Chief Scientist, BHF Data Science Centre - Secondment

Purpose of the post

We are seeking an exceptional and internationally respected cardiometabolic clinician-scientist to provide senior scientific and clinical leadership for the BHF Data Science Centre. The successful candidate will bring an outstanding reputation, extensive networks across the UK and international cardiometabolic clinical and research communities, and the strategic insight and relationship-building expertise required to shape the Centre’s direction in developing and delivering key data products and services.

Working closely with the Centre’s leadership team, the Chief Scientist will guide the development and delivery of data products, services and capabilities that enable the cardiometabolic research community to undertake cutting-edge, data-enabled research. They will ensure that the Centre’s activities are informed by the needs of researchers, clinicians, industry, patients and the public, and are focused on accelerating research that improves clinical practice, patient outcomes and public health.

The role will be pivotal in engaging cardiometabolic and data science communities and funders to identify the most important priorities, opportunities and challenges in cardiometabolic research. The postholder will work collaboratively with the Centre team and its partners to translate these needs into practical, sustainable solutions. In doing so, they will help build enduring capability across the UK and support the development of a flourishing, inclusive and internationally connected cardiometabolic health data research ecosystem.

The Chief Scientist will be an inspirational and collaborative leader, with the credibility and authenticity to influence senior stakeholders and unite diverse communities around a shared vision. They will foster interdisciplinary collaboration across clinical research, data science, statistics, biomedical science, public health and clinical trials, creating connections that enable ambitious research at scale.

With a comprehensive understanding of the UK and international cardiometabolic data science landscape, including emerging capabilities, partnerships, technologies and strategic initiatives, the postholder will play a leading role in strengthening collaboration across academia, healthcare, industry, charities and the wider research community.

Through their leadership, the Chief Scientist will ensure that the Centre remains at the forefront of cardiometabolic health data science. They will champion innovation and scientific excellence, guide the provision of high-quality and responsive data products and services, and help establish the partnerships and capabilities needed to deliver impactful research that transforms cardiometabolic clinical care and improves outcomes for patients and the public.

Main responsibilities

• Provide visible, authoritative and inclusive cardiometabolic scientific and clinical leadership, contributing as a member of the Centre’s leadership team to strategy, decision-making and collective accountability.
• Build trusted relationships across cardiometabolic clinical, research and data science communities, convening interdisciplinary expertise from academia, healthcare, industry and the wider healthcare sector.
• Lead engagement with the cardiometabolic clinical, research and data science communities to identify priority research questions, unmet needs and opportunities for collaborative action.
• Influence, build consensus and translate community and user needs into clear strategic priorities for the development of data products, services, infrastructure and analytical capabilities. Ensure that patient and public perspectives inform decisions about research priorities, data products, services and capabilities.
• Provide senior scientific and clinical expertise and context to the Centre team throughout the design, development and delivery of the Centre’s products and services, ensuring they are user-led, scientifically robust and responsive to evolving research needs.
• Maintain oversight of developments in cardiometabolic science, clinical practice, health data research, artificial intelligence, statistics and data-enabled clinical trials, using this insight to adapt the Centre’s priorities and approach in response to new evidence, technologies and community needs.
• Ensure the Centre’s portfolio balances immediate research priorities with longer-term capability, building, sustainable infrastructure and a lasting legacy of skills, resources and trusted partnerships.
• Promote the BHF Data Science Centre’s role in enabling UK cardiometabolic data science research to the general public and policy makers, to inspire and sustain support for the use of cardiometabolic health data in research.
• Influence and build consensus across clinical, academic, technology, pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors to accelerate data-enabled cardiometabolic research and improve access to high-quality research data.
• Act as a senior ambassador for the Centre at UK and international scientific, clinical and strategic forums, championing its mission, infrastructure, products, services and achievements.
• Identify funding and investment opportunities, providing scientific leadership for major funding applications, strategic business cases and proposals to public, charitable and commercial funders.
• Establish clear objectives, milestones and measures of scientific, clinical and public benefit, monitoring progress and emerging risks and adapting priorities in response to new evidence, technologies and community needs.
• Work with Centre to evaluate and communicate the vision, impact and achievements of the Centre’s products and services to its governance bodies, funders, partners and wider communities

Knowledge/Skills/Experience

The successful applicant will have:

• Exceptional clinical cardiometabolic credibility, with the authority to engage and influence leading researchers, clinicians, data scientists, policymakers and strategic partners.
• A substantial record of scientific or clinical achievement and leadership, demonstrated through influential research, clinical impact, innovation, policy contribution or the leadership of major research programmes.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to listen and reconcile competing perspectives, build consensus and secure delivery against shared objectives.
• The ability to balance creative and innovative thinking with practical delivery, sustainability and measurable scientific, clinical and public benefit
• Experience of engaging senior stakeholders across academia, healthcare, data science, industry, professional societies, research networks, government and policy communities.
• The ability to provide constructive challenge, make sound strategic judgements and drive delivery while working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary leadership team.
• A commitment and enthusiasm to engaging with patients, the public, and patient and public involvement networks/organisations for cardiometabolic data science research.
• Experience of public communication of science and media relations, especially the critical role of public involvement and engagement in complex issues such as the use and sharing of health and social data for research.
• A strong understanding of the complexities, opportunities and challenges associated with using health data for research, including data quality, representativeness, accessibility, linkage, interoperability, reproducibility, security and governance.
• Experience of engagement with UK and devolved nation governments and policy bodies, and familiarity with UK health data governance model.
• Experience of heading up and delivering large and complex partnership projects.

Please note, as we are a UK-based organisation, applicants must be living in, and eligible to work in, the UK. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

We politely request no contact from recruitment agencies or media sales. We do not accept speculative CVs from recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

For more information, please download the Job Description