Manager – Life Sciences & Healthcare

Job Description

You will lead the identification, pursuit, and execution of non-dilutive funding opportunities on behalf of the firm and its clients, with a primary focus on European, UK, and international public-sector and philanthropic funding sources.

This role is responsible for the full lifecycle of grants, cooperative programs, consortia-led bids, and strategic funding initiatives - from opportunity assessment and capture strategy through proposal leadership, award negotiation, and successful delivery of high-impact healthcare and life sciences programs.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in EU and UK funding ecosystems, including programs such as HERA, Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe, Innovate UK (IUK), Wellcome, and other relevant funding bodies supporting health security, biomedical innovation, diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health, and health systems transformation. The candidate should also have experience advising clients on non-dilutive funding strategy, consortium building, and alignment of scientific and commercial capabilities to public-sector priorities.

1. Strategic Capture and Business Development

• Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of submitted grants, cooperative agreements, innovation calls, public-private partnerships, challenge funds, and consortia-based opportunities relevant to life sciences and healthcare clients.
• Identify, assess, and qualify non-dilutive funding opportunities across European, UK, and global health funding organizations, including HERA, the European Commission, Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe, Innovate UK, Wellcome, and other health, research, innovation, and preparedness funding bodies.
• Monitor funding landscapes, work program, strategic plans, and policy priorities across biodefense, pandemic preparedness, vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, medtech, digital health, and health data modernization.
• Build and sustain relationships with funding agencies, consortium partners, research institutions, universities, hospitals, SMEs, large industry participants, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Lead capture strategy and proposal development for complex non-dilutive funding applications, including partner strategy, consortium design, work package shaping, value proposition development, and submission planning.
• Translate complex scientific, technical, clinical, and commercial capabilities into compelling, compliant, and differentiated proposals aligned to funder priorities and evaluation criteria.
• Represent the firm at industry events, partnering forums, scientific conferences, investor/funder meetings, and innovation ecosystem gatherings to strengthen market presence and position the organization as a thought leader in non-dilutive funding strategy.

2. Proposal Leadership and Consortium Development

• Lead and coordinate the development of high-quality proposals for EU, UK, and foundation-funded opportunities, ensuring strong alignment with call topics, impact criteria, implementation plans, and budget requirements.
• Support the formation and management of cross-border and multi-stakeholder consortia, including biotech, pharma, medtech, academic, clinical, NGO, and public-sector participants.
• Guide proposal teams through the full development lifecycle, including bid/no-bid assessment, concept shaping, partner outreach, workplan design, writing coordination, review cycles, budget alignment, and final submission.
• Ensure proposals clearly articulate scientific excellence, implementation feasibility, societal and commercial impact, and route to adoption or scale.
• Advise on appropriate funding pathways for clients, including single-applicant awards, collaborative R&D grants, public-private partnerships, challenge calls, and translational research funding mechanisms.
• Develop reusable tools, templates, and internal knowledge assets to improve proposal quality, speed, and win rate.

3. Program Delivery and Operational Oversight

• Oversee delivery of funded life sciences and healthcare programs, ensuring projects are executed on time, within scope, within budget, and in accordance with grant or program requirements.
• Support clients in establishing governance structures, reporting processes, milestones, KPIs, and stakeholder communications for funded programs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable grant terms, funder rules, consortium obligations, data privacy requirements, and contractual provisions relevant to EU, UK, and philanthropic funding mechanisms.
• Manage internal teams and external partners, including academic institutions, CROs, clinical sites, technology vendors, manufacturers, and subcontractors.
• Identify and mitigate delivery, compliance, operational, consortium, and reputational risks across funded initiatives.
• Help clients translate awarded funding into broader strategic value, including partnership expansion, follow-on financing readiness, regulatory progression, and market positioning.

