Wellcome is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.
We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate.

The Data for Science and Health (DSH) Digital Technology team is looking to recruit an (Infectious Disease) Technology Lead. The successful applicant will help develop, shape and execute projects related to digital technology which advance the strategy of Wellcome’s Infectious Disease Health Challenge.

Science and health research is becoming increasingly computational, and thus we need greater investment in the software tools and digital Infrastructure that makes this possible. However, we also need to do it in a way that recognises these tools exist in a complex social and political environment, and with often inequitable impacts. The Wellcome Data for Science and Health team aims to put trustworthy data science into practice by changing how data and software are funded, developed, and governed, and equipping and motivating data scientists with tools and opportunities to innovate with health data in the public interest.

As the Technology Lead, with the responsibility for our Infectious Diseases specific portfolio, you will be collaborating with our colleagues in Welcome’s Infectious Disease Health Challenge to develop a vision for the software and digital infrastructure needed to catalyse research in the field. This will require deep knowledge and experience of some aspect of infectious disease research, including: surveillance, modelling, AMR, drug discovery, genomics, or some other relevant set of subject-matter specific technical skills. You will draw on your own expertise and the support of the managers and project officers in the team to lead initiatives that contribute to the aforementioned goals. This is a varied and exciting role, which gives broad exposure across Wellcome, including identifying strategic award opportunities, relationship building with other funders, and being a spokesperson for the DSH agenda. Example projects the team has worked are: the Epiverse program in partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation; Sci-ML; and OpenSafely.

The Technology Lead will be responsible for:

• Taking an entrepreneurial approach to developing, evaluating and executing projects related to digital tools which advance and cut across the objectives of the Infectious Disease Health Challenges (IDHC).
• Drawing on appropriate expertise and data from across physical, biological and social sciences, humanities, industry and other funders to develop a strategic view of the digital technology landscape relevant to Wellcome,
  Working with the Senior Manager, Digital Technology to develop productive relationships with other teams in Research - - Programmes by generously sharing expertise and developing a mutual understanding of priorities and shared objectives.
• Supporting digital tools funding across Research Programmes by helping to set and support common approaches, providing expert technical advice to other teams and working with the DSH team to develop a portfolio view of digital technologies across Wellcome’s current funding and pipeline.
• Being an effective funder of digital technology projects through efficient design and execution of landscaping projects, RfPs, contracts, funding calls and discretionary awards with hands-on work shaping and reviewing technical material as needed.
• Matrix management of one or more team members to support the delivery of DSH’s objectives
  Be the owner of the risk and control environment for your area and be accountable for the quality of you and your team’s outputs
• Contributing to the creation and development of a diverse and inclusive culture across the organisation, collaborating across departments.
• Exercising cost control and manage expenditure to work within the agreed operating budget
• Ensuring adherence to our compliance policies.  
• Undertaking any other work that may be reasonably required from time to time 
• Undertaking work in accordance with Wellcome policies and principles.   

Experience & Skills:

• Good knowledge of the current state of and trends in digital technologies in science and health research and practice, and specifically in infectious disease research.
• Training in a quantitative, computational discipline with a high-level understanding of, the data and software systems used and being developed in science and health, especially those relevant to infectious disease research.
• Specific knowledge of or training relevant to infectious disease research, including: pathogen genomic data analytics, AMR-related research, operational research, or wet-lab science.
• Experience of working with health relevant or scientific data in a technical capacity.
• Experience delivering complex work against agreed objectives in large organisations
• Experience / knowledge of working with and running projects with universities, funders and other relevant scientific and research organisations and communities  

If you are interested in the role, please make sure when submitting your application, you attach your CV and complete the questionnaire form (at the linked above)

Salary: £72,922
Contract Type: Permanent
Advert closing date: 22nd September