancing Wellcome’s work on economics, financing, and health systems within a changing global health landscape. You will provide high-level technical and strategic support to the Executive Director and across the Solutions teams, helping to expand the breadth of capability and reach in areas such as economic evaluation, health financing, and systems reform.

You’ll work collaboratively across teams and disciplines to enhance our strategic research investments and partnerships, help strengthen our impact tracking and external engagement, ensuring our initiatives deliver real-world impact in line with Wellcome’s vision of improving health through science. You will be both a thought partner and a delivery enabler, guiding, connecting, and amplifying the work of colleagues across the organisation while leading on specific strategic initiatives that elevate our profile and impact in global health. This is a dynamic and varied role at the heart of organisational leadership, with impact across the Solutions Department and wider organisation. Please note that this role will involve some travel.

As Lead Technical Adviser, you will:

• Provide expert technical guidance across the Solutions portfolio, ensuring economics, health systems, and global financing perspectives are embedded in research and policy activities.
• Drive strategic planning and impact monitoring, co-developing robust frameworks for tracking outcomes and real-world impact across the Solutions team.
• Shape the expansion of Wellcome’s economic analytical research work, identifying new opportunities to incorporate economic modelling and financial analysis into our Solutions portfolios and policy engagement.
• Act as Solutions’ focal point for Lusaka Agenda activities, supporting cross-organisational collaboration and Wellcome’s external policy and equity engagement.
• Develop high-impact external materials, including technical briefings, presentations, and engagement strategies to amplify Wellcome’s voice in the global health sector.
• Support executive leadership operations, including preparing for key meetings, following up on actions, and contributing to smooth collaboration across senior advisers.
• Champion inclusive practices and contribute to an open, collaborative, and values-led team environment.

If you are a Senior Technical Adviser / Health Economist with a PhD (or equivalent) and a passion for global health research, you’re motivated by meaningful impact, thrive in collaborative environments, and want to shape global health strategy, we’d love to hear from you.

To succeed in this role, you will be comfortable using economic evidence to drive real-world impact through policy and partnerships and ideally be experienced in one or more of our Strategic Priority areas (Climate and Health, Infectious Disease, Mental Health). At Wellcome, you’ll work across disciplines to support solutions-focused research, influence global health policy, and collaborate with stakeholders from governments to civil society. We’re looking for someone experienced in technical analysis, policy engagement, and communicating complex ideas clearly to diverse audiences.

Minimum Criteria:

• Educated to advanced postgraduate level (PhD or equivalent doctorate) in an applied area of health economics research, with a specialism relevant for global health and Wellcome’s priorities, and experience working in LMIC settings.
• Significant experience providing technical analysis and support to research programmes and programme investments, working with UN/multi-lateral organisations, national governments, and civil society groups.
• Substantial experience conducting and using economic analysis, modelling projections and wider evidence to shape and inform global health policy, planning and priority setting.
• Demonstrated experience working with and as part of a multi-disciplinary team on areas relevant for Wellcome’s priorities.
• A strong understanding of the global health landscape, including financing and reform agendas, and issues relevant to Solutions research.

At Wellcome, we have a hybrid way of working which is 3 days in our Euston Road offices (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the remaining 2 days working either remotely or in the office. Diversity and Inclusion is a priority at Wellcome. We are committed to cultivating a fair and inclusive environment, where everyone can be themselves and thrive. We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.