Associate Director, Strategy

Salary Range: £116,320 - £145,400

Closing Date: Tuesday 27 October

Contract: Permanent

Interviews: W/C 9 November (first round) and W/C 16 and 23 November (second round)

Wellcome is a global charitable foundation. We support science to improve health for everyone. Our independence, scale and long-term perspective allow us to back ambitious science, take risks others cannot, and stay committed to important problems over decades.

We have committed to spend more than £16 billion between 2022 and 2032. We fund discovery research and take on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease, and climate and health. We also work with researchers, governments, businesses and communities to help create the conditions for science to thrive and to turn evidence into better health.

Wellcome is becoming clearer and more intentional about its role as a global philanthropy. This is not a new strategy, but it does require us to make deliberate choices about where and how we can contribute most. The Chief Strategy Officer plays a central role in setting strategic direction, helping resolve priorities and tensions across Wellcome, and ensuring our choices remain focused on our purpose as our work and partnerships grow globally.

Reporting into the Chief Strategy Officer the Associate Director, Strategy will provide strategic content leadership that enables the Strategy department to deliver on that mandate: leading the capability agenda, leading the Strategy Integration function, and ensuring Wellcome’s global strategy and impact measures are well-embedded into program strategies across the organisation to drive impact. The Associate Director owns the Strategy department’s content, capability and delivery. It is responsible for:

• Supporting strategy and impact measurement development with matrix functions of the organisation (Strategy Integration efforts),
• Developing ongoing strategy capabilities across the Strategy department and organisation,
• Embedding organisational strategy decisions across departments to ensure strategic coherence and avoiding mission creep in response to individual programme agendas and / or outside influence
• Supporting strategic projects and departmental priorities agreed by the Strategy Leadership Team.  

Is this job for me?

We are looking for a collaborative and influential leader with significant experience of senior strategy consulting within global health and/or health research sector ideally with knowledge of delivering in low- and middle-income country contexts in Africa, South or South East Asia , and in complex, large-scale or global organisations. 

To apply for this role please submit an updated CV and answer 2 application questions to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Minimum Requirements:

• Significant experience of senior strategy consulting within global health and/or health research sector with knowledge of delivering in low- and middle-income country contexts in Africa, South or South East Asia , and in complex, large-scale or global organisations.  
• Demonstrated experience of leading complex, cross-organisational strategic projects from ambiguity through to clear recommendations and delivery.  
• Experience operating at or advising senior leadership level, with the credibility and confidence to engage effectively without relying on formal authority — and the autonomy to hold significant strategic responsibility independently. 
• Proven track record of managing senior professionals and leading high-performing teams. 
• Deep familiarity with the global health landscape. 

Application Questions:

• Using examples please provide evidence to demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria for this role as outlined in the job description? (Up to 500 words)
• Using short summaries please provide specific details of up to two different initiatives or projects you have been directly involved in that are relevant to this role. For each initiative or project please use up to 250 words to describe your role (e.g. team leader, team member), the purpose of the activity (i.e. its aims), and the major contributions you personally made.

You can view the full job description on our website.

You can read more about the benefits we offer our employees on our website  

Our Hybrid Way of Working 

We understand that our colleagues have commitments and personal interests outside of work and we strive to build a flexible working environment, in which people can perform at their best.  

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. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. Please visit our website for more information on adjustments and accessibility, or contact us at [email protected]. 

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