The BBRC is seeking to fill the full-time position of Director of the BBRC CSA. The appointed individual will report to the BBRC Director and become a member of the Management Committee. He / she will be responsible for the development and management of the centre’s CSA, a series of studies involving thousands of participants from across Spain.
The selected candidate’s role will be twofold :
* Acting as ambassador for the BBRC CSA.
* Overseeing the management of a multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 people participating in observational research studies and non-pharmacological and pharmacological intervention studies (clinical trials).
* Collaborating with the research groups (Faculty) in fostering and developing new studies.
As a long-term goal, the CSA Director will play a critical role in shaping the next decade of the BBRC’s growth and impact. This will be achieved through multicentre grant applications across transdisciplinary domains in which the BBRC research groups are involved. This role will enhance the BBRC’s global partnerships with leading institutions in Europe, the US, and strategic partners in Ibero-America, fostering strategic alliances and expanding educational initiatives.
By leveraging the centre’s scientific infrastructure and expertise, the CSA Director will co-lead funding acquisition and international partnerships, helping to establish the BBRC as a global leader in brain health. He / she will expand the BBRC’s scientific impact through multimodal, computational, and translational neuroscience, promote cross-national research consortia, and help integrate multimodal biomarkers for prevention and early detection. The selected candidate will capitalize on international funding opportunities and networks to forge strategic partnerships and advance a transdisciplinary approach with a focus on personalized medicine and precision brain health.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The CSA Director at the BBRC will play a pivotal role in fostering the institutional research projects and ensuring their strategic growth by bringing a global and strategic perspective to the future of neuroscience, brain health, and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. The CSA Director will strengthen the scientific assets, support the BBRC research groups and programmes, and facilitate national and international partnerships. The CSA Director does not lead a research group but works in collaboration with the BBRC Faculty to strengthen the BBRC groups’ own research as well as the phenotyping and value of the BBRC core cohorts.
Key responsibilities include :
* Contributing to the scientific development of the BBRC and leading its core assets :
* Overall scientific strategy : helping the BBRC management develop a strategic agenda to enhance the centre’s national, regional, and global scientific leadership with partnerships in the US, Europe, and Ibero-America, as well as other areas as necessary.
* Strategic planning : designing and implementing long-term strategic plans to strengthen the BBRC core scientific infrastructure and its role in global neuroscience research by ensuring long-term sustainability of the research cohorts (e.g. participants’ engagement, progression from preclinical to symptomatic stages) and ensuring they are updated in the rapidly changing landscape of neurodegenerative disorders (e.g. incorporating new biomarkers, new disease-modifying therapies).
* Strategic growth and funding : facilitating large-scale funding acquisition from institutions such as NIH, the Alzheimer’s Association, European agencies, and philanthropic foundations to expand the BBRC scientific assets (cohorts) and research initiatives.
* Scientific excellence : liaising with the BBRC Faculty to find opportunities and strengthen the BBRC research as a whole as well as the state-of-the-art characterization and value of the BBRC CSA.
* Transdisciplinary integration : leading and promoting transdisciplinary initiatives within the BBRC, integrating fields such as exposome research, -omics, computational modelling, machine learning, and neuroinformatics.
* Cross-sector and societal engagement : assisting the BBRC and the FPM management in linking brain health research to broader societal initiatives, including policy development, public-private partnerships, and interdisciplinary projects that broaden the centre’s impact.
* Contributing to managerial and operational oversight of the BBRC :
* Executive supervision : ensuring the scientific development of the BBRC core studies is aligned with the objectives of the other institutional stakeholders, including research and outreach activities.
* Scientific oversight and quality assurance : ensuring the legal integrity of the BBRC core studies, upholding the highest standards in clinical, observational, and interventional research.
* Operations and team management :
* Overseeing and optimizing the clinical operations team responsible for conducting longitudinal cohort studies, observational research, and non-pharmacological and pharmacological intervention studies and trials.
* Data and samples governance : participating as a key stakeholder in the strategic management of the BBRC core data and samples, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical regulations while facilitating efficient access for internal research and open science initiatives.
* Open science : promoting open science initiatives, ensuring broad yet secure access to multimodal datasets while adhering to ethical and legal standards.
* Research impact and support : enhancing the visibility of BBRC research by supporting grant applications, optimizing data sharing, and improving the quality and impact of publications.
* Acting as an ambassador for the BBRC CSA :
* Institutional representation and collaboration : representing the BBRC CSA at national and international conferences, building partnerships with research institutions, consortia, and the industry.
* Alliances with the private industry : acting as an ambassador for the centre and its scientific resources to attract new clinical trials from the pharmaceutical industry that test the preventive effect of experimental drugs, mostly in cognitively unimpaired participants with underlying Alzheimer’s disease (preclinical disease stage, prevention trials).
REQUIREMENTS
* A PhD or MD-PhD in Neuroscience, Neurology, Brain Health, or related fields, with a strong record of publications and funding in dementia and brain health research is required.
* Specialization in brain health, dementia research, and specific disciplines, and / or a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine specializing in Neurology will be considered valuable.
* Established leadership in directing large-scale international programmes, particularly in consortium building and global health initiatives, with global partners and private-public associations.
* Proven track record in scientific mentorship with PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and ECRs, and in contributions to the development of research programmes in brain health, neuroscience, and dementia research.
* Demonstrated experience in transdisciplinary settings that combine brain health research with broader societal impacts and policymaking.
* Demonstrated experience in acquiring and cultivating relationships with private industry (such as serving on pharmaceutical industry advisory boards for the design and development of clinical trials).
* Extensive experience in securing and managing high-impact grants from bodies such as the NIH, European programmes, the Alzheimer’s Association, and other global funding organisations.
* Experience in representing scientific assets (such as cohorts) to align them with multiple stakeholders and maximize the scientific and societal impact of these research infrastructures.
* Institutional representation skills, with a clear orientation towards establishing and nurturing relationships (networking), particularly with key stakeholders in the healthcare system and research ecosystem.
* Experience in clinical practice environments, clinical research, protocol design, and audits and inspections by pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies will be highly valued.
* Experience in cohort management : open access management protocols, linked publications, big data and open science, among other areas.
* Experience in budget preparation and quantifying the resources required to develop projects, such as equipment, personnel, and spaces.
* Experience in managing multidisciplinary teams.
* Good technological skills, applied to clinical research.
* Excellent verbal and written skills in English.
* Willingness to travel nationally and internationally.
KEY COMPETENCIES
* Collaborative and visionary leadership.
* Institutional sensitivity.
* Strategic thinking.
* Strong relationship, communication, and relationship management skills.
* Organizational and analytical abilities.
WORKING CONDITIONS
* Permanent contract.
* Excellent Company Agreement in relation to the Annual Calendar of effective hours : 1,618 hours full-time.
* Weekly working time : 38h / week.
* Competitive salary proposal according to the Foundation's reward policy and development plan.
* Hybrid working model (on-site + teleworking) and flexible working hours.
* Holidays : 23 working days proportional to the date of hiring. Furthermore, other extra calendar days such as long weekends and days in March-April and December.
* Flexible compensation plan (meal card, health insurance, kindergarten).
We offer a very stimulating environment with unique opportunities for professional development.
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