Executive Chair

Bradford Source: WhatJobs

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Molecular Titans is a deep-tech chemistry spin-out from the University of Bradford. Its patented Artemis platform captures, concentrates and identifies infectious organisms directly from a sample, without the delay of laboratory culture, addressing a problem shared across clinical diagnostics, food safety and industrial contamination control, where decisions are currently held up waiting for laboratory results.

Built on over a decade of academic research and protected by two international patent families, Artemis is now validated across four active industrial pilots spanning biofilm disruption, food safety, point-of-care diagnostics and international medical aid. The company is transitioning from a grant-funded research platform to a commercial business-to-business (B2B) business, selling Artemis directly and licensing it into higher-value regulated medical technologies.

Having secured over £5.5m in academic grant funding and completed a year of structured market discovery, Molecular Titans is now raising a Seed round to scale manufacture, convert its pilots into commercial supply and licensing agreements, and build the team required for growth.

Role specification

About Molecular Titans

Strategic Leadership

Provide clear strategic direction as Molecular Titans transitions from an academic spin-out to a commercially focused, scalable business-to-business (B2B) deep-tech business
Work closely with the founding team to sharpen market positioning and prioritisation across multiple applications
Identify and pursue high-impact growth opportunities, strategic partnerships and licensing routes that accelerate product-market fit and long-term value creation
Lead the development of a credible go-to-market strategy that addresses fast-access B2B revenue (material supply, licensing) alongside longer-term, higher-value regulated markets (medical diagnostics)

Commercialisation & Go-to-Market

Closely support the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with commercial negotiations with partners and licensees, securing terms that protect margin and long-term value while converting pilots into revenue
Support the conversion of existing industrial pilots (biofilm disruption, food safety, point-of-care diagnostics, international medical aid) into commercial supply and licensing agreements
Leverage sector networks in diagnostics, life-science tools, food safety or industrial biotech to generate new commercial traction and open doors with prospective customers and strategic partners
Guide pricing, packaging and commercial model development across Molecular Titans' dual routes to market: direct material supply / licensing and co-development for regulated medical technologies

Operational Excellence

Work with the CEO to lead operational planning, milestone-setting and capital deployment
Support the establishment of clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and performance metrics to track progress against strategy, funding milestones and value creation
Guide the CEO in establishing right-sized structures and processes appropriate to a pre-Seed / Seed deep-tech company

Financial Management

Ensure appropriate financial planning, budgeting, cashflow management and runway, including allocation of Seed proceeds against key milestones
Ensure the establishment of robust financial reporting, controls and forecasting appropriate to the company's stage

Fundraising & Stakeholder Engagement

Alongside the CEO, lead preparation of investor materials, including the pitch deck, financial model and investment narrative for the Seed round
Play a visible, front-facing role in investor engagement, helping to guide the company through its Seed round
Cultivate and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including University leadership, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), grant funders, industrial partners and investors

Founder & Team Development

Provide structured support and constructive challenge to the founding team, acting as a trusted sounding board and mentor
Help define the talent plan to build a high-calibre team capable of delivering top-tier performance
Support recruitment of high-calibre individuals aligned to the company's culture and growth objectives
Foster a high-performance, accountable and collaborative culture

Governance, Risk & Operational Oversight

Establish appropriate and right-sized governance structures for an early-stage spin-out
Identify and mitigate key commercial, technical and execution risks, including those relating to intellectual property (IP), manufacturing scale-up and regulatory pathways
Ensure IP and licensing arrangements remain appropriate as the company scales
Ensure appropriate oversight of compliance with relevant laws, regulations and ethical standards

The ideal candidate will possess most of the following skills, attributes and experiences:

A strong track record as a senior board-level leader, following a successful executive career, ideally across multiple ventures
Proven experience commercialising diagnostics, life-science tools, industrial biotech, advanced materials or adjacent deep-tech chemistry platforms, ideally with exposure to business-to-business (B2B) reagent / material supply and licensing models
Demonstrable success leading, supporting and advising management teams through venture capital (VC) fundraising (Seed to Series A and beyond) and managing investor relationships, particularly within a syndicate environment
Experience working with complex stakeholder groups, including institutional investors, strategic / industrial partners and universities or research institutions, with the ability to influence, align and build trust
Familiarity with regulatory pathways in manufacturing compliance, or medical devices, would be valuable
A strong track record personally leading commercial negotiations and closing licensing, supply or royalty deals
Proven experience mentoring and supporting founders and technical leaders, providing trusted support, guidance and perspective
Pacey, entrepreneurial and low-ego, able to build trusting relationships; direct and comfortable with constructive disagreement, able to challenge the founding team plainly when something isn't working and provide insight

Desired:

Direct experience in infectious disease diagnostics, microbiology, food safety testing, sterilisation / biocides, or polymer / materials science commercialisation
Experience supporting the build and development of teams, including advising on senior commercial hires, succession and team build appropriate to company stage

Board composition

Thomas Swift, CEO
Stephen Rimmer, CSO
Russell Hodgetts, University TTO Representation
Tom Kaye, Investor representation

Location

Hybrid, with meaningful in-person time with the founding team

Diversity

Molecular Titans welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, belief or disability. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, however, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Terms of appointment

This role is remunerated, and reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed. The expectation is that compensation will be between £45,000 - £55,000 per year for approximately six to eight days per month, with an equity or options package to be discussed.

The appointment is intended to be for an initial three-year term, subject to annual review and the company’s articles and shareholders’ agreement. The company currently has funding secured for the first year of the appointment; continuation beyond the first year will be dependent on securing the next round of funding. A key objective of the role will be to support the company through this fundraising process.

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