Head of Science

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An exciting start up organisation who are looking to shape the energy sector are seeking a Head of Science, to own the experimental programme, set decision-ready success criteria, and lead a small team of PhD specialists to accelerate progress in a fast-moving, lab-first environment. If you thrive on clear thinking, rapid testing, and making confident calls with incomplete data, this Head of Science position is built for you.

What You Will Do:

• Own and run the experimental programme, ensuring every experiment maps to a specific programme decision.
• Maintain the system energy ledger by integrating modelling outputs, experimental data, and hardware constraints.
• Define experimental requirements and decision points for each prototype stage, including explicit success and failure criteria.
• Lead and develop a science team of four, setting scientific direction, ownership, and performance expectations.
• Ensure scientific validity through rigorous measurement definitions, integrity checks, and clear sign-off on results.
• Translate experimental findings into actionable inputs for engineering and contribute to technical narratives for stakeholders, investors, and external partners.

What You Will Bring:

• A PhD or Masters in physics, engineering, materials science, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience in system-level modelling and energy balance thinking.
• A track record of hypothesis-driven experimental design linked to practical hardware development.
• Strong thermodynamic literacy and an evidence-first mindset when interpreting results.
• Proven leadership experience developing small multidisciplinary teams in a high-tempo, experiment-led setting.

This Head of Science role sits within the wider energy hardware and scientific innovation landscape, helping convert first-of-a-kind research into prototypes with disciplined, measurable outcomes. With a mission focused on designing, patenting, and licensing energy technology to support global sustainability and reduce energy poverty, this position plays a direct part in turning scientific progress into reliable engineering direction. The company’s culture values speed with rigour, intellectual honesty, and decision-making that prioritises what the data truly shows.

Location:

This Head of Science role is based in Didcot Oxfordshire, with a well-equipped laboratory environment at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus.

Interested?:

Bring your experimental leadership to the Head of Science role and help drive the next breakthroughs at pace. Apply now and submit your CV and a short covering note explaining why this scientific challenge excites you and which parts of your experience best match the essentials.

Your CV will be forwarded to Jonathan Lee Recruitment, a leading engineering and manufacturing recruitment consultancy established in 1978. The services advertised by Jonathan Lee Recruitment are those of an Employment Agency.
In order for your CV to be processed effectively, please ensure your name, email address, phone number and location (post code OR town OR county, as a minimum) are included.

7096094 – James Randall

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