Reports to: Dr Melanie Ivarsson, CEO
Job Level: Director
Direct Reports: 1-2 (initially)
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London or Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, with regular travel as required to support the CEO
Salary: £118,000 – £135,000
Role Purpose
The Chief of Staff is a pivotal leadership role at the heart of HDRS, serving as the CEO’s principal adviser, strategic partner and trusted deputy, and helping to establish HDRS as a high-performing national organisation.
Working across strategy, governance, operations, communications and stakeholder engagement, the Chief of Staff will act as an integrator across HDRS, bringing together people, priorities and resources to ensure organisational alignment and delivery. The postholder will operate with a high degree of autonomy and delegated authority, representing the CEO internally and externally where appropriate while ensuring the CEO remains informed of key developments, risks and opportunities.
They will bring pace, clarity and coordination to the establishment and growth of HDRS, ensuring the organisation delivers against its mission and strategic objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Organisational Development
- Act as a trusted adviser to the CEO, providing strategic counsel, challenge and support.
- Translate the CEO’s vision and organisational strategy into clear priorities, delivery plans and accountabilities across HDRS.
- Support the development and implementation of HDRS’s strategy, business plan and operating model.
- Drive alignment across the Executive Leadership Team, ensuring clarity of priorities, objectives and organisational outcomes.
- Monitor organisational performance and delivery against strategic objectives, identifying risks and opportunities.
- Lead or coordinate strategic projects on behalf of the CEO and Executive Team.
- Support annual planning cycles, ensuring alignment between strategic priorities, organisational capacity and resource allocation.
Governance and Board Effectiveness
- Lead the development and continuous improvement of HDRS governance arrangements.
- Support the establishment and effective operation of the Board and its committees.
- Ensure the production of high-quality Board and Executive papers, briefings, decision memoranda and governance documentation.
- Act as a principal liaison between the CEO, Board, Non-Executive Directors and key governance bodies.
- Coordinate governance activities to ensure compliance with public sector and corporate governance expectations.
- Support the CEO and Board in effective decision-making by providing timely analysis, insight and recommendations.
Executive Leadership and CEO Office
- Lead the effective operation of the CEO’s Office.
- Manage executive priorities and ensure appropriate coordination of CEO commitments and strategic engagements.
- Ensure the CEO receives timely, high-quality information, analysis and advice, filtering and prioritising issues requiring executive attention.
- Oversee preparation of briefings, presentations and materials for key meetings and events.
- Facilitate Executive Leadership Team meetings, ensuring actions and decisions are implemented.
- Exercise delegated authority on behalf of the CEO where appropriate, ensuring timely decisions and progress on key priorities.
Organisational Integration and Delivery
- Act as a central point of coordination across HDRS, ensuring teams are aligned and working towards shared organisational goals.
- Identify and address organisational risks, barriers and delivery challenges.
- Drive accountability for delivery of key strategic programmes and commitments.
- Establish effective performance management, reporting and organisational planning processes.
- Support the development of organisational culture, behaviours and ways of working.
- Oversee the development of executive dashboards and reporting mechanisms that provide visibility of organisational performance and progress.
Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across government, the NHS, research organisations, Wellcome, industry and other partners.
- Support coordination of executive and Board stakeholder engagement.
- Represent HDRS externally where appropriate.
- Act as a central point of coordination for key strategic relationships and partnerships.
People Leadership
- Lead and develop a small, high-performing team.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative and ambitious culture.
- Role model HDRS values and leadership behaviours.
- Support organisational capability building as HDRS grows.