4. Client Advisory

• Advise private-sector clients on navigating the EU and UK non-dilutive funding landscape, including how to prioritize opportunities across HERA, Horizon program, Innovate UK, Wellcome, and related funding sources.
• Provide strategic guidance on funding readiness, asset positioning, market relevance, consortium participation, geographic fit, and proposal competitiveness.
• Help clients align platform technologies, product candidates, and service offerings to public health, health security, resilience, and innovation priorities defined by European and international funders.
• Monitor and interpret policy, legislative, and programmatic developments affecting healthcare and life sciences funding across Europe and the UK.
• Advise on partnering strategy for collaborative bids, including how to structure participation with SMEs, large industry, universities, hospitals, public agencies, and non-profit organizations.
• Support clients in building long-term non-dilutive funding strategies that complement equity financing, strategic partnerships, and commercial growth objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, public health, biomedical sciences, healthcare, business, public policy, international affairs, or a related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in non-dilutive funding, research and innovation grants, life sciences consulting, healthcare strategy, program management, or related fields.
• 5+ years of experience leading or supporting business development, capture, proposal development, or funded program delivery in the context of EU, UK, or international non-dilutive funding program.
• Demonstrated experience working with or pursuing opportunities through organizations such as HERA, the European Commission, Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe, Innovate UK, Wellcome, or similar public and philanthropic funders.
• Strong knowledge of EU and UK grant mechanisms, collaborative R&D funding structures, consortium-led programmes, and public-private innovation initiatives.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams through the full lifecycle of funding opportunities, including opportunity identification, partner engagement, proposal development, award negotiation, and execution.
• Proven success managing large, complex initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, subcontractors, consortium partners, and client groups.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop funding applications, strategic briefs, partner materials, executive presentations, and client-facing deliverables.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders across industry, academia, government, and non-profit sectors.
• Demonstrated financial and operational acumen, including budget development, resource planning, forecasting, reporting, and performance tracking.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MBA, MPA, MPH, MSc, PhD, or equivalent) in a relevant field.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Biomedical research and development
  • Pandemic preparedness and response
  • Vaccines, therapeutics, or diagnostics
  • Clinical operations or clinical research
  • Digital health / health data modernization
  • Biopharma, medtech, diagnostics, or laboratory systems
  • Health security, resilience, or emergency response innovation
• Experience developing or managing multi-country, multi-partner consortium bids.
• Familiarity with European innovation ecosystems, technology translation programs and cross-border research collaborations.
• Existing network of relationships across European funding agencies, Innovate UK, research institutions, universities, hospitals, NGOs, investors, and ecosystem partners.
• Consulting experience advising private-sector clients on funding strategy, consortium development, growth planning, or market positioning.
• Experience supporting clients from early-stage innovation through later-stage validation, demonstration, commercialization, or scale-up.

Leadership and Professional Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong business development instincts and a proactive, opportunity-oriented mindset.
• Deep understanding of how non-dilutive funding can support innovation, validation, partnership development, and commercialization in life sciences and healthcare.
• Able to balance capture, client advisory, proposal leadership, and program delivery responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong executive presence and ability to engage credibly with senior leaders across government, academia, industry, foundations, and client organizations.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple priorities, deadlines, and bid processes simultaneously.
• Collaborative leader with a track record of building high-performing teams, consortia, and strategic partnerships.
• Sound judgment, high integrity, and commitment to quality, compliance, and mission-driven impact.

AI Fluency

• Demonstrated AI fluency and comfort using AI-enabled tools to improve funding landscape analysis, opportunity qualification, proposal development, partner research, program delivery, and internal operations.
• Ability to assess how AI, data analytics, and automation can support life sciences consulting, grant strategy, consortium coordination, and knowledge management.
• Familiarity with responsible AI practices, including data privacy, compliance, human oversight, and risk management in regulated and research-intensive environments.
• Ability to translate AI capabilities into practical use cases for internal teams and clients.

Work Authorization / Travel / Location

• Ability to work in relevant jurisdictions and travel as needed for client meetings, consortium workshops, agency engagement, proposal activities, and program oversight.
• Preference for candidates based in UK or other major life sciences hubs.

Additional Information

Why join Sia London? 

• Impact: You will work in a growing team where your contribution is visible and valued, with direct access to senior leaders and Partners. 

• Learning: You will develop expertise across regulation, innovation and utilities transformation, supported by structured training and mentoring. 

• Innovation: Our “Consulting 4.0” approach integrates AI and data science into consulting. You will gain exposure to advanced tools and innovative delivery methods. 

• Flexibility: We offer genuine flexibility and a culture that values outcomes over hours spent at a desk. 

• Diversity: We value diverse perspectives and actively encourage different ways of thinking and working. 

• Global network: You will be part of a team operating across more than 20 countries. 

This is an opportunity to join a rapidly growing team that serves some of the most exciting and highly respected companies in the world. You will have the opportunity to provide clients with original thinking and customized solutions and you’ll often have the satisfaction of seeing the impact of your work on their business. We are committed to a healthy

Sia is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, remuneration, or discipline, are based solely on performance, competence, conduct, or business needs. 

Sia is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment, including hiring, promotion, remuneration, or discipline, are based solely on performance, competence, conduct, or business needs.