Head of Medical Device Innovation Principal Clinical Scientist


Company:	University College London Hospital
Salary:	£75,328 - £86,114 per annum inclusive of HCAS
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London, NW1 2BU
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	10 Sept 2026
Closing date:	10 Oct 2026

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Summary

A Vacancy at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

UCLH is a leading healthcare provider committed to delivering world-class patient care, research, and education. We are seeking a highly skilled, experienced and motivated scientist to support the Head of Clinical Engineering in leading, managing and developing our Medical Device Innovation Team within the Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering at UCLH.

This is a rare leadership opportunity to shape the future of Medical Device Innovation at one of the UK’s leading teaching hospitals. We have recently restructured our teams and, following the retirement of a long-standing postholder, we are using this moment to review and rebrand our service, broaden our ambition and lead UCLH in taking full advantage of new manufacturing technologies.

We are looking for an inspiring Principal Clinical Scientist who can bring vision, pace and credibility to the Medical Device Innovation Team. You will build on established strengths in patient-specific cranioplasty implants, anatomical modelling and specialist mechanical engineering, while developing a broader innovation function that connects clinicians, researchers, UCL, industry and innovation networks.

If you have a demonstrable track record in medical device design and innovation, and the enthusiasm, drive and ideas to develop this area of work, we want to hear from you.

You will lead the Medical Device Innovation Team at an exciting point in its development, setting direction, creating momentum and building a service that helps clinicians and researchers turn unmet clinical needs into safe, effective and compliant device solutions.

You will be responsible for services including patient-specific cranioplasty implants, anatomical modelling, specialist mechanical engineering, medical device modification and customisation, and research, development and innovation involving medical devices. You will authorise work undertaken by the team, manage quality, safety, performance, resources and project budgets, and lead a multidisciplinary team of clinical scientists, mechanical engineers, technologists and apprentices.

A major part of the role will be outward-facing: finding collaborators, developing opportunities, supporting grant development, using new manufacturing technologies intelligently, and helping UCLH translate innovation into clinical practice.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top-quality patient care, excellent education, and world-class research.

We provide first-class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

• University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)

• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals

• University College Hospital Grafton Way Building

• Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine

• University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre

• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases

• University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women’s health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

The Head of Medical Device Innovation is responsible for providing operational, scientific and strategic leadership for the Medical Device Innovation Team within Clinical Engineering. The postholder will lead the development and delivery of specialist services supporting medical device innovation and create and communicate a clear vision aligned with Clinical Engineering, Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering, UCLH strategy and the needs of clinical and research partners.

The postholder will provide highly specialist clinical scientific and engineering advice on the design, development, manufacture and evaluation of medical devices within the scope of Medical Device Innovation. They will interpret and apply relevant legislation, standards, quality systems and research governance requirements to work undertaken by the team, including UK medical device regulations, custom-made device requirements, ISO9001, ISO13485, IRAS and MDR-related processes. They will work with Medical Physics Quality & Governance colleagues where projects interface with IRAS, technical file review, regulatory assessment or Trust/UCL research approval processes.

The postholder will be responsible for activity, performance, quality, safety, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement of Medical Device Innovation services, including patient-specific cranioplasty implants, anatomical modelling, specialist mechanical engineering, medical device modification and customisation, and research, development and innovation involving medical devices. They will authorise work undertaken by the team within agreed governance, quality and regulatory arrangements, escalating to the Head of Clinical Engineering where senior approval is required.

The role includes leading operational delivery, managing referral pathways and workflows, monitoring service performance, managing resources and budgets associated with defined projects, ensuring safe use of facilities and specialist equipment, developing business cases and service development proposals, and supporting Clinical Engineering strategic planning.

The postholder will develop effective relationships across organisational and professional boundaries, including with clinical services, researchers, UCL, industry partners, suppliers and innovation networks. They will proactively identify unmet clinical needs, support grant development, lead or support collaborative innovation projects and promote translation into safe clinical practice.

The postholder will line manage assigned staff, maintain competency frameworks, support STP and other training, contribute to teaching and professional development, and promote a culture of quality, safety, professional accountability, inclusion and continuous improvement.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

*UCLH top trust to work at in England- In the most recentNHS staff surveyUCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff – To find out more, visit:Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit:Why Choose UCLH?

This advert closes on Thursday 24 Sep 2026

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