Process Improvement Programme Manager, Wellcome
£76.9-96.1k
3 days a week in office
Global charitable foundation for science research
Be an early applicant
Global charitable foundation for science research
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
£76.9-96.1k
3 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
Wellcome's mission is to support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone.
Role
Who you are
- This role is for you if you are passionate about making organisations work better in practical, measurable ways
- You may have experience in process improvement, continuous improvement, operational excellence, transformation delivery or business change. You will be comfortable working across teams, bringing people together, simplifying complexity and turning improvement ideas into implemented change
- You will enjoy this role if you like combining structured process thinking with hands-on delivery, and if you want to help build a culture where teams can continuously improve the way they work
- To apply for this role please submit an updated CV and answer 2 application questions to demonstrate that you meet the minimum requirements for the role
- Experience designing and improving end-to-end processes in collaboration with process owners
- Experience delivering complex process improvement or transformation interventions in matrixed organisations
- Experience applying continuous improvement approaches such as Lean, Kaizen, Agile or similar methodologies
- Strong ability to translate process design into practical implementation plans and deliver outcomes through collaboration with others
- Excellent facilitation, stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills
What the job involves
- We are looking for a Process Improvement Programme Manager to help simplify how work gets done, improve end-to-end processes and ensure changes are implemented, owned and sustained across Wellcome
- You will join the Business Architecture and Process team within Operations, reporting to the Head of Business Architecture and Process
- This is a newly establishing team with an organisation wide remit. Its purpose is to help Wellcome understand how the organisation works today, define how it needs to work in future, and support the changes needed to get there
- The team works closely with process owners and colleagues across multiple functions and teams. You will be part of a small, high impact team that works collaboratively with the organisation to identify opportunities, improve how work flows across teams and ensure improvements are practical, implemented and sustained
- This is an exciting opportunity to shape how process improvement is done at Wellcome and to make a visible contribution to how the organisation delivers its mission
- You will lead and support the design, governance and continuous improvement of end-to-end business processes across Wellcome
- Working collaboratively with teams and process owners, you will identify opportunities to simplify work, reduce duplication, improve effectiveness and support the implementation of practical process changes. You will help ensure process improvements are not just designed, but delivered, embedded and owned by the right teams
- Improve end-to-end processes by working with teams to identify, design and implement improvements that simplify ways of working and enable better delivery
- Establish process ownership and governance by supporting clear process ownership, standards, frameworks and performance measures across the organisation
- Translate process design into action by turning improvement opportunities into practical plans and supporting teams to implement changes effectively
- Embed continuous improvement by building capability, sharing methods and supporting teams to sustain improvements over time
- Lead targeted process improvement initiatives where central coordination, pace or cross-functional alignment is needed
- Collaborate across Wellcome by partnering with process owners, and relevant stakeholders to ensure improvements align with wider priorities and delivery approaches
Application process
- Closing date: 21 July 2026
- Interview dates: 1st stage (w/c 3 August 2026) online/remote
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The Wellcome Trust was originally founded in 1936 to fund medical research and has since grown into the UK’s largest private scientific research fund, and one of the wealthiest charities in the world. Disbursing over £1 billion in funds a year, it has provided funding to numerous medical research projects in its focus areas of mental health, climate & health and infectious diseases. These include the Cancer Genome Project and the Ebola Emergency Initiative.
Wellcome's 2022 decision to divest itself of its shares in fossil fuels has also relieved it of a persistent source of controversy, as this was potentially hindering the credibility of its climate change research. Wellcome has since partnered with the World Economic Forum to collect data on how climate change is affecting health worldwide.
The company is also moving to adjust to a more global role. The majority of its funding has historically been allocated to UK firms, but as climate change and infectious diseases know no borders, neither does research into solutions to these problems. ln 2019 it established an office in Berlin to strengthen its scientific links in the EU and to allow it to more easily fund important research outside of the UK.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
6% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Holiday – 25 days’ holiday a year plus bank holidays (and we usually close between Christmas and New Year)
- Pension (defined contribution plan) – you contribute at least 3% and we pay in 15% of your salary
- Income protection – to maintain your income if you have a prolonged illness or disability
- Life assurance – four to six times your basic salary if you’re a member of our pension plan
- Interest-free travel season ticket loan
- Private medical insurance – we pay the cover, you pay the tax (and you can pay to add dependants)
- Gym and fitness classes – free membership to on-site gym and subsidised fitness classes and treatments
- Employee assistance programme – free, independent 24/7 help and advice for work-related issues as well as problems affecting your home life
- Mental health support – our network of mental health first aiders can be a first point of contact, or help while you're receiving professional help
- Health assessments (free and voluntary) – after you’ve been here for one year, then every two years after that
- Occupational health – annual eye tests and flu jabs, as well as job-related vaccinations
- Flexible working – we make every effort to support flexible working, including flexible working hours and remote working (we respect people's different working preferences and the need for a healthy work-life balance)
- Flexi-leave scheme – you can buy or sell up to five days of your holiday entitlement a year
- Staff social club – a range of sports teams and fun events throughout the year
- Volunteering – we give you up to four days' paid leave a year to contribute to our local community
- Give As You Earn – allows you to make tax-free donations to the charities you care about
- Cycle-to-work scheme – we offer at least 25% discount on bikes and cycling equipment and we have secure cycle storage, lockers and showers
- Subsidised restaurant and cafe
- Wellcome Collection discounts – 20% off food, drink and gifts from our cafe, restaurant and shop
- Discounts through Perkbox – shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, phone insurance and gift cards
Company HQ
London, UK
Leadership
Jeremy Farrar
(Director)Has been Director of the Wellcome Trust since 2013. Before that was Director of Oxford Clinical Research Unit, working on research and clinical trials for diseases in Vietnam.
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