Chief Finance and Commercial Officer

Location

10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK’s sovereign regulator for medicines, biological medicines, medical devices and blood products. As an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, it plays a vital role in protecting and improving public health, ensuring that healthcare products meet the highest standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. Operating at the heart of the UK’s health and life sciences ecosystem, the Agency supports innovation, enables access to safe and effective products, and works extensively with partners across the UK and internationally.

Funded primarily through fee-generating activities, products and services, MHRA combines scientific excellence, regulatory expertise and public accountability in pursuit of its mission to keep patients and the public safe.

MHRA is now seeking an outstanding Chief Finance and Commercial Officer to join its Executive Committee and Unitary Board. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, this highly influential role will provide strategic leadership across commercial, finance, estates and infrastructure. The postholder will act as a trusted adviser on financial stewardship, commercial strategy and organisational sustainability, ensuring that the Agency’s business model supports the delivery of its regulatory responsibilities while enabling long-term growth and investment.

Leading a directorate of approximately 80 colleagues, the Chief Finance and Commercial Officer will oversee ambitious commercial and fee reform programmes, shape revenue generation and procurement strategies, provide assurance on financial performance and risk, and guide the future development of key laboratory and estate infrastructure, including nationally significant facilities.

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant with substantial senior leadership experience gained in a complex, highly regulated environment, ideally within central government or a similarly demanding setting. They will bring a strong track record in strategic financial management, commercial leadership and organisational transformation, alongside experience of managing diverse funding streams, income generation and major procurement activity. Equally important will be the ability to influence at Board and Executive level, build trusted relationships across government and industry, and communicate complex financial issues with clarity and insight.

A collaborative and credible leader, they will share MHRA’s commitment to public service, innovation and organisational excellence.

• Responsible for leading and delivering the Agency’s commercial strategy and revenue growth in collaboration with Executive Committee members
• Trusted senior commercial advisor to colleagues at the early stages of policy exploration to test commercial opportunities and arrangements.
• Play a key leadership and change management role in developing a strong commercial function for the Agency and across government

• Serve as a strategic finance partner to the Chief Executive Officer/Accounting Officer
• Responsible for managing the Agency’s financial strategic aims, operations and risk. Including the Agency’s medium- and long-term commercial and financial plans and forecasts.

• Accountable for the strategic management, maintenance and development of the Agency’s estates and facilities, ensuring compliance, efficiency and value, including the provision of on site security.
• Lead on the development of our Future Laboratory requirements, including the investment and location options
• Work across government to ensure the Laboratory Services site, which is a strategic National Infrastructure location, has the right cross government profile that protects the services it delivers

• Lead, grow and develop a team of high performing professionals who are true partners to the business.
• As a key member of the Agency’s senior leadership team, you will play an active role in supporting…