Clinical Innovation Lead – Pioneering the Future of Digital Eating Disorder Care

Job Position Clinical

Published on 16 October 2025

Do you want to help shape the next generation of eating disorder care - combining clinical science with world-class technology?

Are you ready to lead change across the NHS and global healthcare systems through innovation, evidence, and compassion?

Join a passionate, curious and innovative team that’s redefining what’s possible in eating disorder support.

POSITION: Full-time

LOCATION: Home-based with regular in-person meetings

BASIC: Competitive base salary dependent on candidate background

BENEFITS: Competitive benefits package

QUALIFICATION: Clinical/counselling psychologist, CBT therapist, nurse, psychotherapist, Family Therapist

AN EXCITING ROLE FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL CANDIDATE

You’ll help bridge clinical excellence and product innovation, influencing how digital mental health care evolves globally. This is more than a job, it’s a chance to set new standards in evidence-based, technology-enabled treatment.

We’re looking for an experienced clinician in eating disorder assessment and treatment, across child, adolescent or adult populations, who is excited by the opportunity to shape the future of care. You’ll bring a strong grounding in psychological approaches such as FT-AN, CBT-ED or MANTRA, and the curiosity and creativity to apply this expertise in new ways, helping us design and deliver pioneering digital care solutions for the NHS and health systems worldwide.

This is a unique role at the intersection of clinical science, technology, and design. You’ll collaborate with an exceptional multidisciplinary team of technologists, product developers, and world-leading experts in eating disorders to reimagine how care can be delivered. You’ll also connect with international leaders and research partners to ensure Univa’s solutions reflect the latest global clinical thinking and innovation, helping to shape digital care models that set new standards of excellence across countries and health systems.

As part of your journey, you’ll gain hands-on experience in service transformation, change management and pathway redesign, learning how digital interventions can augment local clinical practice and drive lasting impact across the care pathway. This is an opportunity to be part of something bold and meaningful: shaping a new era of personalised, data-driven care for people with eating disorders and their families, with influence that reaches far beyond national boundaries.

ABOUT UNIVA

At Univa, we’re redefining how eating disorder care is delivered and experienced.

Founded in 2024, Univa was created to address one of the most pressing challenges in modern healthcare - the profound and often life-threatening impact of eating disorders on individuals and families. Our mission is to sustainably reduce the morbidity and mortality rates of eating disorders worldwide, transforming how care is accessed, delivered, and measured.

Our vision is to build and validate the world’s most outcome-focused, clinically robust digital care platform for eating disorders . A platform that empowers health systems and clinicians to deliver the highest standard of care efficiently and compassionately.

Eating disorders affect tens of millions of people worldwide. Hospital admissions have surged dramatically over the past five years, yet most services remain overstretched, under-resourced, and difficult to access. Clinicians everywhere are working tirelessly within systems that make it harder than it should be to provide the quality of care their patients deserve.

Univa is changing that.

We’re driven by a belief that the future of eating disorder care is personalised, data-informed, and compassion-centred, and that technology can make that future possible, today.

Our dual-app care platform, uniquely grounded in evidence-based principles such as Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (FT-AN) and the New Maudsley Model, combines clinical science, behavioural data, and digital innovation to extend the reach of evidence-based treatment. We’re working closely with the NHS, leading universities, and specialist charities to co-design digital tools that support both patients and carers, helping clinicians monitor progress, identify early signs of relapse, and sustain recovery between sessions.

Our founders, Rich Andrews and José Santos, are experienced healthtech leaders who have successfully built and scaled digital mental health services that integrate clinical excellence with human-centred technology. Together, we are creating a new model of care, one that is clinically rigorous, compassionate, and accessible to all.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing team of clinicians, researchers, and innovators united by a shared purpose: to reimagine eating disorder care for the next generation. At Univa, your role won’t just change individual lives, it will help shape a scalable care model adopted by healthcare systems around the world.

