About Neotherix

Neotherix is a class iii medical device business in York spun out from innovation developed at Smith & Nephew, specialising in the development of bioresorbable scaffolds for tissue regeneration and repair. Neotherix’ mission is to develop innovative devices for the repair of problem wounds (acute, surgical, infected and chronic wounds, periodontal disease, colorectal disease) using electrospun scaffolds – polymer networks that provide a patient’s own cells with 3D architecture to repopulate and regenerate a wound space/injury site – thus utilising the body’s ability to repair itself.

The innovative technology is based on a considerable body of knowledge originally developed by project teams at the Smith &Nephew Research Centre in York, UK. This technology, available through licence to Neotherix for a wide range of problem wound applications, is based around the polymer processing technique of electrospinning and is being exploited to produce bioresorbable tissue scaffolds tailored to the particular demands of target clinical indications.

The Role

The role of Technology Programme Manager (TPM) reports to the founder/CEO and is responsible for managing the ongoing product development activity. The role is based around ensuring the ongoing research progresses to agreed timescales and budgets. In addition the TPM will manage QA/RA activities as well as support the ongoing and future clinical trials. The TPM supports the CEO with grant writing and venture funding applications.

This is a diverse role, the type of which is only really found in a startup business. The challenge posed to RMG was to find a suitable person, based in the Yorkshire area, who had extensive Project Management experience in the development of a medical device innovation. Ideally this would come from an early stage or pre-commercialised business rather than in a large corporate medtech.

Strategy & Outcome

Neotherix engaged RMG to headhunt the role through our Retained Executive Search expertise. We drew up a target list of organisations where we believed relevant candidate could be working which was supplemented by broader networking. We shortlisted five candidates to Neotherix exactly one month after we were engaged.

Three candidates were selected to progress to final interview stage and an offer was made to a candidate who accepted the position. Even with a delay of a week due to a case of Covid we still filled the position in an 8 week timeframe from signoff. Currently working their notice period, the individual will be starting with Neotherix during the Summer