Senior Business Development Manager - Engineering Biology

LGC’s National Laboratories deliver a range of expert science functions and services in partnership with the UK Government, business, healthcare, and academia. We manage and operate several national laboratories on behalf of government agencies, such as the UK National Measurement Laboratory (NML), MHRA Laboratories Team and National Reference Laboratories, as well as hosting the unique function of the ‘Government Chemist’.

Job Purpose

Science underpins the National Measurement Laboratory (NML) business, and growing our business is essential to unlocking its value and supporting future commercial success. This is an outstanding opportunity to lead in the Engineering Biology (EngBio) field, where you can make a real difference by promoting growth and strategic focus for a world-class organization.

Job Role

Work alongside the Commercial Director and the Commercial and Contract Management team to promote growth and value, initially focusing on the Engineering Biology (EngBio) sector. Lead engagement with interested parties, build credible consortia, manage and attend relevant events, and develop and submit high-quality, strategically aligned, and competitive funding proposals. This role is vital to the effective rollout of our business development strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

Collaborator Engagement & Relationship Management

Map and actively manage relationships across academia, industry, government, and regulators

Act as a central coordination point for EngBio partners and collaborators (EngBio network)

Support the development of new strategic partnerships aligned with national priorities

Support engagement with funders (e.g., UKRI, DSIT, Innovate UK, EU).

Consortia Building & Partnership Development

Find opportunities and bring together multidisciplinary consortia for funding calls that align with NML’s strategic goals and main research priorities, especially within the Engineering Biology field

Facilitate alignment of technical and commercial components through coordination of inputs from internal teams and external partners

Maintain a pipeline of partnership-led opportunities.

Proposal Development & Funding

Take charge of drafting and coordinating top-tier proposals (UKRI, DSIT, OGDs, NIHR, EU or similar)

Translate technical concepts into compelling, fundable narratives

Manage timelines, inputs, and compliance requirements

Support costing, partner contributions, and submission processes

Track funding opportunities and agreed performance indicators.

Events, Visibility & Engagement

Plan, join, and coordinate EngBio events, workshops, and collaborator meetings (EngBio network), in line with financial constraints

Support preparation of panel discussions, conferences, strategic discussions, and government feedback

Ensure strong differentiation and external visibility of NML in the EngBio field

Capture, communicate, and proactively follow up opportunities arising from events.

Portfolio & Opportunity Management

Maintain a structured pipeline of high-quality opportunities, assessed against strategic fit, partner strength, technical credibility, funding potential, and likely impact

Provide regular reporting on activity, conversion, and impact

Support strategic prioritization and decision-making.

Post Award

Support Head of Contracts in negotiation of contractual terms (e.g., Grant Agreements, Consortium Agreements)

Lead post-award compliance and reporting activities to ensure adherence to award Terms and Conditions – including cost eligibility, reporting, and audit.

Success Measures

Quality of consortia formed and number of strategically-aligned proposals developed

Proposal success rate and funding secured

Growth in strategic partnerships and collaborator network

Long-term value of partnerships established

Contribution to NML’s visibility, influence, and funded portfolio, especially in EngBio.

Working Style

Highly cooperative, collaborating across NML teams and external partners

Proactive, problem-solver, and driven by new possibilities

Judgement-led and selective, with the ability to distinguish high-value strategic opportunities from low-fit or transactional leads

Structured, delivery-focused, and comfortable operating within a fast paced environment.

Scientific Degree or equivalent experience

Proven experience in business development, partnerships, or program management in science/innovation

Knowledge of UK (essential) and EU (desirable) grant funding ecosystem

Solid background in preparing joint funding proposals (UKRI, DSIT, OGDs, NIHR, EU or similar)

Excellent collaborator management

Ability to build opportunities from early concept through to competitive, fundable proposals, ensuring strong alignment between scientific value, partner capability, funder priorities, and NML strategy

Highly organized, able to manage multiple parallel opportunities and deadlines

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable

Background in Engineering Biology, life sciences, metrology, or related fields

Understanding of measurement science, standards, and regulation

Experience working in multi-disciplinary, multi-partner environments.

LGC is a leading, global life science tools company, providing mission-critical components and solutions into high-growth application areas across the human healthcare and applied market segments. Its high-quality product portfolio is comprised of mission-critical tools for genomic analysis and for quality assurance applications, which are typically embedded and recurring within our customers’ products and workflows and are valued for their performance, quality, and range.

PASSION

CURIOSITY

INTEGRITY

BRILLIANCE

RESPECT

LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of age, disability, race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age, or trade union membership.

For more information about LGC, please visit our website www.lgcgroup.com

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