"Head of KQ Labs"

The Francis Crick Institute

Location: The Francis Crick Institute, London

Salary: From £90,000 with benefits, subject to skills & experience

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Placed On: 16th January 2026

Closes: 1st February 2026

Job Ref: R2535

Short summary

The Head of KQ Labs plays a central role in shaping the future of data-driven health innovation at the Francis Crick Institute. You will lead the strategic development and delivery of KQ Labs and its associated programmes, including TechBio Boost, NG Studios and the PULSE bootcamp, ensuring high-quality support from early-stage and later-stage health start-ups.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on programme management, requiring creativity, ambition and a deep understanding of start-up challenges. You will oversee resources, build partnerships and maintain KQ Labs’ position as a world-class accelerator, helping London’s Knowledge Quarter thrive as a global hub for health innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Leading the development and delivery of short-, medium- and long-term strategy for KQ Labs and its programmes.
• Overseeing accelerator and related programmes (TechBio Boost, NG Studios, PULSE), ensuring high-quality cohorts, impactful mentoring and measurable outcomes.
• Building and engaging the KQ Labs alumni network through events, workshops and mentoring, and leading communications to strengthen the programme’s profile.
• Managing the KQ Labs team, budgets, reporting and operational systems to ensure smooth programme delivery.
• Securing and managing resources for current and future programmes, including oversight of start-up funding and collaboration with finance and legal teams.
• Contributing to wider Crick entrepreneurship initiatives, fostering a connected, sustainable community of life science innovators.

About you

You will have:

• Proven ability to develop and deliver long-term strategy, navigate complexity and drive performance.
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and negotiation skills; experience engaging Boards, investors and senior partners.
• Strong management skills to lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team.
• Confident ambassador able to raise KQ Labs’ profile.
• Experience in commercialising innovation, scaling early-stage ventures and securing funding.
• Understanding of healthcare, life sciences and data-driven technologies (AI, machine learning).

About us

The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and disease. Its work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate discoveries into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.

An independent organisation, its founding partners are the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome, UCL, Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The Crick was formed in 2015, and in 2016 it moved into a new state-of-the-art building in central London which brings together 1500 scientists and support staff working collaboratively across disciplines, making it the biggest biomedical research facility under in one building in Europe.

The Francis Crick Institute will be world-class with a strong national role. Its distinctive vision for excellence includes commitments to collaboration; developing emerging talent and exporting it the rest of the UK; public engagement; and helping turn discoveries into treatments as quickly as possible to improve lives and strengthen the economy.

Please apply via the ‘Apply’ button above.