If you’re a clinician who thrives at the intersection of evidence-based practice, digital transformation, and human connection, we’d love to hear from you. Join us and be part of a mission to make exceptional eating disorder care accessible to anyone, anywhere.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

This is an exciting opportunity to take a leading role in shaping the future of eating disorder care. As Clinical Innovation Lead at Univa, you will help drive the design, development, and real-world implementation of pioneering digital care solutions that transform how individuals and families access and experience support.

You will work at the intersection of clinical expertise, digital innovation, and service transformation, translating evidence-based therapeutic models (such as family therapy models and CBT-ED) into scalable, technology-enabled solutions used across the NHS and international healthcare systems. Your insights and leadership will guide how clinical best practice is embedded into Univa’s platform, ensuring that new features and care pathways align with the latest global clinical thinking.

Collaborating closely with world-leading researchers, NHS partners, and international experts, you will help bridge clinical science and product design, testing and refining new digital approaches that improve outcomes, strengthen family engagement, and empower clinicians.

This role is ideal for a forward-thinking clinician who wants to go beyond traditional service delivery, someone passionate about innovation, evidence, and systems change. You’ll be part of a mission-driven team combining clinical excellence, data science, and great user design to create a new standard of care for people with eating disorders worldwide.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead clinical innovation and development - guide how evidence-based models such as family therapy (FT-AN/FBT), CBT-ED, and family-informed approaches are translated into scalable, technology-enabled interventions across the Univa Care Platform.
Mentor and inspire - oversee and support associate psychologists, assistant psychologists, and other clinical specialists contributing to product development, ensuring clinical quality, consistency, and adherence to best practice.
Contribute to digital product design - collaborate with product, engineering, and design teams to shape new platform features, user journeys, and content informed by real-world clinical insight and user feedback.
Deliver and model high-quality therapy – stay connected to patients and families through a small, structured caseload, integrating secure video therapy with Univa’s digital tools to model best practice in blended care. This hands-on clinical work ensures continuous learning, enabling you to gather real-world insights that directly inform ongoing product development and platform innovation.
Use clinical data for continuous improvement - analyse outcome data and digital engagement metrics to inform personalised care planning, identify early relapse indicators, and drive iterative improvements to care delivery.
Collaborate across disciplines - work with leading experts in psychology, psychiatry, dietetics, product design, AI, and behavioural science to ensure Univa’s solutions reflect the latest clinical evidence and user-centred design principles.
Ensure governance and safety - uphold professional, ethical, and safeguarding standards; maintain accurate documentation; and support robust clinical governance processes that align with regulatory and data-protection requirements.
Champion research and evaluation - contribute to clinical studies, pilots, and service-evaluation projects that evidence the safety, effectiveness, and scalability of Univa’s model across different healthcare systems.
Engage internationally - collaborate with global research and clinical partners to integrate emerging scientific insights and ensure Univa’s care solutions remain at the forefront of international best practice.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO UNIVA

Essential Criteria

Innovative and forward-thinking mindset – curiosity, creativity, and reflective practice, with a genuine passion for how technology, data, and design can enhance the therapeutic process and improve outcomes.
Digital confidence – openness to adopting and shaping new digital tools, workflows, and models of care as part of continuous learning and improvement.
Clinical expertise – strong competence in evidence-based approaches such as FT-AN, CBT-ED, MANTRA, or systemic/family therapy models, with a deep understanding of how to adapt these for different populations.
Advanced formulation and intervention skills – ability to deliver structured, goal-oriented therapy to individuals and families while integrating psychoeducation and behavioural change principles.
Collaborative communicator – excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport, instil trust, and motivate engagement in both patients and carers — in-person and virtually.
Leadership and mentorship – experience guiding or supervising junior clinicians or multidisciplinary colleagues, with a commitment to fostering clinical quality and reflective practice.
Strong governance values – commitment to clinical safety, safeguarding, and data protection in line with national standards and Univa’s governance framework.
Relevant professional background – minimum of 5 years’ post-qualification experience working with individuals or families affected by eating disorders or closely related mental health conditions.
Accredited qualification and registration – professional qualification in Clinical Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Psychotherapy, Nursing, or another accredited mental health discipline, with registration through HCPC, NMC, UKCP, BABCP, or equivalent governing body.

