Programme Manager

STFC - The Science and Technology Facilities Council

Location:Warrington, HybridSalary:£46,743 per annumHours:Full TimeContract Type:PermanentPlaced On:13th April 2026Closes:10th May 2026Job Ref:2135

Hours: Full-Time (We understand the importance of work-life balance, and offer flexible working, but do require at least 3 days a week on-site)

Location: Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington

About Us:

The DeepTech Catalyst (DTC) helps UK technology start-ups and SMEs to grow bigger, faster and get their game-changing innovations into the real world. It is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which invests almost £10Bn each year to advance knowledge, improve lives, and drive economic growth across the UK.

About the Role:

You will be a key member of the DTC Team and Site Lead at Daresbury leading DTC programmes in Biotech (DTC Bio) and Health tech (DTC Health and NHS). You will liaise with the Head of the DTC and will work collaboratively with two other Programmes Managers and site leads in Harwell and Edinburgh to ensure the overall success of the DTC. You will manage one direct report and will team up with two colleagues who manage financial, contractual and administration matters for the DTC at Daresbury.

This exciting and dynamic role will involve working closely with more than 20 different Health and Biotech start-ups every year to support them along their innovation journeys – from developing new cancer diagnostics to making better-tasting coffee, without the coffee beans. You will have overall responsibility for running the DTC site at Daresbury, ensuring that local targets are met.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the current DTC operations and support the development of new support programmes at Daresbury.
• Agree and deliver all targets for the DTC programmes at Daresbury (e.g., # start-ups joining, % graduation rates, # case studies, impact created, etc.).
• Ensure a high-quality deal-flow of applications DTC programmes by identifying potential applicants and supporting them to develop and submit competitive applications to the programme.
• Ensure that start-ups supported by us complete their engagements with the DTC and fully exploit the technical and business support on offer.
• Own the operational relationships with colleagues at our co-funding partners, including UKRI-BBSRC and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
• Cultivate relationships with regional organisations in the North West providing business support, funding and investment to start-ups.
• Collaborate with STFC and co-funder Marketing and Comms teams to promote the impact of the DTC (quantitative and anecdotal).
• Work closely with STFC’s cluster development teams to maximise the impact of our support for technology businesses.
• Produce timely, complete and appropriate business, financial and operational reports.
• Support the DTC Lead to develop and refresh the overall strategy for Biotech and Health programmes.

Person Specification:

• Experience working with technology-based SMEs and knowledge of the support that they require to take a product to market.
• Ability to evaluate the quality and maturity of start-up business plans (e.g. start-up team & skills, value proposition and product/market fit, go to market approach, etc.) and to provide constructive, action-oriented feedback and recommendations.
• Business development experience with demonstratable evidence of growing and managing a pipeline of business opportunities.
• A track record in owning and managing one or more projects / programmes to time and on budget.
• Good organisational skills.
• Excellent communication, networking and presentation skills, including the ability to interface between technical and commercial audiences.
• Ability to travel within the UK and abroad.

Link to benefits: https://stfccareers.co.uk/rewards-and-benefits/

To apply for this role, please click on the 'Apply' button above.