The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Kew) is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. Kew has two main botanic garden sites: Kew Gardens in south-west London, a top London visitor attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Wakehurst in West Sussex, its wild botanic garden and home to the Millennium Seed Bank. It also has a permanent research office in Madagascar, one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

The mission at Kew is to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. Science has always been at the heart of Kew's purpose. Its collections, people and partnerships enable Kew to make an invaluable and highly relevant contribution to some of the biggest issues facing the global population.  

Kew is now seeking to appoint its first Head of Research and Innovation Services. This is a new position that brings together two existing teams (the Research Services and Commercial Innovation Unit teams) with the responsibility for maximising research impact through delivering excellence in  services covering grant operations, research development, innovation and business engagement, and knowledge exchange.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to grow and develop their own team, working in partnership with leadership teams across the organisation to provide strategic direction, operational coordination, and advice in delivery of the Science Strategy.

The post holder should have experience of senior leadership of high-quality research and innovation services and a track record of facilitating the translation and commercialisation of scientific research. They will demonstrate proven leadership experience and ability to manage change whilst inspiring and engaging key stakeholders both internally and externally. They will share Kew’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and nurturing culture in which all colleagues have the opportunity to thrive and progress their careers. 

We encourage you to arrange a discussion with our search partner, Perrett Laver, to find out more about the opportunity.

Appointment Process and How to Apply

Application is by submission of a curriculum vitae and a covering letter of application, addressing the job description and person specification. Completed applications should be uploaded by the deadline of 11:59pm BST on Sunday 26th January 2025. ​

We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition. ​

If you would like us to make adjustments during the application process, please contact Esther Elbro at the following email address: Esther.Elbro@perrettlaver.com. If you have comments that would support us to improve access to documentation, or our application process more generally, please do not hesitate to contact us via the following email address: accessibility@perrettlaver.com.

Privacy policy

Protecting your personal data is of the utmost importance to Perrett Laver and we take this responsibility very seriously. Any information obtained by our trading divisions is held and processed in accordance with the relevant data protection legislation. The data you provide us with is securely stored on our computerised database and transferred to our clients for the purposes of presenting you as a candidate and/or considering your suitability for a role you have registered interest in.

Perrett Laver is a Data Controller and a Data Processor, and our legal basis for processing your personal data is ‘Legitimate Interests’. You have the right to object to us processing your data in this way. For more information about this, your rights, and our approach to Data Protection and Privacy, please visit our website https://perrettlaver.com/privacy-statement/.