Desirable Criteria

Digital care experience – experience delivering therapy, psychoeducation, or guided self-help through digital or blended models of care.
Innovation and co-design – involvement in service development, research, or digital product co-design initiatives, ideally within mental health or eating disorder services.
Strategic and creative thinker – enthusiasm for shaping the next generation of digitally enabled eating disorder services through collaboration, innovation, and evidence-based design.

Personal Attributes

Passionate about Univa’s mission to make eating disorder care accessible, effective, and compassionate.
Collaborative mindset and ability to work confidently within multidisciplinary and cross-functional teams.
Creative and adaptable thinker who thrives in an early-stage, fast-evolving environment.
Driven by outcomes, learning, and continuous improvement for both patients and the wider healthcare system.

ROLE SUMMARY & REPORTING STRUCTURE

As Clinical Innovation Lead at Univa, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how evidence-based eating disorder care is delivered through technology. You’ll lead the translation of clinical best practice into scalable, digital solutions used across the NHS and international health systems, combining deep clinical insight with innovation, design, and data-driven thinking.

You will report to the Head of Clinical Services / Clinical Lead and work in close collaboration with Univa’s product, research, and partnerships teams. Regular strategic meetings, reflective practice sessions, and peer supervision will support your continued growth while ensuring the highest standards of clinical safety and innovation.

This is a Monday to Friday remote-based role with occasional in-person workshops, innovation sessions, or site visits. A role that offers a balance of leadership, collaboration, and hands-on clinical practice including opportunities for international collaboration with global clinical and research partners.

WHY JOIN UNIVA

Joining Univa means being part of something bigger - a movement to transform how eating disorder care is delivered, experienced, and sustained around the world.

At Univa, your voice will shape how the world approaches eating disorder care. You’ll be part of a team with global reach, working alongside some of the brightest minds in clinical science, design, and AI, all united by one purpose: to bring hope, access, and recovery to families everywhere. You’ll play a leading role in shaping digital solutions that make care more effective, personalised, and accessible for thousands of individuals and families. Your clinical insight will directly inform how our products evolve, influencing both national and international approaches to eating disorder treatment.

You’ll work within a collaborative, mission-driven environment that brings together clinicians, researchers, designers, engineers, and data scientists, all united by a shared purpose to improve lives through evidence-based innovation. We value curiosity, compassion, courage, and integrity, and we create the space for bold ideas to turn into real-world impact.

At Univa, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, lead, and innovate, helping shape the future of digital mental health care while making a tangible difference every day.

Univa offers:

Meaningful impact – the opportunity to make a tangible difference to individuals and families affected by eating disorders, improving access, experience, and outcomes across the care journey.
Innovation in action – a role that blends clinical excellence with digital innovation, empowering you to shape the future of how evidence-based care is delivered and scaled.
Flexibility and wellbeing – flexible working patterns and a supportive, values-driven culture that prioritises personal wellbeing, collaboration, and professional growth.
Research and development – opportunities to contribute to service transformation, research, and clinical evaluation in partnership with the NHS, charities, and leading academic institutions.
Global vision, trusted foundations – the chance to join an ambitious, purpose-led company backed by experienced founders, trusted by healthcare partners, and connected to international leaders in eating disorder care.

At Univa, your clinical expertise drives real-world change today and helps build the future of care for generations to come.

HOW TO APPLY

If you’re inspired by our mission and believe your skills and experience align with this role, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your CV and a brief cover letter to careers@univa.health with the subject line: Clinical Innovation Lead Application

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a multi-stage virtual interview process.

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone can thrive. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives because diversity drives better care, better innovation, and better outcomes.