Head of Equity Partnering, Infectious Disease, Wellcome TRUST

Overview

Contract type: Permanent

Interview dates: 1st stage (26 Feb, 27 Feb and 2 Mar) online/Remote; 2nd stage: face to face

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We improve health for everyone by funding science, leading policy and advocacy campaigns, and building partnerships.

Salary: £95,000

Closing date: Monday, 9 February 2026

About Wellcome The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation. We plan to spend £16bn over the next ten years, funding new discoveries in life, health, and wellbeing, and taking on three global health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. Wellcome's Equity Department ensures we engage thoughtfully with the right people at the right time, enabling and investing in impactful research and influencing policy and practice so that new scientific advances, innovation and product development can be accessed with confidence by the people who need them most.

We work to ensure partners and communities are engaged equitably, their voices shape the work we support, research draws on the broadest possible talent and expertise, and Wellcome itself is an inclusive place to work.

Role We are now recruiting a Head of Equity Partnering, Infectious Disease to lead programmes that embed equity across the Infectious Disease () team's strategy, funding and research activities and drive delivery against Wellcome's Equity Framework.  a multidisciplinary team delivering Wellcome's strategy to tackle infectious diseases in the highest burden settings. In this senior role, you will be embedded within the Infectious Disease leadership team, shaping its strategic direction and ensuring equity principles guide decision‑making across the programme.

A key senior member of the Equity team, you will coordinate, manage and draw on the full capabilities of the Equity Department, partnering closely with senior stakeholders to develop 's strategic vision and build an evidence base for equitable research and funding practices. This is an opportunity to drive system‑level change and ensure the benefits of infectious disease research and innovation reach the communities who stand to gain the most.

We are looking for a Head of Equity Partnering, Infectious Disease to join our team.

Where in Wellcome will I be working? You’ll be working in Wellcome's Equitable Research Practice
, part of the Equity Department, which leads our efforts to embed equitable approaches across research, funding and policy portfolio. The team comprises Equity Partnering, Equitable Funding, Inclusive Research, and Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion functions. As part of a matrix working model, you will be a core member of the Infectious Disease Programme Senior Management Team that directs Wellcome's programme for one of the three health challenges Wellcome has committed to.

It is a multidisciplinary team focused on accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of new drugs, vaccines and interventions to deliver impact where they are needed most. We fund researchers and organisations globally with a focus on Africa and South, South-East Asia with an ambition to increase our engagement and impact in these geographies. You'll collaborate with colleagues across Equity and Infectious Disease, as well as external partners, to ensure our work is inclusive, evidence led and grounded in the needs of the communities most affected by infectious disease.

What will I be doing? You’ll play a pivotal role in embedding equity across the Infectious Disease programme, shaping strategic direction, leading impactful projects and building strong partnerships that influence how Wellcome funds and delivers research. Working across the Equity Department and Infectious Disease teams, you’ll drive collaborative, evidence-led approaches that strengthen equity at every stage of the research and funding journey.

As a Head of Equity Partnering, Infectious Disease, you will:

• Lead programmes that embed equity across the Infectious Disease strategy, funding and research, ensuring delivery aligns with Wellcome's Equity Framework.
• Contribute to shaping strategic direction as part of the Infectious Disease…