Associate Director, Preclinical Project Leadership, Paediatric and Rare Cancers

Job Title: Associate Director, Preclinical Project Leadership, Paediatric and Rare Cancers Location: London, Stevenage Job Type: Permanent with hybrid working (3 days in the office required) Closing date: 21 October 2026 Agencies: We will only work with recruitment partners on our preferred supplier list and will not engage with speculative CVs submitted. Are you passionate about making life science life changing and delivering impact for patients? We want to hear from you. About The Role The Associate Director, Preclinical Project Leadership, Paediatric and Rare Cancers will be responsible for leading drug discovery and translational projects for paediatric and rare cancers, in line with LifeArc's mission. The Scientific Director will ensure projects have clear scientific plans with a line-of-sight to clinical evaluation, robust go/no go criteria, high scientific rigour, timely milestone delivery, and robust decision-making, to progress assets through early development and towards IND. As part of an adaptable, dynamic, and matrixed research environment, the Associate Director will work closely with the Director, Preclinical Strategy and Portfolio (Paediatric and Rare Cancers) in the strategic development and delivery of the preclinical portfolio in this therapeutic area. The role may involve line management of Principal Scientists supporting or leading project delivery. About You Key responsibilities include: Programme & Portfolio Delivery

• Contribute to the strategic development of the paediatric and rare cancer preclinical portfolio, ensuring efficient execution across multiple programmes
• Lead internal and/or collaborative drug discovery programmes, working with multidisciplinary teams to create and maintain programme plans with clear milestones and decision points, key data requirements, and clear go/no-go criteria. Manage CROs and external collaborators contributing to drug discovery projects
• Ensure milestones are delivered on time, within budget, and at the level of scientific quality required to support robust scientific and operational interrogation Scientific Excellence & Translational Strategy
• Provide expert scientific leadership to progress assets through early discovery toward IND
• Champion best practices in preclinical research and ensure scientific rigour, innovation, and high‑quality data generation
• Actively follow current progress in the field, scanning the external landscape for scientific, clinical and technical developments, to identify and exploit new capabilities Governance, Committees & External Engagement
• Serve on internal and external scientific review committees, providing expert evaluation of data packages, milestone readiness, and budget utilisation
• Support due diligence activities for assets, collaborations, partnerships, and platform expansion opportunities
• Build and maintain strong networks with external scientific partners, collaborators, and funding bodies
• Represent LifeArc on relevant external committees and act as an external ambassador to promote LifeArc's preclinical projects and activities Leadership, People Development & Culture
• Where appropriate line-manage scientific staff, setting clear goals, supporting professional development, and fostering high performance
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative culture focused on excellence, continuous learning, and delivery mindset
• Act as an ambassador for LifeArc and model organisational principles and behaviours Essential Experience Required
• Substantial expertise in project leadership of oncology drug discovery programmes in a Pharma or Biotech environment
• Firm operational knowledge of later stage preclinical- and clinical-development pathways to expedite patient impact
• Proven record of scientific leadership, delivery of research programmes, and commitment to innovation, high-quality and rigour
• Experience managing and resourcing portfolios with multiple stakeholders, including external partners, (e.g. academia, industry) and as part of collaborations or consortia
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with proven ability to work with senior R&D leaders Desirable
• In depth knowledge of paediatric and/or rare cancers is highly desirable
• Preferably experience across multiple therapeutic modalities (e.g., biologics, small molecules, cell therapies) Education
• PhD in a relevant life science discipline, preferably with additional relevant post-doctoral research experience Skills & Abilities
• Sharing knowledge of, and contributing to, current scientific literature and developments within area of expertise
• Ability to 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 excellent 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'. 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. We all have potential. At LifeArc, you'll discover what you can really do with it.