Technical Specialist - Applied Immunology

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Description

About ARIA ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Application Deadline: 21 September 2025

Department: Programmes

Location: London

Compensation: £68,000 - £99,000 / year

Role summary

As an ARIA Technical Specialist, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. You\'ll sit alongside Programme Director Brian Wang and their Programme Specialist on ARIA\'s Sustained Viral Resilience programme. You\'ll be exposed to every aspect of the programme\'s technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery. We’re looking for an adaptable technical professional who’s strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You’ll be working in a bold, talented & agile team, funding projects (Creator teams) across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science & technology.

What you\'ll do

• Technical Programme Advisory and Support: Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at enabling the development of “innate vaccines”.
• Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what\’s being built and tested by Creator teams.
• Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
• Provide evidence-based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high-quality decisions and sharpen the programme\'s strategic direction.
• Communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
• Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its opportunity space.
• Co-author white papers, open calls, and technical reviews that articulate the ambition of the programme and set a clear, compelling vision for external communities.
• Work closely with the Programme Specialist and Creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for cross-pollination to sustain momentum.
• Be the technical bridge between the PD and functional teams, ensuring execution aligns with the needs of the ecosystem\'s understanding of the programme.

Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem

• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Build trusted relationships with world-class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area.
• Work closely with ARIA’s Activation Partners to ensure Creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA’s direct reach.

Define and Cultivate ARIA’s Technical Culture

• Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
• Contribute as a member of ARIA’s team of Technical Specialists (T-Specs), sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s portfolio of work.
• Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.

Who you are

Essential Criteria

• You have a strong understanding of innate immune mechanisms for antiviral protection.
• You have familiarity with mechanisms of viral pathogenesis across various viruses.
• You have a strong understanding of the drug and vaccine development process.
• You excel in grasping and navigating diverse technical projects.
• You excel at translating complex technical concepts and timelines to diverse stakeholders, effectively bridging gaps between diverse teams and perspectives.
• You are willing to ask questions and can rapidly learn and adapt to new scientific areas, comprehending key components of new technical disciplines.
• You can uncover non-obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast-paced environment.
• You comprehend and articulate complex concepts clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.

Desirable Criteria

• You have first-hand exposure to developing immunotherapeutics.
• You have produced large immunological datasets and have analysed them using computational tools.
• You have a strong understanding of the state-of-the-art in synthetic biology, drug delivery technologies, and in vitro models of tissue biology.
• You are well-connected to relevant players across biotech and pharma.
• You have worked in both academia and biotech.
• You have successfully performed technical assignments that require unconventional or novel approaches.
• You are skilled in identifying technical bottlenecks, risk analysis and resolution, tracking technical milestones, and reporting on complex technical projects.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem.

Qualifications

You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD or other deeper technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; immunology, virology.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.

Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

Please note: You will be required, as and when necessary, to travel to different locations around the UK to support projects, depending on the Programme you are designated to.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Contract

Job function: Information Technology

Industries: Research Services

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