Lead a high-impact, £1m+ Innovate UK-funded R&D programme bridging clinical excellence and digital technology. You will orchestrate complex workstreams across NHS partners and academic institutions to develop a regulator-ready, digital-first assessment system. This is a high-agency role designed to turn ambitious research into a validated, scalable model of care for mothers.
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Research & Innovation Programme Manager at Hesta Health Limited
Are you ready to lead a £1.5m Innovate UK-funded programme that is literally reshaping the future of women’s health? This mission-driven startup is building a clinically-validated, AI-powered system to transform postnatal care, and they need a high-agency Programme Manager to bridge the gap between complex R&D and real-world impact. Working alongside top clinicians and engineers, you will orchestrate a multidisciplinary effort spanning NHS clinical trials, regulatory SaMD development, and technical infrastructure. If you thrive in high-rigour environments and want to turn ambitious science into a regulator-ready product that improves lives at scale, this is your front-row seat to the Femtech revolution.
About this role
Role overview
About the company
Hesta Health Limited
Hesta is creating a new benchmark in women’s health, delivering exceptional care at every life stage. As we advance towards this goal, we are committed to closing the women’s health gap, beginning with pregnancy and postnatal as our initial focus. 75 million years of women’s lives are lost every year due to poor health or early death. This gap limits potential, drives inequality, and reflects a healthcare system that wasn’t built for women. We are changing that.
What you'll do
What you will do
- Own end-to-end delivery of the 18-month BMC project, managing interdependencies between clinical design, technical infrastructure, and regulatory requirements.
- Drive governance and alignment across a high-calibre network of NHS Trusts, academic collaborators, and specialist suppliers to ensure audit-ready documentation.
- Manage risk and compliance for clinical safety (DCB0129) and data governance, ensuring all R&D outputs are defensible for commercial and regulatory progression.
Who you are
Who this is a fit for
- Proven experience in complex programme management within health-tech, research, or consulting environments, specifically delivering multi-stakeholder outcomes.
- Demonstrated success managing grant-funded programmes (e.g., Innovate UK, NIHR, or Horizon Europe) with rigorous reporting and stage-gate requirements.
- A high-agency operator comfortable navigating the ambiguity of early-stage startups and the high-rigour demands of regulated medical device development.
Why this role
Why this role is remarkable
- Lead a major £1.5m Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) programme that serves as the backbone for a new category-defining health technology.
- Work at the forefront of the Femtech and AI revolution, closing the women’s health gap through evidence-backed, clinically-validated innovation.
- Gain unique exposure to the full lifecycle of health-tech development, from feasibility studies to NHS clinical trials and SaMD regulatory certification.
Jack & Jill
How Jack & Jill work together
I get to know what you’re great at, then find roles you’d never find yourself.Ok, I'll go first. I'm Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you're great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.
I recruit from Jack’s network and make the intro when I spot a great match.And I'm Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they're looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack's network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.
Meet Jack
Jack gets to know what you're great at and what you want next, then searches 15 million jobs daily and helps you discover roles at companies like this.
How does this work?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If it’s a match and the company wants to meet you, they’ll make the intro. In the meantime, if you’d like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.