Head of Research and Development

Evolve Selection
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
3 weeks ago
Job Type
Permanent
Work Pattern
Full-time
Work Location
Remote
Seniority
Director
Education
Phd
Posted
23 Apr 2026 (3 weeks ago)

Benefits

Market-competitive salary Benefits package

We’re partnering with a market-leader in the Ophthalmology sector, who are looking to recruit an experienced Head of R&D (Research & Development)!

The successful candidate will lead R&D strategy, manage a multidisciplinary team, and work closely with key internal functions to ensure successful development and launch of safe, effective, and regulatory-compliant products across the UK, Ireland and US.

This is a full-time, permanent opportunity, working remotely with some travel when required.

What’s on offer?

* Excellent Salary & Benefits – A highly negotiable, market-competitive starting salary plus benefits!

* Job Stability – Thrive in one of the industry’s most resilient and future-proof markets.

* Entrepreneurial Spirit – Enjoy the agility and visibility of an ambitious organisation where you can make a real difference.

Ideal Requirements for the Head of Research and Development

* Extensive experienced in R&D leadership, with ideally 10 years’ working within a regulated healthcare setting.

* An advanced degree in either life sciences, engineering or a related field (ideally, PhD qualified)

* Strong knowledge of global regulatory requirements across multiple product categories.

* Various backgrounds will be considered, including Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Medical Devices or OTC.

Role Responsibilities

* Drive the company’s innovation strategy and shape the future product pipeline – Define the vision for new eyecare, device, cosmetic, and supplement offerings, guiding what the business introduces to the market.

* Own the full product development lifecycle through a modern Stage & Gate framework – Lead projects from concept to commercial launch, managing formulation, design, testing, and validation.

* Develop and inspire a high-performing, cross-functional R&D team – Lead scientists, engineers, and project managers, fostering a collaborative, motivated, and forward-thinking environment.

* Collaborate with senior leadership and global experts – Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Medical, Marketing, and Commercial teams, and engage academic and industry partners to drive innovation at pace.

Recruitment Process

* 2 – 3 stage interview process (interviews ASAP!)

Excited to learn more? Click apply or reach out to the MedTech recruitment team for full details!

Evolve is a leading recruitment and outsourcing organisation, operating within the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Medical Device and Life Science sectors.

Equal opportunities are important to us. We believe that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a company, We encourage applications from everyone, regardless of background, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, ethnicity, belief, age, family or parental status, and any other characteristic

Related Jobs

View all jobs
Spotlight

Director Biostatistics - Hematology

CSL
Spotlight

Senior Director, Global Clinical Program Lead, Immunoglobulin

CSL

Senior Design Engineer - Medical Devices

ETS Technical Beeston, Nottinghamshire, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
£60,000 – £65,000 pa Hybrid

Head of Early Discovery

Recursion United Kingdom

Senior Director, Head of Global Medical Governance, ViiV Healthcare

GSK United Kingdom
On-site

Senior Director, Head of Global Medical Governance, ViiV Healthcare

GSK
On-site

Senior Director, Project Operating Model and Leadership Excellence

CSL

Head of Computational Drug Design, Cambridge, MA

Isomorphic Labs Cambridge, United Kingdom

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Where to Advertise Biotech Jobs in the UK (2026 Guide)

Where to advertise biotech jobs UK in 2026: the specialist boards, academic networks and trade channels that reach biotech R&D and bioprocessing talent. The candidate pool spans life scientists, computational biologists, regulatory specialists and biomanufacturing engineers — each with distinct professional networks and job search behaviours. General job boards reach a broad audience but lack the specificity that biotech professionals expect. Specialist platforms, academic channels and sector-specific communities each serve a different part of the market. This guide, published by BiotechnologyJobs.co.uk, covers where to advertise biotech roles in the UK in 2026, how the main platforms compare, what employers should expect to pay, and what the data says about hiring across different role types.

Biotech Jobs UK 2026: What to Expect Over the Next 3 Years

Biotech Jobs UK 2026: roles, salaries and the genomics, cell therapy and AI-driven drug discovery hiring trends shaping UK biotech careers. Biotechnology is creating jobs at a rate that few other sectors can match. New disciplines are emerging from research labs and entering commercial hiring pipelines, existing roles are fragmenting into deeper specialisms, and the technologies driving it all — from AI-assisted drug discovery to next-generation gene editing — are advancing faster than the workforce can keep pace with. For job seekers, this creates an unusual challenge. In most industries, career planning means navigating a relatively familiar landscape and identifying where your skills fit. In biotech, that landscape is being actively redrawn. The roles generating the most hiring activity in 2028 may look quite different from the ones appearing in job adverts today. That's not a reason to feel overwhelmed — it's a reason to get informed. The candidates who thrive in this market aren't always those with the longest CVs or the most letters after their name. They're the ones who understand where the sector is heading: which disciplines are gaining commercial traction, which technologies are driving employer demand, and how the definition of a "biotech job" is expanding well beyond traditional pharmaceuticals and research roles. This article breaks down what the UK biotech jobs market is likely to look like over the next three years — covering emerging job titles, the technologies reshaping hiring, the skills employers are prioritising right now, and how to position your career ahead of the curve rather than behind it.

New Biotech Employers to Watch in 2026: UK and Global Companies Transforming Life Sciences Careers

New Biotech Employers to Watch in 2026: a UK and global shortlist of life sciences companies hiring genomics, cell therapy and clinical development talent. The biotechnology job market in the UK is entering a new phase—one defined by scientific breakthroughs, targeted investment, and a growing pipeline of innovative employers. For professionals browsing BiotechnologyJobs.co.uk, the key question is no longer just which companies exist, but which ones are scaling, hiring, and shaping the future of life sciences. In this article, we explore the new biotech employers to watch in 2026, focusing on UK-based startups, scale-ups, and international firms with a growing UK presence. These organisations have recently secured funding, partnerships, or strategic backing—strong indicators of hiring momentum in the months ahead.