Strategy Lead, Discovery

Salary: £78,160 - £97,700 Closing date:
Tuesday, 13 October 2026 Contract type:
Fixed Term

Contract:

12 months Interview dates: 1st stage (w/c 2 November) online/Remote; 2nd stage: face to face.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships. We committed to spend £16bn in the ten years to 2032, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. We are looking for a Strategy Lead, Discovery to join our team on a 12-months fixed-term contract.

The Discovery department at Wellcome focuses on investing in people and ideas that generate new knowledge and deeper insight into life, health and wellbeing, with the potential to transform how health challenges are identified, prevented and addressed in the future. Through teams including Discovery Research, Data for Science and Health, Research Funding, and our subsidiaries, Wellcome Leap and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the department delivers a wide-ranging portfolio of research, combining flexible funding, innovative programmes and high-quality research to create meaningful, long-term impact.

The Strategy Lead will bring dedicated senior strategic capability to the next phase of the Discovery strategy, working closely with the Executive Director, Head of Executive Office, Discovery SLT and colleagues across Wellcome. Following the September 2026 Board, the role will contribute to the ongoing refinement of the strategy through to final Board sign-off in early 2027. This will include incorporating Executive and Board feedback, developing the remaining strategic areas of focus and options, facilitating contributions from internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring the overall proposition remains coherent, evidence-based and clearly articulated.

Following strategy sign-off, the role will contribute to implementation planning and provide strategic insight and capability across the Executive Office and wider Discovery department as required.

• Lead the refinement of Discovery's strategy, ensuring the next phase of work is aligned with organisational objectives and ready for Board approval.
• Work with colleagues across Wellcome to develop strategic content, including theories of change, impact measures and areas for future investment.
• Synthesise evidence, analysis and perspectives from internal and external stakeholders, clarifying complex issues and informing strategic planning.
• Produce high-quality papers, presentations and recommendations for Executive and Board discussions, adapting content to reflect feedback and evolving areas of focus.
• Develop effective working partnerships across Discovery and Wellcome, ensuring the strategy draws on relevant expertise, aligns with organisational objectives and informs implementation planning.
• Contribute to the transition from strategy development into implementation, providing strategic insight and coordination that enables Discovery to progress its objectives and address emerging opportunities.

This role could be a great fit if you have experience developing strategy in large and complex organisations and enjoy turning ambiguity into clear, evidence-based recommendations that inform organisational planning and direction. You will be comfortable working across teams and disciplines, balancing multiple strands of work, synthesising diverse perspectives, communicating complex ideas clearly, and translating strategic priorities into practical plans within a complex and evolving environment.

• Signif…