Senior Scientific Projects Officer

Beacon for Rare Diseases is seeking a Senior Scientific Projects Officer to join our established team and support us through the next stage in our charity's development. 

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OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

As Senior Scientific Projects Officer, you will be pivotal in delivering Beacon’s scientific training initiatives. Your role will involve creating and delivering educational content through written guides, webinars, and workshops, aimed at equipping patient group leaders and academics with the knowledge to contribute effectively to the development of new therapies for rare diseases.

Alongside the Scientific Projects Manager and other key team members, you’ll work across two main areas of the charity’s work:

1. REMEDi4ALL: A European-wide drug repurposing platform, aiming to expedite the use of existing medicines to address unmet clinical needs. Collaborating with our European partners, you will drive the creation of training materials focused on patient engagement and education within the drug repurposing community.
    
2. Rare Disease Research: Supporting the development of the UK rare disease research ecosystem, alongside LifeArc’s newly funded Rare Disease Translational Research Centres. You will help establish new standards in patient-centred research, disseminating findings and insights from this innovative network to accelerate rare disease treatment development in the UK.

Across these projects, you will manage the development of educational materials, including writing and reviewing content, supporting and coordinating volunteers and pro bono contributors, planning and delivering live training events, and assessing needs through feedback and stakeholder engagement.

This role offers an exciting opportunity for someone looking to make a difference in the charity sector and thrive in a small team environment. The successful candidate will have a strong scientific understanding and experience in creating educational training materials, and/or medical communication. Your work will be crucial in driving forward Beacon’s mission of building a united rare disease community with patient groups at its heart.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

• Designing curricula and programmes for live training sessions for patient group leaders, academics, and other stakeholders.
• Creating written and video training materials for our projects, both independently and with Beacon team members, collaborators, and pro bono supporters.
• Developing and maintaining the REMEDi4ALL Digital Repurposing Academy using a WordPress-based learning management system.
• Overseeing and coordinating the expansion of the REMEDi4ALL Digital Repurposing Academy.
• Delivering live training on various topics on behalf of Beacon.
• Leading project work, engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, and representing Beacon at meetings and forums as you expand your knowledge and confidence.
• Researching and conducting interviews to identify the training needs of our target beneficiaries.
• Performing in-depth research to understand user needs and training experiences and incorporating into training content.
• Collaborating closely, primarily through virtual communications, with project partners across the UK and Europe.
• Managing and updating a database of drug repurposing training opportunities.

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PERSONAL SPECIFICATION 

This is a role suitable for someone with, ideally, 2 or more years of experience within science or medical communication - this may be in the form of medical writing, developing and delivering training or medical science liaison work - and looking to contribute to a non-profit environment.

Essential

• Scientific degree, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proficient in the creation of educational content, particularly in written formats.
• Ability to explain complex scientific processes to a general audience, in both spoken and written formats.
• A confident communicator, able to build strong working relationships with virtual and in-person teams.
• Excellent research skills, with experience in identifying, analysing and collating information from various sources.
• A patient centric focus with appreciation of patient input in medical research.
• A proactive attitude with good initiative and a focus on impactful project outcomes.
• Attention to detail with a drive to achieve and maintain high standards.
• Drive, determination, and self-motivation, with a positive attitude towards work.
• Understanding of, and commitment to, the objectives of Beacon.
• Ability to deliver occasional out-of-hours work to accommodate Beacon events or travel in the UK and internationally.

Desirable

• Experience in project management.
• Experience working or volunteering with charities.
• An understanding of rare diseases and/or the UK healthcare system.

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WORKING AT BEACON

Beacon is a small, tight-knit team, with a friendly atmosphere and strong commitment to our beneficiaries. We aim to give all employees opportunities to pursue their interests, develop their skills and shape their career path.

At Beacon, we are pleased to have flexible working practices that allow our employees to balance their personal and professional lives. We also recognise the substantial benefits of in-person collaboration and communication to the organisation and its staff. We offer flexible hours and hybrid working to encourage good work-life stability and ensure seamless teamwork across the organisation.

Compensation and benefits

• £27,000 p/a salary 
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and Christmas to New Year closure 
• 5% pension contribution 
• Flexible working practices 
• Access to free mental health support, counselling and 24/7 telephone GP 
• Discounts at major retailers, supermarkets and gyms
• And much more - download our Job Description for a full list of benefits