View Vacancy -- Science Manager - Innovation NC3Rs 1677

Science-led and evidence-based, the NC3Rs is the UK’s national organisation for the 3Rs, established in 2004 to accelerate the development and uptake of new models and tools that replace, reduce or refine the use of animal in research and testing. The NC3Rs is primarily funded by Government and has an annual budget of approximately £10 million. Its activities are divided between its role as the UK’s major 3Rs research funder and programmes led by its own team of scientists. Further information can be found at www.nc3rs.org.uk.  

We provide a range of funding mechanisms to support 3Rs methods, technologies and career development. The awards we make deliver 3Rs benefits, as well as advancing the scientific field across a breadth of subjects such as improving the understanding of human diseases, developing efficacious and safe medicines, and protecting the environment. We are the main funder of 3Rs research in the UK, with over £69 million and £25 million committed through our response mode and open innovation schemes respectively since the Centre’s establishment in 2004. Further information on the awards we have made to-date can be found on Our Science webpages.

CRACK IT is the NC3Rs open innovation funding competition for collaborative R&D. The competition is designed to solve 3Rs-focused Challenges identified with Sponsors (typically from the industrial sector) and drive commercial benefits from 3Rs technologies by enabling and funding collaborations between big business, academia and the SME sector.

Through CRACK IT, we are able to respond directly to major issues facing industry and the bioscience sector related to the use of animals, such as bottlenecks in drug and chemical development caused by poorly predictive in vivo models.

There are benefits for all of the collaborators involved: Sponsors get early access to scientific and technological innovations, and an end-product or service which meets their needs; academics have a pathway for exploiting their research and new opportunities for collaboration and funding; and SMEs are provided with a new market and customer base to expand.

To date, CRACK IT Challenges has delivered 14 new products or services for industrial and academic end-users, which include in silico models, complex in vitro models and in vivo technologies, providing 3Rs advancements in areas such as toxicology and efficacy.

Please see the NC3Rs Innovation Platform for more information on our CRACK IT challenges.

The Science Manager will primarily support the CRACK IT funding competition. The main responsibilities of the role are outlined below:

• Helping collate and analyse metrics on impacts arising from CRACK IT awards and working with our communications team to effectively disseminate this information to both scientific and lay audiences.
  
  
• Developing content for and maintaining the NC3Rs Innovation Platform website, which showcases the projects funded through the CRACK IT programme and their outputs, including the products and services developed.
  
  
• Working with completed CRACK IT award holders to disseminate products and outputs, maximising the outputs of the scheme.
  
  
• Working with the Innovation Programme Manager in project monitoring of on-going Challenges.
  
  
• Preparing promotional materials and communication’s packages for Challenges and events.
  
  
• Working with the business team to deliver operational aspects of the CRACK IT programme.
  
  
• Providing advice and guidance to potential applicants on eligibility and the application process.
  
  
• Application processing including eligibility checks, identifying experts for Review and Challenge Panel membership and the allocation of applications to designated Panel members.
  
  
• Compiling feedback to successful and unsuccessful applicants following Panel meetings.
  
  
• Providing ad-hoc support to other NC3Rs programmes where appropriate.

 
The ability to work as part of a dynamic team is essential.

 Education, qualifications, training and work experience 

•  PhD in a biological science. 
•  Experience of writing a variety of content for scientific audiences is desirable but not essential.

 
Knowledge and experience

• Ability to identify, analyse and propose solutions to varied problems.
• The ability to handle, analyse and present complex information.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a varied workload.
• Ability to plan and deliver multiple projects, often with conflicting deadlines.
• Experience of using Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Experience of using design software, website content management systems is desirable.

Personal skills/behaviours/qualities 

• An understanding of the issues around the use of animals in research. 
• Demonstrable commitment to the 3Rs. 
• Excellent communicator both orally and in writing. 
• Excellent inter-personal skills and ability to work well as part of a team. 
• Ability to adapt to new systems and processes and modify procedures in response to changing work needs. 
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

­The Science Manager will report to the Head of Innovation.

Salary will be in the range of £32,005 - £35,143 per annum (plus London allowances) depending on skills and experience. 

The NC3Rs offices are based in London. This role will be required to attend the offices in London and may be required to travel to attend meetings within the UK and/or overseas. The NC3Rs is a hybrid working employer, with staff working flexibly from home and other locations when and if necessary.

The successful candidate will be subject to security checks.

The closing date for applications is 27 October 2021.

Please ensure you include a copy of your CV and a covering letter. Your cover letter should outline and explain how you meet the criteria listed in the person specification for this position.

Interviews are due to take in November 2021.