Head of UK Operations

Responsibilities

We are representing a confidential biotech organization expanding its operations to the UK. As the founding operator for their London site, you will own the UK operation end-to-end:

• Establish and open a new laboratory facility in London, managing the complete build-out from lease negotiation through to operational readiness—including fit-out, contractors, equipment procurement, supplier relationships, permitting, timelines, and budget
• Build the founding UK team by hiring across laboratory operations, automation, and scientific functions in collaboration with senior leadership
• Set up and run the UK entity, including banking, accounting, payroll, insurance, budgeting, contracts, and all operational infrastructure required for proper company functioning
• Own the local customer experience, working with UK clients from onboarding through experiment delivery while coordinating with commercial and scientific teams
• Develop relationships with landlords, contractors, vendors, universities, biotech companies, partners, and the broader London life-science ecosystem
• Put foundational people infrastructure in place and create a team capable of operating with speed and ownership

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience building something from zero—ideally launching a new site, geography, business unit, or physical operation for a fast-growing company
• Experience with labs, clinics, manufacturing, hardware, or other infrastructure-heavy businesses is particularly valuable
• Exceptional generalist capable of moving comfortably between property, finance, legal, hiring, customers, and operations
• Strong execution skills: you negotiate effectively, make decisions, follow up consistently, and keep complex projects moving forward
• High degree of ownership—you determine what needs to happen and make it happen without requiring predefined processes
• Strong life-sciences background; a degree and/or professional experience in the life sciences is highly preferred, as you will be building a lab, hiring scientists, and working with biotech customers and vendors
• Comfortable using AI tools as part of your workflow to move faster and produce better work
• Based in London or ready to relocate immediately—this is a hands-on, on-site role

How We Work With You

Our talent team at Get A Job.ai works exclusively with this confidential client to fill this critical leadership position. When you apply through our platform, one of our recruiters will conduct an initial screening to understand your background and fit for the role. We will then submit qualified candidates directly to our client for consideration. Please do not attempt to contact the client directly, as all applications must come through Get A Job.ai to be considered.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed with qualified candidates during the screening process.

Equal Opportunity

Get A Job.ai is committed to inclusive hiring practices and works with clients who value diversity in their teams. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.